2018 Lincoln Navigator Black Label Interior Review: Forgetting the Old Navigator

The outgoing Navigator and its less luxurious Expedition twin were surviving on midcycle refreshes for far too long, resulting in a very dated look and feel. Additionally, the Navigator felt like a dressed up Expedition in many ways. This is not the case with the redesigned 2018 Lincoln Navigator. The interior has evolved to first-class quality, and it separates itself from the Expedition with unique styling, trims, accents, and more. Read below to see what the range-topping Black Label’s luxurious interior offers in Lincoln’s largest SUV, and check out our 2018 Navigator First Test right here.


The Black Label

Opting for the range-topping Black Label adds notable interior features: an adaptive cruise control with stop/go capability, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, a self-parking system, a head-up display, a driver impairment monitor, a CD player in the center console, the top 20-speaker Revel Ultima audio system, a trailer back up assist system, Black Label floormats, and one of three packaged themes: Chalet, Destination, and Yacht Club.

Our Navigator came in the Chalet theme, designed to resemble snowy mountains. It has an Alpine and Espresso leather-trimmed interior, Silverwood appliques, an Alpine Dinamica headliner, and Espresso floor mats with Dinamica accents. The seats feature soft Venetian leather with Lincoln-Star perforation. The Black Label’s Destination theme includes a Mahogany Red leather-trimmed interior, Khaya appliques, and a Mahogany Red Dinamica headliner and floormats with Dinamica accents. The Yacht Club theme includes a Blue Bay and Alpine leather-trimmed interior, whitewashed Teak appliques, a Sand Dinamica headliner, and Blue Bay floormats with Dinamica accents.


A Front Seat to Remember

Unlike conventional one-piece seats, the Navigator’s Perfect Position seats have the padding mounted on a plastic frame, allowing for 30-way adjustability: six to the track, two to recline, four to the headrest, four to the cushion extension, four to the thigh support, four to the lumbar support, two to the back bolster, two to the cushion bolster, and two to the upper back bolster support. The comfortable front seats also offer massaging, heating, and cooling functionality and can be upholstered in a selection of premium leathers.


Superb Audio

The Navigator offers a 14-speaker Revel audio system, but if you’re an audiophile, you better opt for the top 20-speaker Revel Ultima surround-sound system. The audio system was designed for the Navigator Black Label trim and features the largest subwoofer ever mounted in a Lincoln vehicle. The Revel Ultima offers three listening modes: the standard Stereo mode, a surround-sound Audience mode, and an Onstage mode, which arranges individual instruments and sounds throughout the cabin. QuantumLogic surround-sound technology and Harman’s Clari-Fi music restoration technology provide optimal sound.


Rear Seats That Awe

The Black Label trim and the optional rear-seat entertainment system combine to create quite a nice environment for rear passengers. The heated, leather-trimmed second-row captain’s chairs in seven-passenger configurations have power-folding functionality. The optional second-row center console includes cupholders, radio controls, a 4.0-inch LCD screen, and storage cubbies. (Forgoing the option allows for either a pass-through opening or an eighth seat that slides.) The second-row seats also feature a one-touch tilt-and-slide function, which makes it easier for passengers to enter or exit the third row.

The available rear entertainment system consists of two 10.0-inch adjustable screens (not touchscreen) mounted on the back of the front seats. Each screen has its own remote and can play media via SD card, HDMI input, or one of the USB ports. Slingbox users can even play TV channels or on-demand services through the monitors. The second-row seats manually recline, but third-row passengers get power-reclining seats. The large panoramic sunroof makes the spacious cabin feel even larger.


A Driver’s Display All Should Have

A vehicle’s instrument provides crucial information and gives you an idea of the type of vehicle you’re driving. Premium automakers are slowly phasing out traditional analog gauges in favor of digital ones, and the Navigator is no exception. Drivers will notice the large and crisp 12.0-inch digital instrument panel. Unlike some premium automakers that have partial digital clusters (BMW), the Navigator’s is all-digital. Pictures don’t do it justice—it’s quite an appealing instrument panel in person.

A really neat but small feature that more than one staffer commented on is how the needle tips of the gauges light up as they move. The animated drive mode illustrations that appear in the digital display when a drive mode is selected also stand out. The colorful animations are so neat that you might find yourself scrolling through the six drive modes—Normal, Excite (Sport), Slippery, Conserve, Deep Conditions, and Slow Climb—for fun.


It’s the Little Lights That Count

The Navigator’s interior ambient lighting is a nice touch. In addition to aesthetics, it tells passengers when a door is open by turning the open door’s ambient lighting red. The premium SUV also features little red LEDs where pop-up door locks usually are; these illuminate when the door is locked and turn off when unlocked. Buckling a seat belt is easy enough, but Lincoln makes things easier—and much cooler looking—by adding a small white LED that illuminates the buckle. The LED dome and reading lights are nice and bright and complement the rest of the interior’s lighting.


Charge-up and Connect

The outgoing Navigator lacked technology and connectivity, but that’s not the case with the 2018 Navigator Black Label. The six USB ports, four 12-volt outlets, a 110-volt outlet, and a wireless charging pad should keep all devices powered and ready to entertain. Tech comes in the form of Sync 3 and its intuitive interface, 10.0-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, Amazon Alexa services, and a Wi-Fi hot spot for up to 10 devices. If multiple drivers are navigating your Lincoln, the Personal Profile system uses the key fob to recall individual settings, such as seat positioning, mirror and pedal positions, temperature, and infotainment settings.


Digital Displays

Perched up high on the dashboard, a 10.0-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen contributes to a cockpitlike environment when paired with the sharp 12.0-inch digital instrument cluster and large head-up display with DLP technology, making it easy to see even with polarized sunglasses.


Helpful Assists

The 2018 Navigator has a lot of available driver-assist features, including adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and lane keep assist. The Lincoln Navigator is a large vehicle; if you choose not to use the available self-parking system, the front and rear parking sensors and surround-view camera system should make parking and maneuvering in tight spaces much easier.

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