2018 Detroit NAIAS (Jan 2018) Coverage – Lincoln Navigator (Truck of the Year Award Winner)

The 2018 Detroit NAIAS provided a second chance opportunity to cover the all-new 2018 Lincoln Navigator, which captured the 2018 NAIAS award for Truck of the Year. 

While most individuals can accept that the Lincoln Navigator is a Full-Size SUV, the vast majority of individuals cannot get their arms around the fact that it is considered a Truck.  

Let me first explain that all automobiles, at the very top level, fall into only two categories - - they are considered either a Car or a Truck. Furthermore, the Truck Segment is further broken down to other smaller Segments, and in addition to your usual Pickup Trucks (of which many are more luxurious than certain Cars), the Truck category also includes all SUV’s (big & small), and for the most part all of your Crossover Vehicles.   

Consequently, if you really want to see someone get really animated and bent out of shape, next time you know someone who drives a Luxurious SUV just mention to them that you think that it is such a “Beautiful Truck”, and I guarantee you they will not only take offense to your comment, they will look at you as if you came from another Planet, and then spend the next 30-minutes discussing how it is not a Truck.  

I find this to be either a great “Ice-Breaker” to start off a conversation, or it could be a “Head-Breaker”, depending on your size versus the size of the other person. On the other hand, this type of revelation maybe too devastating for some individuals to take, especially if their vehicle is well over $50,000 and you hit them with cold-water telling them it is a Truck, so be careful before you enlighten them on this subject.   I suppose some people go into shock, as they cannot get their head around the fact that their Luxury SUV is actually in the same Segment with Pickup Trucks - - how utterly ghastly!

The 2018 Lincoln Navigator is totally brand new from the ground-up versus the previous generation, and one glimpse of this beauty either from it’s exterior or interior is guaranteed to have you walking away not only understanding it’s pure luxury, but also that you have perhaps seen one of the finest vehicles at the NAIAS. 

While I wrote and took photos of the new Navigator at the December, 2017 San Diego Auto Show, the Black Colored Navigator I took photos of at that time hampered my ability to showcase the vehicle. However, this powder-puff Blue Navigator proved too irresistible to pass up, and as a result I was able to capture this luxurious vehicle in all it’s glory, despite the number of individuals at the Show who could not get enough of the Navigator. 

Lastly, make sure you check out the Navigator’s Instrument Panel and Center Console, as these were some of the luxurious, cleanest, and futuristic looking that I found at the NAIAS from a Production Vehicle - - typically this type of off-the-charts arrangement would only be found on Concept Vehicles, not something you can purchase today at a Dealership.