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Comments
Then again, maybe you already bought it and it's a moot point.
Salesgal delivered it to the house at 10AM Christmas morning. Boy, was the family surprised!
We're taking it on a road trip this AM to San Diego (from Santa Cruz.) Got lots of DVDs and even a Playstation packed. We expect to not even know we've got 3 kids in the back! :>)
Thanks for help on the board and for not talkin me out of it.
George
PS: So I now "own" 2 red Lincolns bothe with grey interior.
Good luck!
Glad to be a member of the 2 Lincoln club - khoury, akirby, who else?
As to the Nav itself and the trip - put about 1300 miles on it in less than a week. From here (Santa Cruz), as far south as San Juan Capistrano, then up to Napa for New Years party then home again. And I must say everyone in the family just loves the Navigator. Best road trip with kids ever. They were either sleeping comfortably in their reclining seats, watching DVDs or playing Playstation. No more 'are we there yet?' 'I'm bored' 'can we go home now' We hardly knew they were there. Only knock on the 2nd seat bench seat config is cupholders are only 2 and they're in a poor location. Especially when center 20% of seat is pulled forward. A fold-out cupholder in each rear door would be nice. Also a bit more storage room in 2nd seat area for headphones and DVDs etc would help. IIRC, the Aviator had ceiling storage for DVDs. Nav does not.
Back in the 3rd row area with the seats power-folded down was all the vacation cargo we needed and then some. Loads of room ANd the power liftgate made it easy access. I remembered what nvbanker or someone said about stuff falling out so I was careful in packing to avoid that. Things I'd like to see back there? Tie downs, a cargo net and a cargo cover. I also like the liftgate design of the Aviator better - lower liftover thru the glass for shopping bags etc.
As for the front seat accomodations? Simply what a luxury SUV should be. Pure American luxury. And you can travel well in it too. The heated seats are great. (That's the only option I didn't get in my 2001 LS) The seats are extremely comfy and roomy, maybe some think they're lacking a tiny bit in side bolstering? I think that's fine in a vehicle like this. One of the reasons I decided against the Aviator was the driver's seat felt too cramped and stiff to me. Love the huge center console compartment. Great arm rests - that and the door panel or door frame. Adjustable pedals make such a difference, Especially for my 5'4" wife. She can stay a bit back from the air bag now. The one on the steering wheel I mean. And the instrument panel and interior design and lighting is just simply the best I've ever seen. Love it. And the auto climate control actually works great. (I've got an ongoing complaint with that in my LS.) Minor gripes? I always prefer 4 guages to 2, the tilt/telescope steering wheel of the LS should be in the Nav, and the bicycle-looking door reflectors are the cheapest looking item in the car. They should be redesigned or eliminated. In fact, what about a light on the door panels? Speaking of, I was surprised that the running boards are not illuminated. Did they drop that when they put the puddle lamps on the mirrors?
The Navigator rides extremely well. Very limited body roll thru corners. It feels like a much smaller vehicle. Turning circle is tight, steering feel is lighter than the LS and I like it that way. ANd the real? wood steering wheel feels great in my hands. Nav runs straight and true - no shimmies, rattles, nothing. Engine is plenty powerful. Got 15.4 mpg on the trip. I'll take that. Especially knowing it'll get better as it breaks in.
Well, thats my trip report. The whole family is really happy with the Nav. I feel a lot better having them all in a nice big, comfy safe vehicle. Side curtain air bags and advancetrak with RSC all contribute to the feeling.
C U all on the road.
George
You can add ls1bmw0 to the 2 Lincoln club. Debbie has a Navigator.
I was a little puzzled about the cupholder comment and lack of storage until I realized you got the bench seat, not the buckets with console. That has 2 cupholders in front of the console and 2 more if you open the lid.
Travel well!
Well, one of our good friends at Lincoln (TTG to those that know) was most gracious in providing my wife and I with perhaps his first new X-Plan PIN of the year. My garage will soon be blessed with it's 2nd Lincoln. The LS is going strong (I just got 5th place in the AZ SCCA Solo II Autocross 2003 Winter Series running in the Street Tire 1 Category), but will soon be accompanied by an SUV . . . most likely the Aviator though.
You won't be sorry with either vehicle. I almost prefer driving the Aviator to the LS.
