Back in the 1970s, automotive magazines routinely compared the Lincoln Continental Mark IV and Cadillac Eldorado, exclusive luxury cars meant to be noticed. Today’s equivalents are the Lincoln Navigator and Cadillac Escalade, both recently updated. Whether you desire elegance or muscle, one of these should fit.
2025 Lincoln Navigator Reserve
Lincolns have often been elegant, but they’ve rarely been subtle. That was true of the ’76 Mark IV and of the elegantly restyled 2025 Navigator Reserve.
It’s a big truck with a tall sparkly grille, but there’s finesse to the design. Front forms are more rounded, headlamps look angrier, and a light bar crosses the grille. The side profile is clean with power running boards and ghosted horizontal riffs in the rear pillar glass. Thin line taillamps arch over the rear hatch with LINCOLN lettering beneath. It’s dandy in light Gray Mist Metallic paint, blacked out trim, and 22” dark wheels.
Despite an onslaught of technology, the Navigator’s interior carries the mid-century vibe of earlier Lincolns. Seats are inspired by the iconic Eames Lounge Chair, but are 24-way adjustable, including for each side of the lower cushion. Front seats are heated, ventilated, and offer multiple massage modes. Rear seats and the squircle steering wheel are also heated. Tri-zone climate control and panoramic roof keep everybody cozy.
All neat, but this Lincoln swanks its new 48-inch screen under the windshield to display speed, navigation, cruise, audio and even the weather forecast. It looks stolen from Times Square, but is intuitive to use as there’s a smaller 11.1-inch screen in the console to control all of it. Phones connect wirelessly through Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and charging pad. USBs are scattered everywhere. Crank up the Revel audio system for audio delight.
I love the steering wheel that can be gripped like handlebars, but the two touch pads are points of contention. They’re mostly dark until you touch them and they appear on the screen. On my first drive, I couldn’t find the mirror adjustments nor headlamps. Well, mirror adjustments are accessed through two touches on the right steering wheel pad…and headlamps are through an icon on the touchscreen. Buttons are better.
A V8 was once de rigor for luxury boats, but the Navigator runs with a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 sending 440 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque to the four-wheel-drive system through a 10-speed automatic transmission. Count cylinders if you want, but that’s plenty of power – and it sounds good too. Fuel economy is a decent 15/22-MPG city/highway and it can tow up to 8,700 lbs. of weekend accoutrement.
With this luxury liner at our behest, my family opted for a 3-hour round-trip for dinner with my daughter’s grandmother. It rained so hard that I was waiting for Noah’s fleet, but the Navigator’s AWD system, grabby brakes and rain-sensing wipers shoved through. Even with adaptive four-wheel independent suspension, the big thing still drives like a truck with the chassis fighting to tame the big wheels. It’s also a bit of a handful in city traffic, so like Continentals of yore, it prefers wide-open Interstate where Blue Cruise hands-off driving can be enjoyed. While the system changes lanes with the flick of the turn signal, I’d like it more if it automatically passed.
If you really just need three rows of luxurious seats, the Lincoln Aviator crossover may be a better choice, but there’s no replacing the Navigator.. Base models cost one Lincoln bill short of $100k, but ours came to $105,360 fully dressed. Aviators start at a more plebeian $59,295. True competitors include the Cadillac Escalade, Mercedes-Benz GLS, BMW X7, Lexus LX, and Infiniti Q80.
2025 Cadillac Escalade V
Imagine taking a Cadillac limousine and a Chevy Suburban, then turning them over to Team Corvette. Pick whatever go-fast parts you want from the parts bin and you’d get something like the 2025 Cadillac Escalade V.
Refreshed for 2025, gas-powered Escalades adopt styling cues from the Escalade IQ and LYRIQ EVs. Functional lighting moves from horizontal to vertical to emphasize the bladelike driving lamps. The giant grille is blacked out and meshed for V duty. Retractable running boards, black trim, and 24-inch dark wheels dish attitude. Around back, quad exhausts underly vertical taillamps that extend into the roof pillars as modern-day tailfins.
Escalade already had one of the largest swaths of glass in its dash, but updates for 2025 include a full-width 55-inch screen over a smaller iPad-sized one below for climate control and adjustments for seat heat, ventilation, and massagers. There’s a heated steering wheel too. Devour all of the carbon fiber trim, microfiber headliner, and quilted leather. The 40-speaker AKG audio system pumps sound from every crevice, including the roof and headrests. Tri-zone automatic climate control and panoramic roof tickle everybody.
I could do without blind spot cameras that override the main infotainment screen, but the rest is pretty fly. Connect phones wirelessly via Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and console charging pad. Safety is amped with a head-up display, night vision camera, and all the latest crash avoidance tech. It’s a starship for the road.
But let’s assume you plan to ride mostly in the rear. You’ll luxuriate in the Executive Second Row package that includes twin captain’s chairs with heat, ventilation, and massage – all controlled with a console touchscreen. Twin wireless phone chargers, Wi-Fi, and pull-out tray tables connect wherever you roll. Stream YouTube, Tubi, and HULU through twin 12.6-inch screens and headrest speakers to make miles disappear.
Let’s get! Cadillac first installed a V8 engine in its cars for 1915, but none since were like the V’s. The aluminum 6.2-liter supercharged engine conjures an unholy 682 horsepower and 653 lb.-ft. of torque – put through a 10-speed Hydra-Matic transmission. The big truck uses its all-wheel-drive system for snow and off-roading, but also to grab pavement by the scruff. Proving its GM SUV heritage, the Escalade V can tow 7,200 lbs. Fuel economy, though, is quite terrible at 11/17-MPG city/highway.
Performance is potent, shoving over 6,000 lbs. of truck 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds. However, it can also be driven as sedately as you please, dropping grandma back at her condo completely unaware of the beast beneath. That’s mostly due to the four-wheel independent air suspension and Magnetic Ride Control that provides a relatively comfortable ride on-highway and can tighten toot-sweet when thwamped. Raise it up for cabin trails or lower for urban entry.
Cadillac had the biggest box in the business and access to Corvette’s toybox, but never took full advantage. It has now, but also needs a bespoke program. There are just two interior colors and five exterior colors offered. Compare that to the kaleidoscope for the Mercedes G-Wagen and Range Rover. It’s time to open Cadillac House, where every $340,000+ CELESTIQ EV is commissioned, to Escalade as well.
It definitely wears a sticker that deserves it. Base Escalades start at $88,100, but came to a lofty $170,715 in V-Series with the executive package.
Storm Forward!
Send comments to Casey at AutoCasey@aol.com; follow him on YouTube @AutoCasey.