The 2025 Lincoln Navigator (and its mainstream counterpart, the Ford Expedition) launched some time ago as redesigned versions of those large SUVs, and have since faced tremendous demand from consumers. The Navigator’s chief foe – the Cadillac Escalade – also received a mid-cycle refresh for the 2025 model year, which makes for the perfect time to once again revisit this rivalry and see which large and luxurious family hauler is superior. Fresh off a few comparison test wins for the recently-redesigned Lincoln Nautilus, the 2025 Lincoln Navigator managed to come out on top this time, too.
Recently, Edmunds pitted the 2025 Lincoln Navigator against the 2025 Cadillac Escalade, and came away with some interesting impressions. In terms of powertrains, the Navigator’s twin turbocharged 3.5L V6 EcoBoost makes it quicker than the Escalade’s 6.2L V8, but can’t quite match the latter’s grunt and pleasant sounds. It also “doesn’t sound particularly luxurious, doesn’t rev as freely or as smoothly as the Escalade’s V8, and is just 1 mpg more efficient despite the downsizing and turbocharging.” Edmunds also isn’t a fan of the Navigator’s slow steering or tendency to wander around the road, either.
However, the 2025 Lincoln Navigator does come out on top in terms of its interior, which Edmunds prefers to the Caddy’s – “it’s hard to find much to complain about inside the Navigator. The material choice and construction are top-notch, and the design itself feels plush and modern,” the rag notes. As for the Escalade, “the interior just doesn’t fit the bill of a near $130,000 luxury barge, and it starts with that scroll knob. It looks nice, but it’s a bit cheap-feeling to manipulate and use and that’s emblematic of the rest of the interior.”
Ultimately, Edmunds chooses the 2025 Lincoln Navigator over the Cadillac Escalade, but just barely, with an overall score of 7.7 versus 7.6. “The Lincoln excels in more places than the Cadillac does, and so it gets the nod,” Edmunds concluded. “Despite its on-road quirks, the Navigator is a more sumptuous place to be, the tech is better executed, and there are more thoughtful luxury touches dotted around the interior. For now, the Lincoln has snatched the Caddy’s crown, both in our heads and via the objective measure of our ratings system.”
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A well-kept example of the discontinued sedan.
The third-most of any market it's present in.
Less than 25 percent of them have actually towed anything.
