For 2005, however, the Navigator got a significant facelift that resulted in a cleaner, more upscale appearance. New side cladding dispensed with the old fussy, double-layered look and integrated better with the restyled running boards. Similarly, the front fascia traded the stubbly jawed suggestion of a brush bar for a clean, boldly horizontal lower air intake. A straight black band across the bottom of the fascia reduced the visual mass of the blocker bar designed to improve the safety of people in other cars in a collision.

Those changes gave the Navigator a richer, more substantial look. It looks more like a Lincoln. For the past 70 years (at least) Lincoln's most memorable designs have been its most pure and clean, while the Lincolns we'd like most to forget appear to have resulted from occasional, unrestrained impulses to try to out bling-bling Cadillac. In short, the current design is the best-looking Navigator ever.

Power-retractable running boards are available on all Navigators. When a door is opened, the running boards quietly extend out by four inches to allow easier access to the vehicle. When the doors are closed the running boards automatically retract under the rocker panels.

The large door mirrors fold in to the body at the touch of a button for maneuvering in tight quarters, such as the entrance to your garage or in crowded parking spaces. Auxiliary turn signals are incorporated into the lower edges of the mirrors. An approach lamp housed in the mirrors illuminates the ground alongside the vehicle when the key fob unlock button is activated, a nice feature on stormy nights, or in dark public garages; and especially helpful when you drop something.