2021 Lincoln Navigator vs 2022 Land Rover Defender

The 2021 Lincoln Navigator had evolved significantly from its predecessors, which were essentially dressed-up Ford Expeditions. While it shared some structural elements with the Expedition, the Navigator distinguished itself with unique design features, including a distinctive turn signal stalk. The Navigator Reserve, priced at $92,000, exuded luxury and elegance, making it a worthy competitor to high-end brands like Mercedes and Range Rover. Its exterior design featured simple rectilinear shapes, a body-color grille, and tasteful chrome accents. The Pristine White model with black wheels and an illuminated Lincoln logo was particularly striking during winter tests in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Navigator also featured a light show when locking or unlocking, adding a touch of sophistication.

Inside, the Navigator impressed with seven color palettes, including the Slate Gray of the test model. The interior design showcased fine details, such as layered wood trim behind a 10-inch touchscreen, a floating center console with chromed switches, and a minimalist digital instrument panel. The materials were of high quality, and panel gaps were tight. The Black Label trims offered even more luxurious textures and softer leather. The Perfect Position seats, adjustable in 30 different ways, provided exceptional comfort. While a Range Rover might offer more sumptuousness, the Navigator's spacious and refined interior made it a strong contender in the luxury SUV market.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender retained its distinctive exterior styling, with a boxy profile, tailgate-mounted spare tire, and flat hood that paid homage to the original Defender and classic Series Land Rovers. Despite these retro elements, the Defender featured a thoroughly modern design with rounded corners for improved aerodynamics and recessed LED headlights that gave it a unique personality. The modern Defender was also larger than its predecessor, resulting in increased interior space and better ergonomics.

The original Defender was known for its simplicity but was also cramped and had an upright driving position. The modern Defender offered more headroom and legroom, along with a more comfortable driving position that maintained good outward visibility. The interior design emphasized the Defender's rugged character without appearing cheesy, featuring bare metal and exposed screws in the door, along with metal trim for the steering wheel. The high-end Defender 90 V8 test car had a mix of leather upholstery and suede, which seemed more practical for off-road use. Unlike the Range Rover, the Defender's interior was designed to handle mud and dirt, making it a more versatile option for off-road enthusiasts.

The 2021 Lincoln Navigator was powered by a twin-turbo V6 engine, borrowed from the Ford Raptor, producing 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque. This engine, paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission, made the Navigator feel surprisingly sprightly for its size. The 4WD system was smooth and responsive, with a towing capacity of 8,300 pounds for 4WD models and 8,700 pounds for RWD models. However, fuel economy was poor, averaging in the teens, consistent with the EPA-estimated 17-mpg combined rating.

The Navigator's adaptive dampers provided a decent ride, but the suspension felt rudimentary compared to competitors like the Cadillac Escalade. The steering was looser, and the brakes felt too soft on initial application. Despite these shortcomings, the Navigator's low-end thrust and quiet cabin made it a refined and powerful highway cruiser. Paddle shifters added a touch of sportiness with quick reaction times and rev-matched downshifts.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender offered three powertrain options for 2022. Base models featured a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The mid-level option was a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six mild-hybrid powertrain, producing 395 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. The new-for-2022 V8 engine, with 518 horsepower and 461 pound-feet of torque, could propel the Defender 90 from zero to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, with a top speed of 149 mph. All Defender models used a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and standard 4WD with a two-speed transfer case.

The V8 engine provided exhilarating performance, accompanied by a glorious exhaust note. V8 models also featured an electronic active rear differential, Dynamic drive mode, and unique transmission and suspension tuning for sportier handling. However, the Defender 90 V8 felt less poised than the six-cylinder model, adding unwanted drama to cornering. Despite this, the Defender was impressively comfortable on pavement, with a suspension that absorbed bumps well and minimal noise from the 22-inch tires. The Defender's boxy shape also made it less susceptible to crosswinds compared to a Jeep Wrangler. The Defender's off-road capabilities were impressive, with a 4WD system, good approach, departure, and breakover angles, and up to 11.5 inches of ground clearance with the optional air suspension. The optional Terrain Response 2 system and All-Terrain Progress Control further enhanced its off-road prowess. The Defender also had an 8,201-pound maximum towing capacity, surpassing many similarly sized luxury SUVs.

