2015 Lincoln Navigator gets a fresh face

Lincoln has just unveiled a refreshed 2015 Navigator. The Navigator received its last visual updates in 2007, but today steps out with a fresh fascia and improved interior and exterior styling.

Seven years is a lifetime in the car world, and the 2015 Navigator will have some pretty stiff competition in the luxury SUV class including the Mercedes-Benz GL and Cadillac Escalade.

Lincoln decided to ditch the 5.4-liter Triton V8 engine and replace it with a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 making at least 370-hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic and either four-wheel or rear-wheel drive.

The luxury beast is also projected to deliver best-in-class towing, 9,000 pounds, outdoing its Escalade competitor by 800 pounds.

In addition to the modifications under the hood, the exterior styling now borrows some cues from the Lincoln MKZ, including the “split-wing” grille. HID headlights and LED running lights add to the list of changes, along with standard 20-inch wheels and available 22-inch wheels if buyers want to shell out a few extra bucks for the “Reserve” package.

The interior also received a full technology overhaul, making MyLincoln Touch with Sync standard on all models.

The 2015 Navigator is expected to go into production at the end of the summer, and will hit showrooms sometime during the fall. It makes its public debut at the Chicago Auto Show in early February.

By Natalie Sejnost