In other English-speaking countries, a full-size SUV is a Range Rover, which fills many British country roads from hedgerow to hedgerow. But here in XXL-land, it takes something like this Lincoln Navigator to really flesh out the meaning of “full-size.” I’d be nervous driving it anywhere in England except a multi-lane motorway. 

Even here in New England, the Navigator can be a squeeze. Threading it into my driveway takes a two-point turn. Fortunately, these beefy flanks are protected by visual and audible alerts that remove most of the stress from low-speed maneuvering. (Still, I scraped one of these showy 22-inch rims—part of Lincoln’s Monochromatic finish package—on a granite curb while trying to avoid a pothole.) 

But in America, bigger is better. The only thing that beats an eight-passenger private jet is one that takes 12 passengers. The Navigator is rated for seven people, driver included, and its 450-horsepower twin-turbo V-6 (aided & abetted by a 10-speed automatic transmission and six drive modes) provides performance that, if not jet-like, is still impressive. Especially for a vehicle that weighs more than three tons.

Equally surprising is our average of 17.4 MPG. Yes, that’ll make polar bears weep on their shrinking ice floes, but it’s nearly double what something this big might have achieved 20 years ago. 

Also impressive is that, although the Navigator is a big ol’ pile of sheet metal, plastic, leather and electronics bolted onto an F-150 pickup-truck frame, it handles like a modern crossover-type SUV. Much of this is probably because, unlike the truck, the Navigator has independent rear suspension. In fact, the Navigator is a Ford Expedition underneath, but much disguised and upgraded. 

Naturally, it’s up-priced, too: The Navigator lineup begins at $77,480 for the Standard trim level with rear-wheel-drive and tops out at $102,620 for the Black Label L—before options. Our Reserve model stickers at $92,020, which includes $6,690 in add-ons (including the must-have Perfect Position front seats) and $1,295 in delivery charges. “L,” by the way, is for long-wheelbase, an extra 11 inches of Navigator, in case the standard size isn’t enough. 

Considering Lincoln’s SUVs—in ascending size, the Aviator, Corsair, Nautilus and Navigator—this one, the Navigator, is the stand-out. The others are also plush and easy to inhabit and operate, but they don’t measure up to their peers from overseas in sophistication. (They aren’t necessarily cheaper, either.) 

The Navvy, however, has no direct competitor in Europe, Japan or Korea, so it wins on sheer size alone. If you’re looking for this much enclosed volume and heft, at this level of flashiness, there’s only one other vehicle to consider: the Cadillac Escalade. And for most buyers, that choice is the same one that drives the pickup-truck market: Ford vs. GM. Easy! 

Silvio Calabi has been reviewing cars since Ronald Reagan removed the solar panels from the White House. He lives in Camden.