Drew Dowdell

The second row was pushed all the way forward as I found out when I sat in it right after I took that picture. Once adjusted properly, I had huge amounts of legroom in the second row.

Another big reveal at the 2017 New York Auto Show this year… and we do mean BIG… is the 2018 Lincoln Navigator. While it technically shares its platform with the new 2018 Ford Expedition that was released at the Chicago Auto Show, the Navigator somehow manages to look bigger. Up front is a bold and impressive grille that moves the Navigator to the new family face shared by the Lincoln Continental and Lincoln MKZ. Everything about the exterior is brash. It has giant turbine-look wheels, large fender vents, and full-width LED lights. This is not subtle luxury, yet it pulls off the look without being tacky. This is the new American version of “I’ve Made It”. Cadillac, you have some work cut out for you. The interior is nothing short of stunning. All the materials feel high quality. There may be an excess of buttons (I count 27 on the driver’s door alone), but it’s a Navigator… excess is the whole point. There are available 30 way power seats, be prepared to take a couple hours to get them exactly right, but once you’re there, you won’t want to leave. If you elect the rear bucket seats, rear seat passengers will have a comfortable ride and have some control over the entertainment system from their own center console. One flaw I found was that in models equipped with rear seat video entertainment, the second row can flip forward and hit the screens when laying the second-row flat…. Not something I expect to happen too often. The new Navigator is powered by a 450 horsepower Ecoboost V6 passing power through a new 10 speed automatic to either the rear wheels or an available AWD system. Pricing on the 2018 Navigator hasn’t been released yet, however we expect an appropriate increase over the discount pricing on the 2017 model. You can read the full press release information on our 2018 Lincoln Navigator press release page. View full article

At the 2017 New York Auto Show, Volvo finally showed in the US what is likely to be one of its biggest sellers over the next few years. In spite of the rapid growth of the brand due to the public's fantastic response to the Volvo XC90 and Volvo S90 (read our review), the XC60 seems poised to eclipse even that. The current XC60 is one of the oldest models in Volvo’s lineup though it still makes up 30% of its sales. That fact really drives home how important this car is to Volvo. You can read about the technical details of the Geneva release of the 2018 Volvo XC60 on our press release page. The XC60 is rated as a compact crossover, however it feels like it pushes the boundary into a mid-size vehicle. In the two Inscription level models I examined in New York, Volvo’s recently developing reputation for their sumptuous interiors shows. The seats are of a very soft leather, and very well bolstered. Inscription models get an open pore wood trim called drift wood. Momentum models come with aluminum or another open pore wood trim available as an option. Much of the hardware on the dash carries down from the larger full luxury models, somewhat of a rarity in the industry. Volvo’s entertainment system is one of the easiest I’ve had the pleasure to use. Volvo really nails a lot of the small details on the interior, right down to the Flag of Sweden tags on the seats. Engines will range from 250 horsepower to 407 horsepower and at launch all XC60s will come equipped with AWD. Volvo’s current trend in pricing has been to undercut competitors on base pricing and then load up quickly on options with the top models. It appears to be working as most new Volvos leave the factory as top-end Inscription trim. The XC60 is built on the same SPA platform as S90 and XC90, both solid and strong entrants into their respective segments. I expect the trend should continue with the XC60 as Volvo enters its 90th year on a strong upswing. View full article