• Navigator, the Lincoln Motor Company’s full-size luxury SUV, gets a completely refreshed front end and rear end for the 2015 model year
• A reimagined instrument panel highlights a changed interior; an available Reserve Package includes ultra-luxurious leather seats and hand-wrapped leather door trim, console and glove box door
• Navigator is projected to have best-in-class cargo volume, thanks in large part to fold-flat second- and third-row seats

The vehicle that set the standard for beauty and elegance in the full-size luxury sport utility vehicle segment is raising it.

Lincoln Navigator arrives for the 2015 model year with a freshly designed exterior, significantly updated interior and all of the spaciousness that made it a segment leader when it was introduced in the summer 1997. Full-size luxury SUV drivers have long gravitated toward its upscale elegance, and the 2015 Navigator delivers more.

“From a design standpoint, the new Navigator is more of what Lincoln customers want in a full-size luxury SUV,” said Jim Grake, Lincoln exterior designer. “Our customers will appreciate that, in addition to the substantial design changes, the new vehicle preserves the qualities that made Navigator great.”

The front end is more rounded, its split-wing grille in line with new Lincoln design DNA. The front end features bi-functional high-intensity discharge adaptive headlamps with light-emitting diode signature accents.

The vehicle also features a more refined rear end, with a power up/down tailgate and jewel-like LED taillamps that extend the width of the vehicle. This is another design element that aligns the 2015 Navigator with new Lincoln design DNA. Other accents such as newly designed chrome-tipped exhaust pipe and puddle lamps add elegance.

Navigator comes with 20-inch aluminum wheels. Reserve Package models offer 22-inch, polished aluminum wheels, as well as optional power moonroof and chrome-accented running boards.

These changes give Navigator a refreshed presence, while interior enhancements provide significant benefits for driver and passengers. The standard-equipped Navigator offers first- and second-row leather seats, heated and cooled front-row seats, and heated second-row seats. Also standard is the new Lincoln steering wheel, wrapped in supple Wollsdorf leather with Euro stitching and providing enhanced driver feel.

The completely reconfigured, hand-wrapped leather instrument panel gives the Navigator interior a luxurious feel. The latest SYNC^® with MyLincoln Touch™ driver connectivity system and push-button start are standard.

Reserve Package upgrades include premium leather extending to the third row.

“This Trevino specialty leather is a fabulous leather; it’s not embossed, so every piece shows the unique characteristics of the hide,” said Barb Whalen, color and materials design manager. “It’s incredibly soft, but it has a rugged quality that is fitting of the vehicle. It really brings the interior of the Navigator to a new level in terms of luxury.”

Ziricote wood trim features natural grain and color inherent in the wood with no added dyes or stains. This wood, new to the automotive industry, is most commonly used as an accent in yachts.

Optional second-row seating configurations include a 40/20/40 split bench to increase seating capacity to eight people or captain’s chairs with a center console. Standard second-row seating consists of two bucket seats without a center console to allow for maximum third-row access.

Due in part to Navigator’s patented independent rear suspension, which allows for true fold-flat, PowerFold^® third-row seats, extended-length and standard-length models are projected to deliver segment-leading cargo volume.

Extended-length models provide 128.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the first row, 86.3 cubic feet of behind the second row and 42.6 cubic feet behind the third row; standard-length models deliver 103.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the first row, 54.4 cubic feet behind the second row and 18.1 cubic feet behind the third row.

The public will get its first look at Lincoln’s new full-size luxury SUV at the Chicago Auto Show on Feb. 6. Production of the 2015 Navigator is scheduled to begin late this summer at Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Ky., and vehicles are due in Lincoln showrooms in early fall.

For complete coverage of the new 2015 Navigator, click here.