2011 Lincoln Navigator Review

The 2011 Lincoln Navigator.

Want a big, full-lux SUV and insist on buying American? Your ride is ready.

It helps to be a bit of a traditionalist, as well, since the 2011 Lincoln Navigator is year five of the Gen 3 Navigator (and 2012's changes are minimal, so it's going into year six).  But familiarity can breed contentment...and the Navigator is like an old friend.

The downturn of the economy and upturn in gas prices has driven the amateurs out of the fullsize and luxury SUV market. It's back to the people who really want, need and appreciate them. And as a former pre-soccer mom era Suburban owner, I can tell you, the 2011 Navigator is a sweet ride.

Side view of the 2011 Lincoln Navigator L

As with the now-discontinued Lincoln Town Car,  Ford hasn't been peppering the press fleets with Navigators, so we borrowed one from Fiesta Lincoln in Mesa, Arizona for a week. They put us not just in a Navigator, but the extended-length Navigator L...three rows of seats and room for a bunch of cargo, luggage, groceries, you name it, in the back.

Frankly, the Navigator looks better as the Navigator L. It's a tall beast and the 14.9 inches of extra length makes it look less blocky. And it may be me, but I think it rides considerably better in L form as well.

Our tester was also a 4X4 model, so the starting price was $62,695. For that, you get a 5.4 liter, 310 horsepower V8 with a six-speed automatic transmission, power liftgate, power folding, heated memory outside mirrors, power running boards, HID headlamps, SYNC, THX audio, heated and cooled front seats, heated 2nd row seats and power fold-flat 3rd row seats.

There's also dual-zone climate control, rear auxilary climate control, voice-activated navigation (hey, a Navigator should have nav standard), 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, forward and reverse sensing system, rain-sensing wipers, power adjustable pedals (a great thing for families whose drivers are of different heights and leg lengths. I'm 6'0". Mrs. TireKicker is 5'1".) a trailer towing package, a full complement of airbacks, Advance Trac with RSC and the Securilock anti-theft system.

The 2011 Lincoln Navigator interior.

Inside, it's leather and wood as far as the eye can see (and the interior is so spacious "as far as the eye can see" is really an issue here).  In the Navigator, standard is loaded...and yet, this one was loaded just a bit more. From the options list came Rapid Spec 101A, the monochrome limited edition package, turning a lot of normally chrome bits the body color (White Platinum Metallic Tri-Coat) and adding a power moonroof for $1,645.

That White Platinum Metallic Tri-Coat was extra cost, as well...$595.  An upgrade to 20 inch polished aluminum wheels cost $1,310, and all-weather floor mats were $75. $925 for destination and delivery brings the grand total to $66,320. Given that you can load a half-ton Chevy Suburban to $65,000 and change and cracking $70K in luxury SUVs isn't difficult, that's a very good value. Just be prepared at the pump...the EPA says the Navigator L 4X4 should get 13 miles per gallon in the city, 18 on the highway. Your mileage may vary. Ours did. In a 60/40 city street/urban freeway mix, we managed 12.6 mpg.

Still, it's a nice machine with tons of presence and a lot of usefulness. Lincoln's likely to either completely re-do or do away with the Navigator after 2012. If this is for you, I'd act now.

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2011 Land Rover LR 4 Review

The 2011 Land Rover LR 4.

Younger TireKicker readers may be shocked to learn that the Sport Utility Vehicle pre-dates the Starbucks-wielding soccer mom.

Back in the day, they were fairly utilitarian beasts, these Chevrolet and GMC Suburbans, International Travelalls,  Toyota Land Cruisers and Land Rovers. But the first of these to appeal to an upscale clientele struck gold. And that was Land Rover.

Anywhere on this earth where the pavement ended, a Land Rover was the answer to the question "how do we get there?".  And that covers not just Bureau of Land Management cattle trails, but vast uncharted swaths of rugged mountains, thick jungles and deep deserts.

Land Rover was the perfect platform from which to go luxo, because the question of "can it make it?" was never an issue. And it's still not.

One of my favorite David E. Davis, Jr. lines was "It'll climb a tree if you're brave enough". And that applies as much as ever to the Land Rover LR4. Want to go to the ends of the earth? Places your GPS doesn't know about? Your ride is here.

Rear view (and then some) of the 2011 Land Rover LR 4.

To prove the point, Land Rover sent along a very-nearly-base version of the LR4 (the vehicle once known as the Land Rover Discovery). Ours came with just three options...black lacquer finish trim ($350), the Climate Comfort Pack (heated seats and steering wheel plus heated front windshield and washer jets for $1,500) and the Rear Seat & Climate Package (including a 3rd row seat with curtain airbags, split-folding second-row and rear climate control, accessory socket and map lamps for $1,150). All worthwhile options, especially given the altitudes at which you might be driving your LR4.

Which means that the rest of what you get for your $47,650 is standard equipment. And that includes the best terrain response system on the market...allowing you, with a simple dial, to tell the LR4 that it needs to deal with snow, mud, sand, rocks or...dry pavement (hey, it'll happen sometime).

