Take a Navigator on your wild weekend
Twin turbo power
As you can imagine, the E11 West of the capital is not the busiest of roads and as the rush hour traffic of a couple of Nissan Patrols fizzles out, we’re basically on our own, enjoying the new scenery while now and again, dropping down a gear or two to experience the Navigator’s delightful twin turbo, intercooled DOHC 24-valve, 3.5-litre Ecoboost engine. Although it’s the same V6 as can be found in Ford’s Raptor, the Navigator is surprisingly more enjoyable to drive, as the hushed engine note and virtually inaudible exhaust mean your senses are heightened to the twin turbo’s torque. Without this Ecoboost engine it’s unlikely that we would have even contemplated this trip; it really eats up the miles and if we can jump in it and head towards the Saudi border without a second thought, then it’s going to be just fine on the school run, or the trip to Choithrams. In all honesty, we didn’t think we would get to Shuweihat Island for sunset, but with maybe half an hour to spare, we pulled up on the northern shore and were greeted by a Mars-like landscape of orange rock quite unlike any other land formation we’ve come across in the region.
Subtle style
As we set up the camera and flashes for our photoshoot, we get to have a good look at the Navigator’s new styling. The front end is dominated by the grille and as the sun sets, we notice the Lincoln star logo is softly illuminated, as are a number of the SUV’s details, such as the LED lighting in the lower front body and tail-lamps as well as the LED ‘welcome mat’ under the open doors. It’s certainly a handsome design, with the high-strength aluminium-alloy body weighing in at 90kgs lighter than the previous version. The big 22-inch alloy wheels finish the look off and as the night falls we set up camp using the Navigator as an air-conditioned base. Quiet, relaxed and as quick as you want it to be, the big V6 Lincoln is sure to be as popular as its V8 predecessor and with that ultra luxury interior, you’ll be finding any excuse to get out and enjoy the big SUV.
