2023 Navigator Reserve Rough Ride

[HiTechRedneck]

I definitely love my 20 BL but I've had nothing but trucks for a long time indeed. Traded my Raptor for a sweet Aviator which handled great and to me, rode great. Until an idiot pulled in from a no passing lane and took the front end off! It did have 22's on it. The BL has 22's from the factory and I love the way it rides and handles. Dropping down in wheel size and new tires will cost about $2,500 which is definitely not worth it and will sacrifice some of the handling that I like in the Ozark mountains around us!

 

[akras]

Dropping down in wheel size and new tires will cost about $2,500 which is definitely not worth it and will sacrifice some of the handling that I like in the Ozark mountains around us!

Like I said before, I did not notice any handling differences going from 22" to lightweight 20" (flow-forged, 20lb lighter per wheel, which didn't hurt). It handled great for what it is, and it still does.

Ride quality comparison. I recently had my Navigator serviced at a local dealership, and I put the OEM 22" wheels back for that occasion (didn't want them to scratch my new 20" wheels). The difference in ride quality going from 20" to 22" was staggering. The vehicle felt like a carriage on wooden wheels with 22" (36psi). Interestingly, going from 22" to 20" was instantly noticeable, but going back was a real eye opener. Same tires on both sets of wheels. To me, the difference (a tiny fraction of the vehicle cost) is totally worth the price paid. That said, it is still not a proper luxury vehicle when the road gets bad, unfortunately.

 

[dlcorbett]

That's the one thing I miss about the 09 nav I had. With the air suspension in the rear and higher weight, the ride would settle itself on rough roads, where as the coils on the 4th gens never really settle on bad roads and the lower weight gets pushed around back there.

 

[NavigatorPro]

I put Hellwig sway bars front and back. I have 22s. The ride still feels good.

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[DaveL123]

Hey there, I recently leased a 23 Navigator Reserve which was a Demo/Loaner model that had 3500 miles on it. After a few days i felt a pretty bump ride. It felt a bit jittery and couldn't tell what the issue was. I noticed that the car would pull right while the steering wheel was straight and assumed it needed a wheel alignment and that it would solve the issue. I took it to a local mechanic to do an alignment because i didn't think it was a big deal, i just thought it was a quick fix. He lifted the car and told me that the car looked like it was in good condition from underneath and there wasn't any damage. He tried to adjust the alignment and when i drove it it was still pulling. I then took it straight to the dealership and they took it on in on the spot to adjust alignment. I waited there all day and they attempted a few times to adjust it after taking it on the road a few times. After a few hours they gave it back saying the alignment was corrected. I drove the car home and was still a very bump ride and the alignment wasn't fully corrected. The next day i called it in and told them it was still pulling and was very bumpy. They scheduled another service and would give me a loaner. I told the rep to take the car as long as they need in order to fix the issue because i was concerned that they would get tired of looking for the issue and would just say "That's the way it drives". After 2 weeks ( Which I doubt they were working on it for that long) they told me the car was ready and fixed the alignment and that the specialist who balances the car drove another 23 Lincoln as well and said that it drives like the other 23s. The car was delivered back to me the next day. The alignment seems to be fixed but its still a pretty bumpy ride. I was worried that a previous driver on the car just beat it up and messed something up with it , but now after reading this forum I'm not so sure what to think anymore. I haven't really taken it on the highway but I notice it to be pretty bumpy between 20-30 mph. Do i try to balance the tires? Do i try to get to get a better alignment done somewhere else who specialize in alignments? or just accept it as it is. It looks like were on the same path there Dave, you are definitely not alone.

 

[Mark-P]

Lower the tire pressure to 34 for a cheap fix. Or get new quality tires and 20” rims for an expensive fix.

