2022 Lincoln Navigator Black Label Review: Large, Lovely, And Luxurious

Design | Comfort | Technology | Performance | Safety | Efficiency | Pricing | FAQs

The current Lincoln Navigator has been around for a minute, by new car standards. This generation debuted in 2018, two years before General Motors fully reworked its full-size SUV stable, including the big Lincoln’s longtime rival, the Cadillac Escalade. But the Navigator boasts significant upgrades for 2022.

The biggest addition to the Navigator range is ActiveGlide, Lincoln’s hands-free driver assist system. But beyond that, the Navigator boasts new styling and more technology inside, and in general, feels like an improvement over the SUV it replaces.

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Exterior Color: Pristine White And Black
Interior Color: Chalet Beige
Wheel Size: 22 Inches

The Lincoln Navigator already looked large prior to its 2022 facelift, but now the bigger grille makes the SUV look unreasonably oversized. The extended front fascia drops further into the base of the bumper creating a vacuum-like front end. Adding the $6,695 Special Edition package pictured here gives the Navigator gloss black 22-inch wheels, a black-painted roof, black mirror caps, and darkened chrome inserts in the grille.

The adaptive pixel projector headlights are sharper than the ones they replace. The new, slimmer shape helps add more detail to the front end. The illuminated logo within the grille is a neat touch, too, and the sleeker 3D LED taillights – the design is basically the previous taillights inverted – give the Navigator a more elegant shape in the rear.

The interior of the Black Label model tested here is properly premium (as expected). High-end pieces of leather, wood, and aluminum line the dash and coat the center console. In this case, the Chalet theme – one of four available interior themes alongside Yacht Club (light blue), Invitation (black), and Central Park (green) – offers Alpine white leather on the seats with pinstriped lacquered wood across the dash.

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• Seating Capacity: 7
• Seating Configuration: 2 / 2 / 3
• Cargo Capacity: 19.3 / 57.5 / 103.3 Cubic Feet

One of the hallmarks of the Lincoln Navigator is its comfortable ride, and the 2022 model does not disappoint. Standard adaptive dampers help keep the 5,800-pound SUV under control, and a road previewing function via the front-mounted cameras means the Navigator can read the surface ahead and prep the suspension for any upcoming bumps or undulations. That makes the Navigator cushy around town and smooth on the highway.

Lincoln’s Perfect Position 30-way power front seats coddle the driver and passenger with excellent bolstering and perfect back support. Black Label models get lovely 10-way power-adjustable seats in the second row, which come with a segment-first massage function, as well as heating and ventilation.

Because of the second-row center console in this Black Label model (which gives passengers control of massage, cooling, and heating functions), you will have to flip one of the captain’s chairs forward to access the third row. But the spring-actuated chairs are easy to move, and once seated in the rearmost row, it has some of the best legroom of any SUV on the market today (only Jeep is better). For a 6-foot-tall adult like myself, it’s a genuinely comfy place to be.

Standard adaptive dampers help keep the 5,800-pound SUV under control, and a road previewing function via the front-mounted cameras means the Navigator can read the surface ahead and prep the suspension for any upcoming bumps or undulations. That makes the Navigator cushy around town and smooth on the highway.

• Center Display: 13.2-Inch Touchscreen
• Instrument Cluster Display: 12.4 Inches
• Wireless Apple CarPlay / Android Auto: Yes / Yes

New for 2022 is a larger 13.2-inch central touchscreen that runs a crisp, Lincoln-specific version of the Sync 4 infotainment system. It has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and over-the-air updates will keep the system current. The only problem here is that CarPlay and Android Auto only take up three-quarters of the available screen space on-screen; Lincoln’s baked-in split-screen function takes up the remaining quarter portion. Otherwise, the response times are quick and usability is a breeze.

Behind the steering wheel is the same 12.4-inch digital cluster as last year, but now it has new “Constellation” graphics and a few more configuration options. That said, it still isn’t the most customizable display in the world. There are only a few minor things you can fiddle with. Second-row passengers, meanwhile, have access to their own 5.8-inch mini display for managing seat controls. Also standard on the Black Label model is a 28-speaker Revel Ultima 3D audio system, which is a fully immersive system that delivers a crystal clear sound.

• Engine: Twin-Turbo 3.5-Liter V6
• Output: 440 Horsepower / 510 Pound-Feet
• Transmission: 10-Speed Automatic

Every Navigator gets a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 440 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque, paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission – the same powertrain as the 2021 model There is no V8 option, like in some of the alternatives, but you won’t miss it. The twin-turbo V6 is plenty punchy with enough power to propel the Navigator off the line quickly and pass slow-moving cars on the freeway.

The adaptive air suspension does its best to keep the Navigator composed, but let’s face it, this 5,800-pound, three-row SUV won’t exactly carve up a corner. The Navigator lumbers around turns with epic levels of body roll and the steering isn’t what I’d call communicative. By comparison, the Escalade and Yukon, with their optional magnetic ride control, handle corners with more grace.

• Driver Assistance Level: SAE Level 2 (Hands-Off)
• NHTSA Rating: Five Stars Overall
• IIHS Rating: Top Safety Pick+

Lincoln’s ActiveGlide level 2 hands-free safety system makes its debut on the Navigator for 2022. ActiveGlide has designated 130,000 miles of highways in which the vehicle will fully take over control of steering, braking, and accelerator duties while you sit back and relax (but still monitor the road ahead). GM’s Super Cruise works similarly, although it has a more expansive network of 200,000 miles of mapped highways.

Even for such a large vehicle, ActiveGlide keeps the Navigator perfectly centered and helps it maintain a steady pace with the vehicles in front of it. The Navigator doesn’t have automatic lane change assist yet, but that is available on updated crossovers like the Corsair and should make it to Navigator with an over-the-air update.

• City: 16 MPG
• Highway: 22 MPG
• Combined: 18 MPG

• Base Price: $77,635 + $1,695 Destination
• Trim Base Price: $107,770
• As-Tested Price: $117,410

The entry-point for the Lincoln Navigator is the Standard model, which starts at $79,330 with the $1,695 destination fee included. Our tester is a bit pricier; the Black Label comes in at $107,770 with the destination fee included, which makes it a pretty pricey proposition even before options.

But you do get lots of things standard, like four-wheel drive, 22-inch wheels, an upgraded audio system, fancier leather, those Perfect Position seats, and 10-way seats in the second row. This particular car has the $6,695 Special Edition pack, which adds black wheels, a black-painted roof, and darkened chrome inserts, and a rear-seat entertainment package for the kiddos that is another $2,195.

That brings the total asking price of this Navigator to $117,410 – but it’s worth the asking price. With all that new equipment, extra safety, and sharper styling, the 2022 Lincoln Navigator maintains its status as one of the poshest three-row crossovers around.

Competitor Reviews

• Cadillac Escalade: 8.8 / 10
• GMC Yukon Denali: 7.6 / 10
• Jeep Grand Wagoneer: 8.0 / 10