Unlike Lincoln's most recent concepts, the Navicross seems more like a whim of fancy than a production car. Its 20-inch wheels clad with all-terrain tires give it a surreal persona, as if it were the creation of a Paris Dakar race team rather than the purveyor of traditional American luxury cars.
"Navicross demonstrates that the Lincoln vision can be both restrained and dramatic, providing an emotional and compelling outlook on the future of Lincoln's product range," said McGovern. "We've shown how our interior designs translate into production. Through our concepts, our design DNA will continue to redefine the Lincoln brand inside and out."
This is good, as Lincoln currently seems to be a brand in search of a distinct identity. Its Euro-style LS pays too much tribute to the BMW 5-Series while its Town Car is an anachronistic throwback to the past. As McGovern infers, they're on the right track when it comes to interiors, having recently tripled its investment in this area, but still have some work to do regarding exterior styling in order to inspire buyers to move from competitive European and Asian brands. If the Navicross, Continental and MK 9 concepts point in the direction Lincoln is going, then I believe the marque will have a bright future.
Exterior design aside the Navicross teases with some unique features over and above its clearly class-of-one luxury sedan/SUV configuration. First of all its doors open a full 90 degrees, with hinges fully integrated into the frame. This makes getting in and out much easier than in conventional cars.