There's also a 375 horsepower, 375 pounds per foot of torque 5-liter V8 engine with direct fuel injection mated to a six-speed automatic transmission (which itself has normal, sport and manual shift modes), permanent four-wheel drive with Traction Control, a two-speed electronic transfer gearbox with variable locking center differential, 19 by 8" aluminum alloy wheels, four-wheel ventilated disc brakes with ABS, all-terrain dynamic stability control, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Cornering Brake Control, Hill Descent Control, Emergency Brake Assist, four-corner electronic air suspension and a six-airbag supplemental restraint system all wrapped in a body and frame that feels infinitely more solid than anything else on the road.

2011 Land Rover LR4 interior.

So is it all rugged utilitarianism? Well, no...and yes.

No, because this is a luxury vehicle and you will be as comfortable in it as the term "luxury" implies.

Yes, because it's a different kind of luxury. One absent fragility. Everything in the Land Rover LR 4, from the seats to the switchgear, feels and is substantial. The seats are some of the best we've ever been in...conjuring up thoughts of turning a run to the store into a thousand mile journey just to see where the road (or lack of it) goes. And the modern amenities (dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth, cruise control, power seats, windows and sunroof, a 240-watt, 9-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system with auxilary input, a tilt/telescoping steering wheel iwth audio controls mounted on it, leather and wood throughout) are all there.

The result: A strong, secure SUV that never puts a foot wrong. An environment that not only exudes luxury worth $47,650...but also value, a feeling that you've bought something that will do its job for a long, long time.

Downsides? Just two. The EPA estimate of 12 city/17 highway is sobering...especially on those weeks when you're doing mostly city driving. And the sunshades over the power sunroof and fixed alpine roof let a bit too much light and heat through. But remember...we drove it in Phoenix during the hottest August on record. Your temperature may vary.

Bottom line: The LR 4 is proof that brilliantly engineered, purpose-built (and built to last) machines are still out there. And it's proof that "rugged luxury" isn't an oxymoron.



Compare Land Rover deals online at http://www.motors.co.uk/ to ensure you get the best price. Find both new and used models in your local area or within a preferred mile radius.

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2011 GMC Acadia Denali Review

The 2011 GMC Acadia Denali.

Almost 20 years ago,  I bought a GMC Suburban (now known as the Yukon XL). In those days, there was nothing to differentiate the GMC from the Chevrolet except for the badges and the price tag. GMC's was generally a bit more, but I found a dealer who beat all the local Chevy dealers.

It occurred to me at the time that GMC could do very well for itself by making its Suburban a much more luxurious piece than the Chevrolet...leather seats, say...and how about upgraded audio systems? Maybe automatic climate control. Nicer wheels...maybe even a sunroof.

Hard to imagine now, but this was radical thinking at the time, though within 5 years, GM embraced the concept beyond what I was thinking. The GMC version became almost Cadillac-like in its luxury...and then came Cadillac's Escalade, taking it all one giant leap further. And they sold like hot cakes.

The Suburban, Yukon XL and Escalade ESV are all still in production, and still sell, but the strike zone has moved to smaller machines. That's not keeping GM from going back to the playbook for what worked so well a decade and a half ago.

Behold the GMC Acadia Denali. The base Acadia is a reasonably priced vehicle...$32,000. And it's very much like the $29,370 Chevy Traverse. The Denali fixes that...for a price.

Rear three-quarters view of the 2011 GMC Acadia Denali.

The all-wheel-drive Acadia Denali we tested starts at $45,220. 13 grand and change more than the vehicle that underpins it all. And not a penny of it is under the hood. The base Acadia has the exact same 3.6 liter V6 mated to a 6-speed automatic as the Denali.

There's two inches less front headroom and one inch less in the rear, thanks to the standard sunroof,  and you can carry one fewer person thanks to the standard second-row buckets. Otherwise, the dimensions and statistics are the same.

So where's the $13K? On the outside, it's in fog lamps, Xenon HID headlamps, a remote tailgate release, heated exterior mirrors, chrome wheels, performance tires, a trailer hitch reciever and a Denali-specific grille.

The 2011 GMC Acadia Denali interior.

Inside, the Denali steps up with a rear-view camera (always a good idea, especially in SUVs), rear parking assist, dual zone climate control, remote vehicle start, the aforementioned sunroof, power heated driver and front passenger seats, the 2nd row buckets, memory seats, a premium sound system, rear seat audio controls, Bluetooth, a universal home remote control, leather-wrapped steering wheel, auto-dimming rear-view mirror with memory and a power lift gate.

That plus all-wheel drive, which is worth about two grand, so yeah...that's probably about $11,000 worth of options. And our tester had more...$1,890 for nav with 3 months of SiriusXM NavTraffic, $1,445 for a rear seat DVD entertainment center, including headphones, and $795 for White Diamond Tricoat paint (which is very pretty). Bottom line on ours after destination charges: $50,125.

I can't knock the end result...a very luxurious, well mannered, fast, capable SUV. I'm even okay with the price. And the mileage is in the ballpark, too: 16 city/23 highway. What I don't get is why GMC sells an Acadia other than the Denali. Unlike the Yukon/Escalade and Yukon XL/Escalade ESV deal, Cadillac doesn't have a clone of this model...so why bother selling the $32,000 version at all? Why not let that be Chevy's?  If you've got thoughts on that one, I'd love to hear them. Just click the "comments" button.

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