 

[Tahoe Dave]

Hey there, I recently leased a 23 Navigator Reserve which was a Demo/Loaner model that had 3500 miles on it. After a few days i felt a pretty bump ride. It felt a bit jittery and couldn't tell what the issue was. I noticed that the car would pull right while the steering wheel was straight and assumed it needed a wheel alignment and that it would solve the issue. I took it to a local mechanic to do an alignment because i didn't think it was a big deal, i just thought it was a quick fix. He lifted the car and told me that the car looked like it was in good condition from underneath and there wasn't any damage. He tried to adjust the alignment and when i drove it it was still pulling. I then took it straight to the dealership and they took it on in on the spot to adjust alignment. I waited there all day and they attempted a few times to adjust it after taking it on the road a few times. After a few hours they gave it back saying the alignment was corrected. I drove the car home and was still a very bump ride and the alignment wasn't fully corrected. The next day i called it in and told them it was still pulling and was very bumpy. They scheduled another service and would give me a loaner. I told the rep to take the car as long as they need in order to fix the issue because i was concerned that they would get tired of looking for the issue and would just say "That's the way it drives". After 2 weeks ( Which I doubt they were working on it for that long) they told me the car was ready and fixed the alignment and that the specialist who balances the car drove another 23 Lincoln as well and said that it drives like the other 23s. The car was delivered back to me the next day. The alignment seems to be fixed but its still a pretty bumpy ride. I was worried that a previous driver on the car just beat it up and messed something up with it , but now after reading this forum I'm not so sure what to think anymore. I haven't really taken it on the highway but I notice it to be pretty bumpy between 20-30 mph. Do i try to balance the tires? Do i try to get to get a better alignment done somewhere else who specialize in alignments? or just accept it as it is. It looks like were on the same path there Dave, you are definitely not alone.

Sadly, it's the nature of this beast do to the suspension design. The alignment will not affect the rough ride and wheel balance only causes vibrations at various speeds. I did drop the tire pressure to 35 psi cold and it took a bit of the edge off of rough ride. I have now accepted this and in full disclosure there are many positive aspects of the vehicle that are enjoyable. By way of example, on the highway the ride is very quiet and comfortable. The premium sound system is great as are all of the comfort selections. I'm very particular about my cars and have been in the automotive business all of my professional career. I drove Range Rovers for decades before jumping ship and switching to Lincoln. We have driven both of these vehicles in the snow and the Navigator did every bit as well as the Range Rover. I guess the acid test will be when it comes time to replace this vehicle. Today the odds are slightly in favor of purchasing a Navigator again. However, if Ford improve the ride it's a lay-up on buying a new one.

 

[G-304060]

For those thinking about their next ride - after dumping my ‘23 Navi I bought an Escalade. Best ride ever. And Supercruise is orders of magnitude better than Bluecruise. You could argue the interior design of the Black Label is nicer and I might agree by a tad but overall package of Escalade wins hands down.

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[rlflesh]

It’s a doggone shame to buy a new Navi Black Label with a sticker of $115k and have the ride I and others on this board had. No excuse for it at all. And beyond disappointing that Ford Motor Co acknowledges an issue but considers it a “normal undesirable driving characteristic”. I had to give up and dump mine for a loss. Between wife and me have had three Lincoln’s over past five years and that Navi is prob the last.

 

[rlflesh]

I did new tires, balancing, alignment and they couldn’t fix it. They did something to the suspension ‘23 or sometime that has created this issue. Mine had the towing package and I’ve noted others with the drive issues also had that package. But not sure if that is real cause. Regardless they acknowledged they couldn’t fix it and refused lemon law so I dumped for a new Escalade which is the best ride ever.

 

[dlcorbett]

I did new tires, balancing, alignment and they couldn’t fix it. They did something to the suspension ‘23 or sometime that has created this issue. Mine had the towing package and I’ve noted others with the drive issues also had that package. But not sure if that is real cause. Regardless they acknowledged they couldn’t fix it and refused lemon law so I dumped for a new Escalade which is the best ride ever.

Congrats on your new truck. Hopefully it treats you well. I agree the escalade rides better, but I'll take a slightly worse ride for better interior, seats, fuel economy, Interior decor, driving position, handling, drivability, and general ease of use, but that's just me.

I am very interested in the infiniti qx80 or armada though.

 

[Quixotic1]

I noticed the new Aviators have air-glide suspension as an option so it will almost certainly come to the Navigator in '25.

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[dlcorbett]

I noticed the new Aviators have air-glide suspension as an option so it will almost certainly come to the Navigator in '25.

