Lincoln Won’t Answer Cadillac Escalade-V With A High-Performance Navigator

Cadillac Society has kept a close eye on the Cadillac Escalade-V since we exclusively reported that Cadillac was planning to offer the model back in July 2019, right up to its debut late last year. So far, the Escalade-V is the only high-performance variant in its competitive bracket, and it looks as though it will stay that way, as Cadillac’s crosstown rival Lincoln doesn’t have plans to beef up its Navigator to go head-to-head with the muscular luxury SUV.

In an interview last year, Lincoln global product chief John Jraiche explained to our sister publication, Ford Authority, that there weren’t aren’t any plans to include a high-performance Navigator variant in the lineup to compete with the Escalade-V.

“We like to focus on our own identity and focus on how we would deliver our experience which resonates with our clients,” Jraiche was quoted as saying. “We understand where our competition is, we’re not looking to emulate anyone. We took a strategy years ago to be separate and distinct with our Lincoln lineup and we’re looking to double down and deliver that strategy in a new way as we transition to EVs.” 

For reference, the Navigator is available with only one engine – Ford’s twin-turbocharged 3.5L V6 EcoBoost engine, which is rated at 440 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque. By comparison, the “regular” (non-V-Series) Escalade is powered by a naturally-aspirated 6.2L V8 gasoline engine (production code L87) churning out 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque.

As we already know, the Escalade-V is a force to be reckoned with, currently holding the distinct title of being the most powerful vehicle ever built by the luxury marque. Its supercharged 6.2L V8 engine (production code LT4) is rated at a whopping 682 horsepower and 653 pound-feet of torque. As a reminder, that’s the same powerhouse found under the hood of the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, where it makes 668 horses and 659 pound-feet of torque. In the Escalade-V, that engine bolts to Cadillac’s 10-speed automatic transmission, sending power to all four wheels via an active all-wheel-drive system with variable torque split.

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