#NYIAS: The GREAT Debate — Is The Lincoln Navigator The NEW Continental?

If you were trying to figure out the noisemaker of the 2016 New York Auto Show (NYIAS), it wasn't too hard to pinpoint. That's because the Lincoln Navigator Concept was a buzz machine at this show.

To be straightforward, if it weren't for the Lincoln, this may have been a pretty tame show.

2016 New York Auto Show

While it may have ridiculous Gullwing doors and not one, but three, steps, the Navigator is a display of Lincoln's future. And though we originally thought the all-new Continental would be the company's flagship model, it appears to us that would actually be a wrong move. The Continental's time as an iconic nameplate has passed. If the production version had the same attitude as the concept and also was equipped with coach doors — or "suicide doors" — we think that Lincoln would have nailed it.

Here's the thing: People are not buying sedans like they used to. SUVs is where the market is heading. With gas prices low — for now — and luxury being defined by space and comfort, it's clear that the Navigator with its three rows of seating and 30-way seats is the new concept of luxury for many.

THINK. If the production Navigator has the same look and feel of the concept and it gets distilled to the interior specifications of the Continental WITH coach doors is the Navigator the new Continental? It would be the flagship AND a statement piece.

What say you, Spies? Is the Lincoln Navigator the new Continental?


The 2016 New York Auto Show photo galleries are sponsored by Lexus.

2016 New York Auto Show