RANCHO SANTA FE, CA – Nothing makes Christine Cheng, Lincoln’s global design director, crazier than a phone call popping up on her vehicle screen and blocking critical navigation directions.
“I hate it. And it always happens at the critical time. You’re not sure where you're supposed to turn – ‘I missed my turn. You called me. Stop calling me,’” she says with a laugh, relaying what she says to the caller.
But on the 2025 Lincoln Navigator, drivers can make the navigation directions static in one area of the 48-in. (122-cm) panoramic screen (first introduced in the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus), so phone calls don’t cover them. Drivers can choose their preferred “widgets” to highlight on the screen such as navigation, weather, music, compass, fuel economy or trip odometer. They are saved to the driver’s profile like seat and mirror adjustments.
“Now, it doesn't matter because that information stays static,” Cheng says. “I love it, I love it, I love it. … To me, the holy grail is my navigation. Don't mess with my navigation.”
Elegant Enhancements
While the twin-turbocharged 3.5L V-6 with 440 hp and 510 lb.-ft. (692 Nm) of torque is a carryover from 2024, the vehicle’s interior features a host of technology improvements and elegant enhancements like a crystal-inspired volume control knob.
Digital gauges are on the screen behind the steering wheel, which the driver easily can look over thanks to the flat top and bottom (also first introduced in the 2024 Nautilus.)
“We talk about ‘the power of sanctuary,’ and it's not just a slogan or just a gimmick that we throw out there as like, ‘Hey, there is a sanctuary mode,’” Cheng tells WardsAuto. “When you see the interior and you open the door, you really feel that serenity and the calmness in the interior design.”
Cheng says she wants drivers and passengers to feel like they are sitting in a stylish living room.
“We were inspired by furniture,” she says. “So, when you see it, and then when you have the doors closed with the wood at the top, it really feels like this beautiful table that you have at home. The interior feels like your living space, your living room.”
There is a dizzying number of interior design selections offering more personalization choices, including three different Black Label options: “Invitation” returns, joined by “Enlighten” (pictured, below) and “Atmospheric.”
Lincoln Black Label Invitation features black leather interior and Khaya (African mahogany) wood accents.
Suggesting Sunrise
The Enlighten theme aims to evoke the feeling of sunrise. It features light beige leather with gray piping and stitching, laser-etched birch woods accents along with varied shades of black carpeting and headliner.
The Atmospheric theme, inspired by the color of a stormy day, includes light gray leather and headliner, black flooring, ash wood appliques and copper accents.
All Black Label themes include a leather-covered rear console, as well as new heated third-row leather seating surfaces, heated and ventilated second-row captain’s chairs (pictured, below) with massage (also new) and a wireless charging pad.
For the first time, Lincoln Black Label styling extends to the exterior of the vehicle with the Atmospheric theme. Unique to the theme are copper accents on the grille and fender badging, as well as 24-in. copper aluminum wheels.
The driving experience is improved thanks to new technology including the latest iteration of Ford’s hands-free BlueCruise, standard on all trim levels and complimentary for four years.
The large (6,023-lb. [2,732-kg]), 210-in. (533-cm) long and 95-in. (241-cm) wide) vehicle feels firmly centered and grounded thanks to BlueCruise 1.4, the system’s latest update launched last fall. It is designed to help deliver a “more natural-feeling drive” and more time in hands-free mode compared to earlier versions. I was pleasantly surprised at how readily available it is without dropping back to adaptive cruise.
BlueCruise automatically adjusts the vehicle’s speed in curves, helping the driver stay engaged in hands-free mode longer. It offers greater in-lane stability unlocked by an all-new motion controller which controls the vehicle’s steering, helping reduce the side-to-side movement within the lane.
Making Connections
The Lincoln Digital Experience features Google Assistant to control connected vehicle commands for climate, navigation and music. Voice commands and steering wheel thumb controls operate the system – and the 11.1-in. (28-cm) touchscreen is also available as a control panel.
The system provides easy access to music, podcasts, videos and gaming apps from the Google Play store when the vehicle is in park. Apple CarPlay powered by iPhone and Android Auto with a compatible Android device are also standard.
There is a new Pano Mode (pictured, below), which plays video and gaming apps on either side of the panoramic display when the vehicle is in park.
A new Quick Tips app is available for download from the Google Play store. This owner education application offers a collection of how-to videos showcasing various features in the Navigator, including BlueCruise, which can be projected on the panoramic screen while the vehicle is in park.
Learning about vehicle features from the interior of the vehicle makes the process easier and might be especially appealing to technology holdouts.
Older customers are actually more tech-savvy than some give them credit for, Cheng says.
“If you make it intuitive, it doesn't matter how old you are, they’ll get it,” she says.
Back to the “Power of Sanctuary,” the Lincoln Rejuvenate experience (only available while in park) combines sight, sound, touch and scent to help drivers recharge (pictured, below). The 5- or 10-minute multi-sensory experience can help reduce stress and provide relaxation inside the Navigator. The driver’s seat slides rearward, reclines, warms slightly and begins massaging. The steering wheel moves up and away. Calming visuals fill the center stack and panoramic display, complemented by ambient lighting and soothing sounds as a subtle fragrance fills the cabin via Lincoln Digital Scent.
It’s a relaxing and pleasant way to end a drive.
