The Lincoln Navigator was once the gold standard for luxury SUVs, but it faded into history as time—not to mention limited investment from parent company Ford in its luxury brand—marched on.

For 2018, the Navigator has been reinvented with the lofty goal of once again becoming the standard in the full-size luxury SUV market.

After spending a week with luxury SUV, here are nine things you need to know about the 2018 Lincoln Navigator.

2018 Lincoln Navigator

2018 Lincoln Navigator

It has presence

The exterior isn't loud or in your face like the Cadillac Escalade, but the Navigator isn’t shy about announcing its arrival. The massive chrome grille up front with a large Lincoln emblem leaves little question as to what this people mover is, while the available 22-inch alloy wheels with black accents will age like a black tuxedo. The rear is simple yet elegant with its large LED taillight spanning the width of the tailgate and into the rear quarter-panels.

Inside, soft leather, plush materials, and liberal amounts of chrome adorn every surface. The switch gear feels solid, and doesn't wiggle like you might expect—it’s tight and well-screwed together, just like the Lincolns your grandparents bragged about.

2018 Lincoln Navigator

2018 Lincoln Navigator

It's yuuuuuge

There's large, and then there's the new 2018 Navigator. Even in short wheelbase form it dwarfs most on the road. It's not often a vehicle can make the Cadillac Escalade feel small—and yet, here we are. For perspective, the third row in the short wheelbase Navigator has more legroom than the second row of the mid-size Ford Fusion sedan.

Everything about the Navigator is huge, which is a great thing if you need to ferry people and gear. Inside you have 19.3 cubic feet of space for your golf clubs behind the third row in the short wheelbase model, which expands to 34.3 cubic feet in the long wheelbase model. That's more space behind the third row in the short wheelbase model than you have in the trunk of a full-size Mercedes-Benz S-Class by 2 cubic feet.

In short wheelbase form with four-wheel drive it weighs 5,855 pounds, and that goes up to 6,056 in long wheelbase form. That's in the range of a Hummer H2.

2018 Lincoln Navigator

2018 Lincoln Navigator

Wafts down the road

Even though its born in America, the Navigator’s ride would be fit for old-world royalty. While it doesn't have air suspension (a notable omission in the rear for those who tow heavy weekend toys), the adaptive suspension soaks up bumps and road imperfections shockingly well, especially given the 22-inch rolling stock. Steering weight is electrically boosted and makes maneuvering this land yacht through the Whole Foods parking lot a breeze. All of this happens as you get a massage from the available 30-way adjustable seats.

2018 Lincoln Navigator

2018 Lincoln Navigator

It's elegant

Approach the Navigator at night and exterior LED lights gradually come to life on the door handles while twin LED strips in the headlights gradually make their way across the front. It's a natural performer. Open the door and the automatic running boards drop down to greet you and elevate you to the supremely comfortable thrones, and then the infotainment screen and digital gauge cluster come to life with animations to welcome you to the Navigator. Getting into the Navigator is an experience, and that is how it should be.

2018 Lincoln Navigator

2018 Lincoln Navigator

Modes for all the things

Like most new vehicles today, the Navigator has driving modes that modify the vehicle's powertrain. Those modes include Excite (sport), Conserve (eco), Normal, Normal 4x4, Slippery, and Deep Conditions. Deep Conditions is the most interesting as it has the system in four-wheel drive, engages second-gear start like Slippery mode, but also turns off traction control to allow all four wheels to spin in deep snow. To say it's effective would be an understatement. In one of the worst blizzards in recent years to hit the Midwest (dumping over a foot of snow in Minnesota in one night) the Navigator powered through unplowed streets and parking lots with snow over two feet deep without issue while on all-season tires.

2018 Lincoln Navigator

2018 Lincoln Navigator

Not a lot of eco, lots of boost

Under the hood of the Navigator is a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 producing 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque to the rear or all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission. It’s quick. Lincoln hasn't provided an official 0-60 mph time (sprinting from a stop light isn't exactly the Navigator's mission in life), but my butt dyno says it'll do the deed in the low 6-second range, if not in the high 5s. For those comparing, the Cadillac Escalade does 0-60 in 6.0 seconds, and it sounds glorious doing so with its naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8 engine.

Those turbos spinning provide plenty of power to the Navigator, but they also suck a decent amount of premium fuel. On paper, the EPA says the Navigator is reasonably efficient with ratings of 16 mpg city, 21 highway, 18 combined when equipped with four-wheel drive. In reality, you may average 13-15 mpg depending on your driving situation. In comparison, we saw 24 mpg in an Escalade on the highway going over 70 mph.

2018 Lincoln Navigator

2018 Lincoln Navigator

Back in the game

The new 2018 Navigator instantly makes Cadillac's Escalade feel old. From better interior packaging and better ride and handling—thanks to independent rear suspension vs. the Escalade's old-school solid rear axle—to the interior design. Cadillac and other luxury automakers should be up late at night worried about the new Navigator.

2018 Lincoln Navigator

2018 Lincoln Navigator

It's not perfect

The 10-speed automatic transmission is smooth, but the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts could be smoother under certain conditions.

Under the dashboard on the passenger side is a piece of black plastic what wiggles if your feet touch it. It cheapens the experience if your feet touch it.

There’s no low range with the four-wheel-drive system. It's standard on Escalades and available on Range Rovers. Off-roading is unbecoming in the Navigator, but low-range can be helpful at a boat launch when hauling a heavy load up a slippery ramp.

The nearly $90,000 Navigator (as tested, though all 2018 Navigators are equipped as such) is rolling on Hankook tires. In the U.S., Hankooks are a tier two tire, and at this price one should expect tier one tires like Michelins. It’s a weird—and very visual place—to cut costs.

2018 Lincoln Navigator

2018 Lincoln Navigator

It's the way forward

The new Continental showed that Ford might have figured out the path forward for Lincoln, and the new Navigator all but nails that quiet luxury message down as the brand’s new flagship. This is the right path forward for Lincoln: Elegant luxury that demands your attention thanks to its presence while wafting down the road.