MotorTrend Gives Lincoln Navigator the W Over Cadillac Escalade
Photo: Lincoln
Cadillac went all out to make its 2021 Escalade just all sorts of ridiculous when it comes to luxury, tech, and all the bona fides. But even with so much going on, the new Cadillac Escalade still struggles to keep up with the latest version of the Lincoln Navigator. At least that’s what the experts at MotorTrend said in a head-to-head.
Scoring Top Awards: Navigator earns honors in 2020 J.D. Power U.S. APEAL Study
MT’s comparison test pits the Navigator and Escalade against one another in a battle of what it calls retro elegant vs. future cool, respectively. Author Scott Evans notes that both have their upsides and advantages over one another.
Of the 2021 Lincoln Navigator and all-new Cadillac Escalade, he says “Both are the best versions of themselves ever made and are legitimate class leaders. Interestingly, they go about it in completely different and equally successful ways.”
MT hails the Lincoln Navigator
Because the competition was fierce, Evans and MotorTrend handed down its decision based on one of the key factors in the publication’s annual awards: Performance of Intended Function. MT determined that the key selling point of both, unsurprisingly, is luxury. And when it comes to that function, the ruling is that the 2021 Lincoln Navigator still does it better:
“Lincoln’s commitment to design and comfort, and to applying it consistently to all three rows of passengers, rated higher in our book. Doing so while being considerably less expensive to purchase and operate, the Navigator not only does luxury the best, it makes the better case for itself. Hail to the king.”
Should have hired Bruce Campbell to deliver that line.
The new Navigator debuted for the 2018 model year and has largely gone unchanged since. The most prominent update for 2021 is a new Black Label Special Edition. Lincoln should roll out some significant updates for 2022, likely including a Grand Touring hybrid variant with even more power.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.