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The Lincoln Navigator is a full-size luxury SUV built by Lincoln. Introduced as a 1998 model, production began May 14, 1997 with sales beginning in August. The Navigator was Lincoln's first SUV as well as its first four-wheel drive capable vehicle. The Navigator shares its platform, mechanical features, and other equipment with the Ford Expedition, which was introduced a year earlier. Unique and upscale styling, interior materials, and other features differ the Navigator from the Expedition. Given its platform mate, the Navigator is the largest vehicle Lincoln currently offers, having the greatest cargo capacity and seating for seven to eight people, depending on the model. In 2007, a longer, extended wheelbase version of the Navigator called the ''Navigator L'' was introduced, increasing cargo capacity further. Since its introduction, Lincoln has offered only one engine choice at a time in the Navigator in any model year. In spite of a base manufacturer's suggested retail price of over $42,000 in 1999, the Navigator proved to be popular with nearly 44,000 sold in its first year. Competitors from General Motors like the Cadillac Escalade and the GMC Yukon Denali as well as the Lexus LX quickly followed to cash in on Lincoln's success with the Navigator. Much like the Cadillac Escalade would do, the Navigator found a niche with celebrities and the customized SUV scene. ==First generation (1997–2002)== The 1998 Navigator was introduced in August 1997 as Lincoln's first sport utility vehicle (SUV) with seating for up to eight people. The Navigator was based directly on the Ford Expedition, which was introduced the year before, but was positioned to be a new luxury choice in the then-growing full-size SUV market segment, with more features and an upscale design. Though the Navigator's exterior bears resemblance to its Expedition cousin at a glance, it differs in a number of ways, including different front and rear fascias with unique headlights and taillights, a chrome "waterfall" style grille, a unique hood, different style wheels, unique wheel arches, a different roof rack, and different door handles. Inside, the Navigator's humble truck roots could be more easily spotted as it had the same dashboard layout as the Expedition and F-150. However, the Navigator's interior featured upscale additions including standard leather seating surfaces, fine wood inserts, extensive carpeting, and greater sound deadening. Navigator was also developed under the program code name UN173, with the Expedition developed under the UN93 program code name. In terms of other features, Navigators were equipped with dual front-side airbags, four wheel anti-lock disc brakes, a four-speaker premium audio system with AM/FM-cassette radio, automatic climate control, a wood- and leather-trimmed steering wheel with redundant audio and climate controls, "captain's chair" front bucket seating, power driver and passenger seats, first- and second-row floor consoles, an overhead console (with map lighting and electronic information displays), power windows, power door locks, power heated mirrors, remote keyless entry, illuminated running boards, automatic headlights, foglights, and 16-inch alloy wheels. Upscale options included a power moonroof, a universal garage door opener, an electrochromic rearview mirror (which filters out headlight glare from other vehicles behind the Navigator), a seven speaker, 290-Watt audio system with a six-disc front console-mounted CD-changer, rear seat audio controls, and 17-inch alloy wheels.〔"1998 Lincoln Navigator Review." The Car Connection. 2008. http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/lincoln_navigator_1998〕 Underneath its luxury appointments, the Navigator was mechanically similar to the Expedition. Both were full-size, rear-wheel drive body-on-frame SUVs with a short-long arm (SLA) independent front suspension and live axle rear suspension. The Navigator differed slightly compared to the Expedition featuring a load-leveling air suspension with tuning for enhanced ride comfort. Two-wheel drive was standard on the Navigator with the available automatic ControlTrac four-wheel drive system offered as an option. ControlTrac initially included four modes: Two High, Auto, Four High (lock) and Four Low (lock). The Two High mode was dropped for the 1999 model year. The Navigator initially shared the same 5.4 L SOHC V8 as the Expedition, which made at 4250 rpm and of torque at 3000 rpm. Likewise, the Navigator shared the same 4R100 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive as the Expedition. The rear axle ratio of the Navigator, whether it was two-wheel or four-wheel drive, was 3.73:1. With a base curb weight of well over , the Navigator wasn't particularly fast off the line. A four-wheel drive model tested by Motor Trend magazine that weighed in at could accelerate from zero to in 10.3 seconds and complete a quarter mile (~400 m) in 17.7 seconds at . However, the same Navigator came with a useful towing capacity of .〔Bartlett, Jeff. "One-Year Test Verdict: 1998 Lincoln Navigator." ''Motor Trend''. 1999.〕 In its first calendar year of sales (1998), Navigator contributed to an unprecedented event of recent decades - the overtaking by the Lincoln brand of perennial rival Cadillac in annual sales volume. Initially, published figures indicated that Cadillac had outsold Lincoln by a scant 222 vehicles sold, thanks to an enormous surge in Escalade's monthly sales in December, from hundreds in previous months to almost 5,000. A subsequent audit resulted in a retraction/apology in May 1999, attributing the "error" to "overzealous" low-level employees. Upgrades came to the Navigator after only one model year in the interest of refining the vehicle and keeping it competitive. The 1999 Navigator initially came with the same 5.4 L SOHC V8 used previously, though it was revised to produce at 4500 rpm and of torque at 2300 rpm. Arriving later in the same model year replacing this engine was a new 5.4 L DOHC V8 that produced at 5000 rpm and of torque at 2750 rpm. The new DOHC V8 was marketed under the name ''InTech'', making it the second Lincoln engine, after the 4.6 L DOHC V8 of the Lincoln Mark VIII, to use this name. The rest of the Navigator's powertrain, including the transmission and rear axle, remained largely unchanged. Thanks to the new InTech V8, zero to acceleration times were cut to the mid-eight second range and towing capacity increased to over . Elsewhere in the Navigator, power adjustable brake and accelerator pedals became available for 1999 and 17-inch alloy wheels were now standard. In 2000, the Navigator's options list expanded to include a satellite navigation system, heated and cooled front seats, a reverse-sensing system, and side-impact airbags. Also in 2000, softer, ''Nudo'' leather replaced the previous leather used in the Navigator and the radio antenna of the Navigator was removed from the front passenger-side fender and integrated into the rear passenger-side quarter panel window. For 2001, a rear-seat, VHS-based video entertainment system became available. In a minor change, the back coloring of the "four-point star" logo, the symbol of Lincoln, changed from red to black on 2001 and newer Navigators. The Navigator was carried over unchanged for 2002 as a redesigned Navigator was planned for 2003. Also for 2001, the text from Navigator - Lincoln on the back changed to Lincoln - Navigator. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lincoln Navigator」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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