The 2021 Lincoln Navigator offered ample interior space, with the capacity to house six adults comfortably. It was technically a seven-passenger SUV, but the third row's middle seat was best suited for a child. The second row featured manually-reclining and tilting captain's chairs, with an optional bench for a total of eight passengers. The boxy shape provided generous cargo space, with 19 cubic feet behind the third row, 57 cubic feet behind the second row, and 103 cubic feet in total. The long-wheelbase Navigator L offered even more storage, with 34, 73, and 120 cubic feet of respective cargo space. The rear glass opened separately from the tailgate, a convenient feature for accessing the cargo area.

The Navigator Reserve included heated second-row seats and a three-zone climate control system. The second row had an optional console with integrated climate and stereo controls, but German competitors offered more advanced features like five-zone climate control and heated third-row seats. The front seats were exceptionally comfortable, with numerous adjustments and massage programs. The large windows and high driving position provided excellent visibility, although parking was challenging due to the vehicle's size. The 360-degree cameras were helpful but not as high-resolution as those in some competitors.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender featured 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats, which were surprisingly comfortable in the Defender 90 test vehicle. However, accessing them was challenging in the two-door model, and cargo space was limited. The four-door Defender 110 model offered more versatility, with two-row, five-seat, and three-row, seven-seat configurations. Three-row models had 11.4 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats in place, 35.4 cubic feet with the third-row seat folded, and 70.4 cubic feet with the second row folded. Two-row versions provided 18.1 cubic feet with the rear seats up and 51.7 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.

The Defender's interior design emphasized functionality, with the shifter and climate-control knobs placed on a shelf extending from the dashboard, leaving room for a large caged storage space below. The center-console storage bin was one of the largest outside a full-size pickup truck and could be equipped with refrigeration. An optional jump seat between the front seats added further versatility. Land Rover also offered optional exterior cargo solutions, such as a basket-style roof rack and cargo boxes that mounted to the side pillars.

The 2021 Lincoln Navigator featured a 10-inch touchscreen, which felt small compared to the advanced displays in competitors like the Cadillac Escalade. The instrument panel lacked full-screen maps and different designs, and the cameras were low-resolution. The infotainment system did not support wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. The 20-speaker Revel Ultima stereo was good but not exceptional.

Despite these limitations, the Navigator's software was intuitive and easy to use, with a unique Lincoln interface. Voice recognition was fast and accurate, but there were no onboard apps or wireless software updates. The Navigator included onboard 4G WiFi, wireless device charging, a smartwatch app, and the ability to use a smartphone as the vehicle's ignition key. Lincoln's remote app functions were included for five years, with SiriusXM traffic data for six years. The rear entertainment system featured Roku media streaming and various USB, HDMI, and wireless connections. Drive mode animations on the instrument panel added a touch of elegance.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender came standard with the Pivi Pro infotainment system, featuring a 10-inch central touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity. A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster was standard on all trims except the base model. An 11.4-inch touchscreen was newly available for 2022. The user interface was well-designed, with easy-to-navigate menus and a distinctive palette of muted, cool colors. However, the touchscreen required a firm touch to respond.

Optional features included a 14-speaker Meridian audio system, head-up display, and a surround-view camera system, which was particularly useful for off-roading. The side camera views helped with obstacle navigation, while the front view was great for spotting rocks or tree stumps.

The 2021 Lincoln Navigator received five stars overall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with five stars in every test except for rollover resistance (four stars for 4WD models, three stars for RWD models). The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety had not rated the Navigator in its current generation. The Navigator did not offer knee airbags, but optional inflatable rear seat belts for the second row were a rare safety feature. Standard safety features included automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and auto high beams. Adaptive cruise control was optional, but the Navigator's self-steering capabilities were not as advanced as some competitors.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender came standard with lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking, and traffic-sign recognition with speed-limit adaptation. Blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control were optional. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had not published safety ratings for the Defender, which was not unusual for luxury vehicles.