The Detroit Newspapers's view

Here’s a no-brainer: If you had a massive sport-utility vehicle that measured more than 18 1/2 feet long sitting next to a small hatchback that was 4 1/2 feet shorter, which would you take to pick up the family Christmas tree?

If you guessed the 2007 Lincoln Navigator L, the all-new long-wheelbase competitor to the Cadillac Escalade ESV, you guessed wrong.

It’s not that the locomotive-size Lincoln isn’t capable. It weighs more than three tons — big enough so the federal government doesn’t require Ford Motor Co. to post any EPA fuel-economy ratings — and can tow a 6,000-pound trailer. Let’s just say that, with a wheelbase of 131 inches and a height of 6 1/2 feet, the Navigator L isn’t exactly a ballerina on wheels.

It’s difficult to park — parallel, angle, you name it — and it’s not much fun to maneuver in shopping malls, city traffic and just about anywhere other than the open highway. Even then, the vehicle’s sheer mass and extensive sail surface make the Navigator L sometimes feel like a Conestoga wagon in a windstorm.

But Lincoln didn’t really intend the Navigator L to be a beast of burden. Rather, it’s aimed at big suburban families with loads of money and no desire to be seen in a minivan.

And, like it or not, the Navigator L is positioned squarely against the redesigned 2007 Escalade ESV, one of the best new SUVs of the year.

Where Cadillac elected to completely overhaul the Escalade from the ground up, Lincoln, with far less development money on hand, chose to go with an extensive facelift on the Navigator, adding the longer L variant to give it a head-to-head competitor to the ESV.

Lincoln has a huge advantage over Cadillac in the price department: The Navigator L 4×4 starts at $52,475, including shipping, while the Escalade ESV AWD is priced from $60,370. When you consider the $8,000 price gap, all of a sudden the Lincoln starts to look mighty attractive. Even our well-endowed test vehicle, with nearly $9,000 in options and a bottom line of $61,120, looks like a bargain next to a comparably equipped Escalade ESV.

The Navigator’s new front face is part of a brand-wide styling overhaul, inspired by the front end of the classic 1961 Lincoln Continental. It carries over to the new Lincoln MKX crossover vehicle, where the chrome egg-crate grille looks more attractive. The Navigator L that we tested also came with an optional “premium appearance” package that included oversize chrome inserts above the rocker panels — a rather gauche touch, we thought. The optional $1,495 chromed aluminum wheels, however, were pretty snazzy, with the fat 275/55R20 all-season radials nicely filling out the wheel wells. And the power running boards are a terrific idea, not to mention a nice safety touch in the winter.

While the freshened exterior of the Navigator doesn’t have quite the same presence or visual appeal of the Escalade, the Lincoln’s cabin seems more refined, at least at first glance. The center stack, in particular, is elegant, and the top-stitched leather seats look expensive.

Lincoln cut corners elsewhere, too. The Navigator comes with a tilt steering column, but inexplicably no telescoping function. The navigation system is the same one that’s offered on the $26,000 Ford Edge; the screen is too small and the controls are not intuitive.

We were impressed by some other features, though, including the clever cargo management system and such options as heated and cooled front seats, a power tailgate and a power folding third row (why no power second row?). The optional rear-seat DVD entertainment system is a good one, and should keep smaller children amused and distracted on long trips.

Lincoln wisely chose to load the Navigator L with safety gear. Standard hardware includes antilock brakes, traction and stability control, side air bags for front-seat occupants, side curtains for all three rows and a reverse sensing system. The last feature is almost mandatory, considering that it’s virtually impossible to see anything — or anyone — behind the vehicle when you’re backing up.

Dynamically, the Navigator L still suffers from many of the ills that have plagued its smaller sibling. Ford still hasn’t figured out how to properly tune the brakes, so stopping this land yacht can become a hair-rasing experience. The ride is relatively smooth, but the vehicle is not easy to control at speed, in part because the steering doesn’t provide crisp or immediate feedback from the road surface and requires constant corrections.

Cadillac also trumps Lincoln in the engine department. Although both vehicles come with modern six-speed automatic transmissions, the Navigator is equipped with a single-overhead-cam 5.4-liter V-8 that makes 300 horsepower and 365 pounds-feet of torque, while the Escalade gets an overhead-valve 6.2-liter V-8 that delivers 403 horsepower and 417 pounds-feet. The Escalade ESV, despite its bulk, feels considerably quicker and more responsive than the Navigator L, and in most respects is far more pleasant to drive, whether around town on short hops or on longer hauls.

The 2007 Lincoln Navigator L is certain to appeal to buyers with more conservative tastes. .