Lincoln says the Navigator's symmetrical instrument panel was inspired by the 1961 Lincoln Continental's. It certainly works well in the Navigator, enhancing the spaciousness of the interior as it curves up from the wide center console across the top of the instrument pod on one side, and across the glove box on the other. The surface is grained with a pebble texture. Subtle bands of American walnut burl are used to divide sections of the dashboard and door trim. Other interior surfaces are finished in a pleasant low-lustre satin-nickel color that matches the rest of the trim nicely.

LEDs (120 of them) are used throughout the cabin to illuminate buttons and controls. The label for each control is laser etched into the satin nickel surface so that it appears black in daylight yet illuminates at night with a nice white glow. The driver and front-seat passengers enjoy a dual-zone climate control system. Passengers in both the second and third row of seats get their own auxiliary control panels.

All seats are finished in a leather with a milled pebble finish. Front seats are power operated. The two-position memory for the driver's seat also includes the mirrors and the standard power-adjustable pedals.

Second-row seats are also buckets, although a bench seat is available. The bench seat is split 40/20/40, and the narrow center section can slide forward 11 inches to position a child seat conveniently close to the driver.

The third-row seat is actually comfortable for adults. The independent rear suspension introduced on the 2003 model allowed the engineers to lower the floor in the back, making for a more comfortable seating position. The third-row bench seat is split 60/40 and can hold three people. On paper, the Navigator's third row provides slightly more legroom than the GMC Yukon XL or Cadillac Escalade ESV, and significantly more than the Tahoe or Escalade.

One of the Naviagator's neatest features is the power folding mechanism for the third row of seats (included in the Ultimate package). At the press of a button the rear seat folds down to provide a flush floor space for increased cargo carrying capacity. The second row of seats can also be folded down to provide a large cargo area. A power rear tailgate comes with the Ultimate package also; it opens in about 10 seconds and is handy when approaching the Navigator with an armload of groceries.