Fine lines of the Lincoln Navigator

Taken on full steam with hands full of soil, seedlings and a couple of six-packs, this weekend was one spent gardening the back yard oh the excitement -  which very nicely tested the carrying capacity and functionallity of a luxurious Lincoln Navigator.

So although it was a shame to keep a gleaming Navigator parked outside for a couple of days, I'd spent much of the past week cruising around in it so a dig in the flower beds wasn't quite so inexcusable.  I also heard of late that knitting has become fabulously trendy, so there's hope for me yet.

The  Lincoln's functionality around such a mundane task became apparent when I was standing next to the flagship SUV outside the local garden center carrying a 20-pound bag of compost, a shovel and a tray of artichoke and watermelon seedlings, trying to work out how to wrench open the Navigator's massive back liftgate without spilling my wares on the ground.

Which I accomplished very easily simply by pressing a button on the  key-fob, which not only opened the rear door but electronically lifted it fully open, whence I managed to put in the armful of spillables without damage.

Prestigioud front grille

At home, after the supremely comfortable drive back, it was the same in reverse: two hands full of soil and shopping and an open liftgate. No problem.  Just click the button and the open rear-hinged gate shuts for you with a satisfactory click. Then press another button to lock.  More important perhaps this time, as the spillables includes the aforementioned six-packs.

If only the house's front door  worked the same, and the fridge door also.

Now booze and driving do not mix, of course, but gardening and the odd brew obviously does, depending on how odd your brew is.

That aside, first thing you notice in the Navigator are those fabulous power running boards the things you step on to get into the car, if you are short of leg which swoop into place electronically when you open the door.  This basically allows Lincoln to tell you in a nudge-nudge way that, when you enter this vehicle,  your every whim will be catered for.

These whims may or may not include  top-class leather and wood finish, touch-screen sat-nav, all-way power, heated and cooled seats, electronic split-fold seats in the back, a great CD-changer stereo (enclosed behind one of those flip-gadget screens seen on the Toyota Solara and the Honda Civic we'll test here next week), dual climate control and all the dibbings you would expect from a serious player in the luxury market.

Outside is just as special, with that prestigious front grille, reworked swooping front fender and bad-boy halogen headlights (as standard), alongside its pleasing lines and high-riding appeal from the side,  and of course those monster rims.  Back end is tidy and uncluttered with B-pillar lines that don't really resemble anything else on the market. Desirable? Oh yes.

Power liftgate

On the rough stuff

You can ride this baby in the  Hollywood Hills or on the uber-rich streets of Corona Del Mar south into Orange County and never, ever, be ashamed of what you drive, such is the appeal of the Navigator's overall package.  You'll pay pretty heftily for it, admittedly, if you get the super-duper Elite package which came on the test car, a $7,000 add-on that gets you chrome-plated rims, the power running boards, useful sat-nav and rear-entertainment package for $65,460.

Standard fit includes Ford's highly-rated SOHC 5.4 liter engine found in the Expedition tested here last week, a solid powertrain around which to build the chassis it shares with its stablemate LT truck and the independent front and rear suspension which ensured that the Navigator produced a competent and smooth drive with little of the roll associated with vehicles of this size, especially on LA's notoriously bad freeway bumps and dips.

A vehicle of this type isn't really very likely to disappear down a steeply inclined gorge any time soon, though it always helps to know that you can, if the desire so takes you.  An easy setting to the right of the driver's knee allows you to switch from two to four wheels and shuffle between different heights should the need arise.

Special mention goes to the power split-fold seats in the back, which make short work of seating five passengers with luggage or moving seven without a suitcase to speak of, or maybe just a couple to fit behind the third row of seating, part of the Navigator's cavernous 55 cubic feet of cubby hole with the seats folded down.

Safety is paramount in SUVs both for inside and those around beasts this size.  So Lincoln has included a rear-sensing system alongside its stability controls, side air curtain airbags and its automatic tire monitoring equipment.

But fun and prestige are paramount for this high-end SUV, which, carrying on a gardening theme, it delivers in spades.

Functional cabin ergonomics

All leather, all luxury

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