Buy/Drive/Burn: Three Big and Luxurious 2018 SUVs
Today’s subjects are ponderous, expensive, and very heavy. No, we’re not talking about state government representatives; we’re talking about full-size SUVs.
Come along, and we’ll select a big truck to burn.
The common thread of today’s SUV trio is an $85,000 price point. We’re being economical and practical here.
Lincoln Navigator
The newest design of our trio, the Navigator was (finally) all-new for the 2018 model year. After a decade-long third generation which, underneath, was essentially a modification of the Navigator from 2003, the big truck stepped up its game. Riding on the same Ford’s T3 truck platform as its Ford F-150 and Expedition corporate siblings, the Navigator is built in Louisville, Kentucky.
As the most expensive offering from Lincoln, prices start — for a base two-wheel drive model — at just over $73,000. Today’s example is the $85,205 Reserve trim. Four-wheel drive comes standard, as does a panoramic glass roof. Standard leather interior is available in four colors, just not the Black Label ones. Ford’s EcoBoost 3.5-liter V6 powers all Navigators, sending 450 horsepower through the 10-speed automatic.
Cadillac Escalade
Cadillac introduced the new K2XX generation Escalade (the model’s fourth iteration) for 2015. Sharper styling and a greater emphasis on tech are the new model’s selling points — along with the valuable Escalade lettering scrawled across the tailgate. As the pinnacle of Cadillac’s offering, Escalade is assembled at the former B-body sedan plant in Arlington, Texas.
The base Escalade starts at just over $75,000, and nobody buys that one. They do buy today’s upper-mid Luxury 4WD trim though, for $83,795. Cadillac’s CUE infotainment system is standard, as well as active noise cancellation. At this price point, no-cost interior options are black or light tan leather. All Escalades feature a 6.2-liter Chevrolet V8 engine producing 420 horsepower, paired to a 10-speed automatic.
Lexus LX 570
The last car of our trio is also the one you’re least likely to see in traffic, and the oldest design of our group. Introduced as a third-generation model on the Land Cruiser J200 platform in 2007, the LX 570 was heavily facelifted in 2015 to keep up with its more modern competition. The selling point of the LX is the legendary Land Cruiser reliability underneath, and the luxury tinsel applied liberally over the top.
Price differentials between the LX and Land Cruiser have dwindled over the years, and are now distinguished only by the number of seats. The two-row LX 570 is nearly exactly the same price as the three-row Land Cruiser, at $85,630. Lexus charges just under $5,000 to add the third row to your LX. We declined. A large center screen and all luxuries come standard — the only option is a Luxury Package for nicer seats and additional climate control. At the base level, we have a choice of black leather with espresso wood trim or parchment leather with mocha trim. All LX models are powered by Toyota’s 5.7-liter V8, which directs an old school 383 horsepower through the eight-speed automatic.
Big SUVs, big money, and mostly big power. Which one’s the Buy?
[Images: Ford, GM, Toyota]
Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.
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Buy? The LX570. It's my money and I'm gonna spend it wisely. And spend it I will on a vehicle with excellent resale value and equally excellent build quality. Drive? The Navigator. I'd rather it have a V8, but I'm not gonna sneer at a twin-boosted V6, either. I'll take mine with that baby blue and white interior combo....and a way to fold or hide that damned tablet. Burn? Escalade. I don't care if it's got the big 6.2-liter motor and the solid axle that apparently makes the traditionalists tent their pants. I just don't want it.
As an LX570 owner, I'll tell you this depends on how long you want to keep the machine. For the three years most of the buyers will own these things: Buy the Navi. It oozes style, it's actually roomy, and this variant of the 3.5 is an unstoppable force. For two decades: Buy the LX. The 200 series basically never break. When the most serious recurring issue is hairline cracks in the radiator around 100k miles, you know you've got some engineering. There is a reason why you can't walk a block in my snooty neighborhood in Seattle without running into an outwardly beat-up 80 or 100 (which are often treated to spare-no-expense mechanical maintenance). Always burn the Slade. It's a cynical creation with Impala-level interior materials, the ride of a Silverado, and zero third-row or cargo room.