The Blackwood may look like a truck, but it doesn't drive like one.Lincoln re-calibrated the Navigator's power steering, front shock absorbers and front suspension and developed a new, leaf/air spring rear suspension especially for the Blackwood, all in an attempt to bestow car-like handling on what's essentially a serious pickup. The effort mostly succeeds. Steering is lighter than in the Navigator. The constantly adjusting air springs in the rear offer the added benefit of a self-leveling rear suspension. In addition, the four-passenger cabin effectively shifts the weight distribution rearward from that of even an extended-cab pickup. On the Blackwood, this delivers a near perfect, and very car-like, 50:50 front/rear balance. This minimizes an unloaded pickup's tendency to be light in the rear end, causing the rear tires to lose grip in tight corners. Still, the center of gravity is noticeably higher than in a car, so even though it has fatter tires than the Navigator, drivers will know this is no sports car. Four-wheel disc brakes with standard ABS do a commendable job of slowing the Blackwood. Visibility from the driver's seat is good, if not great. Its truck roots dictate thicker windshield and door pillars than on a car. But the elevated seating position lets drivers plan ahead as traffic conditions in front change. The optional navigation system was less than optimal, however. The maps were fine, if a ways out of the driver's line of sight with the screen mounted at the forward end of the center console below the dash. Like many of these systems, it's not 100 percent and sometimes directed us the wrong way.
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