I doubt I'd ever prefer driving the Aviator over the LS, as I really enjoy taking the LS to its limits (and sometimes beyond, when on the skid pad), but those cooled Lincoln seats in the Phoenix summer heat are most appealing! ;-)
I really meant highway driving. I rarely push the LS hard anymore although I do hit the occasional 25 mph off ramp at 60. It's nice to know you could push it if you wanted to though.
Thanks
GREAT Lincoln dealer...(i have a sable company car) so that's not a worry they have been as goos as our Infiniti Dealer (scary, huh!). My fear is I get a gator/dog and that just won't work...so please pipe in and give me your opinion/thoughts/guidance....again, thanks!!!
However, if you don't need the extra room and don't care about power running boards, power liftgate, HID lights AND can spare the extra 10K (or 3-4 hundred bucks in monthly lease payments) then go with the LX. The LX is my personal standard for having that intangible "feel" for quality and luxury. The Navigator though comes in a very close second for alot less $$.
As far as reliability, your warranty is the same on both trucks. The fact that you have a good relationship with your Lincoln dealer would make me lean a bit more towards the navigator.
Last but not least, remember that the LX is slated to get a MAJOR overhaul within the next few years.. so I'd hedge my bets and get the Navigator now and if the redesigned LX blows your mind in a year or two you can always make the change (that's pretty much where I'm at now with these vehicles).
Also, take both the LX and the Navigator on long test drives (forget the around the dealership block quickie).. drive them both on the highway over 60mph for a bit.. eventually you'll get a "Feeling" for which truck tickles you best....
Good luck!!
By the way, I've had none of the maladies reported by the person in the service lane encountered.....
While I was buying my Navi last year the sales guy got a call from a hysterical lady whose 03 gator's AC had just died.. he smiled at me after the call and said, "oh well, there's another satisfied customer!" -- he knew me well enough to know that I would not scrap a deal based on an isolated incident like that.
Personally, I've never owned a car that did not annoy me in one form or another -- they all have some issues. For example, my brother-in-law's LX 470 has had several suspension-related issues, but overall he loves the car. IF you were to catch him while he was at the service bay though, his response as to how he liked his Lexus would have probably been quite different!
Either case bobbio56, if you choose the LX I'm sure it will treat you well.. BUT if you really liked the Navigator you test drove though, I'd give it some serious consideration because it is a good value overall.
A fella over in the GX470 board had a similar issue and he was told by the service rep that the rear a/c on that vehicle is not set up for heat. Could this be true of the Navigator also?
Thanks!
Ironically, my family/friends make fun of my cars because they nickname them "Death Cariots" of how hard I must drive them... YET, never had any type of warranty repair on them except regular maintenence.
Yet a friend of mine who drives like a little old lady has been having stupid issues with her Camry. I really think she just turns off the radio and A/C just to purposely look for noises gone wrong... I think it's a sickness...I've told her husband she's neurotic and needs Welbrutin, that's the current joke....
You won't believe the remedy - the system was overcharged! How the hell that can cause that particular malfunction, I don't get. But they evacuated and refilled to specs, and the thing has worked perfectly ever since. Maybe you have to much antifreeze in the radiator? Maybe too much air in the rear tires? Who knows? Fortunately, my dealer knew what to do! But be assured, it's supposed to heat.
I just noticed though that the rear a/c controls do go from blue to red so it'd be pretty silly for them to do that and not have heat back there!
Oh and, I'll check that antifreeze and tire pressure too just in case
Thanks!!
Also look on ebay they are always selling navtech cds, but only buy the Navigator or Expedition as these are the only ones that work
Thanks
We wanna keep pebble nicks to a minimum. Actually, clear will be better if I get a full chrome waterfall grille or some such.
Still wondering about sources for this stuff. Anyone have any? I'll do a net search too.
The clear bra protectant seems to work well. I am not sure how it ages, or what happens when you have to remove it though. Little nervous about that.
Just what we needed, eh? Another Jackson Family BOOB in the news!
Has anyone seen one of these yet that can comment how how the tip looks? Is it just a round cover put over the existing tail pipe, or an actual extension of the muffler that has a different shape?
Not sure if I can order the part, the guys at the parts counter was very confused.
Thanks