Tha aviator has had airglide since it was introduced in 2020. Lincoln could have added it to The nav atleast for the refresh but they didnt. Either they felt the nav didn't need it because enough customers liked the ride back then, or the platform wouldn't allow it is a mystery. So far, it doesn't look like they changed the platform much if at all, so it's a mystery if they'll be able to add it. I'm hoping they will, but the air glide gets mixed response from buyers atleast in the forums. However, the nav will absolutely need some sort of air suspension as every competitor has or offers it, and they now all clear the nav in terms of ride comfort, which is supposed to be the navs claim to fame. With 24in wheels also becoming an option, Unless ford worked some type of magic on its existing suspension and tuned to it with the gods, there's no way anyone will pick the nav over any competitor with a price over 100k with the ride only slightly better than what it has now.

 

[DaveL123]

Sadly, it's the nature of this beast do to the suspension design. The alignment will not affect the rough ride and wheel balance only causes vibrations at various speeds. I did drop the tire pressure to 35 psi cold and it took a bit of the edge off of rough ride. I have now accepted this and in full disclosure there are many positive aspects of the vehicle that are enjoyable. By way of example, on the highway the ride is very quiet and comfortable. The premium sound system is great as are all of the comfort selections. I'm very particular about my cars and have been in the automotive business all of my professional career. I drove Range Rovers for decades before jumping ship and switching to Lincoln. We have driven both of these vehicles in the snow and the Navigator did every bit as well as the Range Rover. I guess the acid test will be when it comes time to replace this vehicle. Today the odds are slightly in favor of purchasing a Navigator again. However, if Ford improve the ride it's a lay-up on buying a new one.

Thanks for that update. I did begin to get used to the ride and it really did grow on me, i love it. However I'm averaging 7.2 mpg city. In the picture i attached, its showing i got about half a tank and only drove 73 miles. The way im getting to that number is by hitting the reset button on ”Trip 1“. Is that a normal average for this car or is it something i need to look into being i did have that wheel alignment issue.

 

[DaveL123]

sorry forgot to add image

 

[dlcorbett]

Reset your avg fuel consumption (not trip mileage, lifetime avg) and then drive it on a flat smooth road with no stops for about hlf hr

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[bbf2530]

Thanks for that update. I did begin to get used to the ride and it really did grow on me, i love it. However I'm averaging 7.2 mpg city. In the picture i attached, its showing i got about half a tank and only drove 73 miles. The way im getting to that number is by hitting the reset button on ”Trip 1“. Is that a normal average for this car or is it something i need to look into being i did have that wheel alignment issue.

Hi DaveL123. Everybody’s idea and reality of “city driving” is different. If you are in a large, congested city, with a lot of nearly parking lot like, bumper to bumper, sitting still, traffic lights, air conditioning on etc. etc., then yes that could be “normal” for your driving environment.

Also, you may not get an accurate reading if you reset a trip odometer every time you take a trip.
Why, I am sure you are wondering? Because you will notice that the mpg’s also reset to zero and have to build up from there. So you will get an inaccurately low mpg reading.
Measuring short trips is difficult. The only most accurate, but inconvenient way, is to fill up at the very beginning of the trip, then fill up at the end. Then divide miles driven by gallons filled.
However, for various reasons, the longer the trip, the more accurate the calculations will be.

If you still think there is an issue, have your vehicle checked.

EDIT- Looking at your photo, it took you 11+ hours of engine running time to drive ~73 miles. So in my opinion…Yes, 7.2 mpg may very well be normal for your “city” driving environment. You had to be sitting still and crawling for hours.

Keep us updated and good luck.

 

[Vics 2024 Black Label]

I drive my car almost exclusively in town very little highway driving and am getting 16.2 mpg, It has gotten alot better than last year when I first got it and it was new and getting 13.6 mpg.

 

[Vics 2024 Black Label]

Here is a picture of the dash

 

[bbf2530]

Hi Vics. That is a perfect example of the difference i was trying to explain to DaveL123 concerning the large variations in what people experience and describe as “city driving”.

If my math is correct, your driving averaged out to approximately 24-25 mph over the course of ~37 hours.

And Dave’s driving averaged out to approximately 6.5-7 mph over the course of ~11 hours. That is a major difference which would certainly explain Dave’s lower mpg’s.

Hope this all makes sense (and my math was correct).

Good luck.