2020 Lincoln Navigator vs 2021 Lincoln Corsair

The 2020 Lincoln Navigator stood out with its luxurious design, featuring chrome and brightwork that differentiated it from the Ford Expedition, on which it was based. The Lincoln Embrace lighting system, lattice-type grille insert, and illuminated star logo added to its distinctiveness. The Navigator also offered a new Reserve Monochromatic Package with body-color enhancements and 22-inch black-painted wheels, available in White, Ceramic Pearl, and Infinite Black. The test vehicle, a standard-length Navigator Reserve with 4WD, was priced at $92,385 and included the Luxury and Reserve Monochromatic option packages. Inside, the Dark Slate leather interior featured 30-way Perfect Position front seats, a dashboard with mid-century modern styling cues, and a panoramic glass roof, creating a convincingly luxurious flagship SUV.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair, introduced as a replacement for the Lincoln MKC, rode on the new C2 platform shared with the Ford Escape. Lincoln succeeded in making the Corsair feel distinct from its Ford counterpart, unlike General Motors' Cadillac XT4 and XT5. The Corsair's design included slab sides, blacked-out rear pillars, and straight belt- and rooflines, giving it a larger appearance. Inside, the Corsair featured a flowing dash, floating center touchscreen, and "Piano Key" shifter buttons. However, it had more hard-touch materials compared to Lincoln's more expensive SUVs. The test model, a Reserve trim, included reclining and sliding rear seats, providing impressive legroom for a compact SUV.

The 2020 Lincoln Navigator was powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque, paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. It offered multiple drive modes, including Conserve, Normal, Excite, Slippery, Deep Conditions, and Slow Climb with the optional towing package. The Navigator's maximum towing capacity was 8,700 pounds with rear-wheel drive and 8,300 pounds with four-wheel drive. The Pro Trailer Backup Assist system made towing easier. The Navigator averaged 16.4 mpg on the testing loop, with an EPA rating of 18 mpg combined. Despite its size, the Navigator's body motion control was excellent, though it felt huge around town. Features like a tight turning radius, parking assist system, and numerous camera views improved maneuverability.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair offered a base 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 250 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, and an optional 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 295 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. Both engines were paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, with the 2.0-liter available in FWD or AWD and the 2.3-liter exclusively in AWD. The Corsair featured drive modes like Conserve and Excite, with Excite providing a sportier experience. The 2.3-liter engine offered strong acceleration and confident cornering, though there was some body roll. The suspension absorbed deeper potholes well, though there was noticeable road noise. The Grand Touring trim added a plug-in hybrid powertrain with a combined 266 hp, 28 miles of pure EV driving, and an efficiency rating of 78 MPGe in electric mode.

Entering the 2020 Lincoln Navigator required climbing up into the SUV, but once inside, passengers found plenty of room to stretch out. The test vehicle's 30-way Perfect Position front seats were exceptionally comfortable, though it took time to find the right settings. The second row offered a choice between a three-person bench or two captain's chairs, with the latter option including a large center console. The third-row seat provided ample legroom and thigh support. Cargo volumes were class-leading, with 19.3 cubic feet behind the third row, 57.5 cubic feet behind the second row, and a maximum of 103.3 cubic feet. The longer Navigator L offered even more space.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair had a spacious cabin with comfortable seats and plenty of storage space. However, the large lip when stepping in or out of the Corsair was a notable downside. The test model featured reclining and sliding rear seats, providing impressive legroom for a compact SUV. The Corsair offered 27.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 57.6 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, both average for the segment. A power liftgate was standard, with a hands-free power liftgate available.

The 2020 Lincoln Navigator's Sync 3 infotainment system was the least impressive piece of technology, taking time to load content. However, it provided Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Lincoln Connect services with a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot, and wireless device charging. "Phone As A Key" technology allowed the smartphone to function as the vehicle key. The voice recognition system worked reasonably well but was not as advanced as some competitors. The test vehicle included a 20-speaker Revel Ultima audio system, a surround-view camera system, and a head-up display. The optional Lincoln Play rear-seat entertainment system was not included.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came standard with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system running SYNC 3, with a logical menu layout and standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Reserve test model included optional wireless device charging, a 14-speaker Revel premium audio system, and a head-up display with crisp graphics.

The 2020 Lincoln Navigator came standard with the Lincoln Co-Pilot360 collection of advanced driving assistance systems, including forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot warning with trailer coverage, rear cross-traffic warning, and automatic high-beam headlights. The Reserve trim added adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability. The Navigator received a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, though the RWD model had a three-star rollover resistance rating. The IIHS had not tested the 2020 model.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came standard with forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear parking sensors. The test model featured Lincoln CoPilot360 Plus, which included adaptive LED headlights, surround-view parking cameras, front parking sensors, speed-limit sign recognition, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, reverse automatic braking, and automatic parking assist. The Corsair was an IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus when equipped with the high-feature headlights in the Reserve II package.