A significant addition, though, was a new six-speed automatic transmission. Last year the Lincoln Navigator received a more refined version of the 5.4-liter V8 engine, though it still produces the same output as before - 300 horsepower. Available DVD entertainment in the back and a navigation system keep the vehicle abreast of the current techno toys, and the cabin is artfully rendered with a dual-cowl design reminiscent of Lincoln vehicles built in the 1960s.
In the process, Lincoln retained signature styling cues while adding neat convenience features like power-retractable running boards, a power liftgate and power-folding third-row seats. For 2003, Lincoln completely redesigned the Navigator and addressed many of the original design's shortcomings, including the Expedition-clone interior, sloppy handling and tight third-row seat accommodations. Over time, Lincoln improved the original by bumping horsepower and torque, but it wasn't enough to hold off new and improved competition from at home and abroad. The Lincoln and the Cadillac were larger and less expensive than the next nearest competitor, the Lexus LX 470, making them all the more attractive. General Motors was prodded into action and immediately dressed up a Chevrolet Tahoe with leather, wood, chrome and a Cadillac badge to combat the threat posed by the Navigator. Instead, the Lincoln Navigator became a sales success, finding popularity with folks who wanted the prestige of a luxury nameplate and a full-size SUV all at the same time.
Dubbed the Navigator, the new luxury SUV amounted to little more than a Ford Expedition (itself a station wagon version of the F-Series pickup truck) with a softer riding suspension, acres of glitzy chrome exterior trim, an ultralux cabin and a sticker price, when fully loaded, of $50,000. In 1997, Lincoln took the wraps off its first sport-utility ever.