It’s a thoroughly traditionalist SUV, and there’s no electron power in sight as yet, but the Navigator, refreshed for 2022, is still decidedly a Lincoln, which obviously means plenty of niceties beyond its superior interior room and muscular towing chops, as the photo helps do demonstrate. Lincoln, however, is a company that helped make the personal coupe and four-door convertible into American automotive touchstones during its century of business. The newly freshened Navigator, too, constitutes an advance, being the first vehicle of any kind from Lincoln to offered an enhanced version of hands-free driving.
When the new Navigator arrives early next year, it will be loaded with ActiveGlide, the Lincoln name for its hands-free system that combines active cruise control with lane centering and speed sign recognition to assist drivers on more than 130,000 miles of U.S. highways. On those roads, known by Lincoln as Hands-Free Blue Zones, blue-toned callouts in the Navigator’s instrument display will tell drivers when the assistance is available. The ActiveGlide system identifies the navigation-capable roads through the Lincoln GPS mapping system, while a driver-facing camera in the instrument display ensures the driver’s staying alert. The Navigator’s vast infotainment options include Amazon Alexa connectivity, over-the-air vehicle software updates, and Fire TV capability for the rear-seat entertainment cell.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 