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Lincoln taps Serena Williams to pitch all-new Navigator

Lincoln is turning to a new star to help it pitch the hot-selling Navigator SUV alongside Matthew McConaughey: Tennis megastar and businesswoman Serena Williams. She'll help pitch the Navigator in a social media campaign that launched Thursday. Lincoln released four short spots that will appear on Lincoln and Williams' social channels. In one, the longest at 41 seconds, Williams recalls buying her first Navigator as a teen and says she's come full circle as a mother. She dubbed the vehicle "Ginger." "Ginger was all white, she had 22s and she had rims," she says in the spot. "I felt like, you know, I was kind of balling in a way. It was like my first huge purchase." Another shows Williams talking on a tennis court about being a mother and how the vehicle functions as a kind of bedroom for her daughter, Olympia, who was born last September. "For me that's what's most important." Like the McConaughey spots before them, the new spots hew to the Lincoln script of mostly not focusing on the vehicle but rather on experiences. (Williams' experiences seem a lot less ethereal than McConaughey's.) View 4 Photos Williams is known for her tennis exploits, having won a record 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals. She has fashion deals with Puma and Home Shopping Network and launched her own fashion brand called Aneres. And she operates the Serena Williams Fund to emphasize education and help victims of gun and domestic violence, plus the Williams Sisters Fund, which she launched in 2016 with her sister, Venus. Serena Williams is also a member of the Oath Board of Advisors. Oath is the parent company of Autoblog. "Serena is an amazing athlete who has won 23 Grand Slams, but she also has a family, she has her own clothing line, she sits on major boards, she's philanthropic — she has all these competing demands on her time," Lincoln Group Marketing Manager John Emmert said in a statement. "We know that time is our Navigator client's ultimate luxury as they balance everything in their busy lives, and Serena exemplifies that balance with poise and grace." It's not the first time Williams has endorsed an automotive brand, notes AdAge. Mini featured the tennis star in a Super Bowl ad in 2016. The Navigator is all-new for 2018. It won North American Truck of the Year last month at the Detroit Auto Show. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2019 Lincoln Nautilus vs 2018 Cadillac XT5: How they compare on paper

There will no doubt be endless ads touting the "first-ever" 2019 Lincoln Nautilus, which is accurate, but it's really just a mid-cycle update of an existing midsize luxury SUV attached to a greatly welcomed name change. Frankly, Lincoln could've called it the Diamond Jubilee Bill Blass and it would've been an improvement. Whatever. The MKX is dead. Long live the Nautilus. Now, speaking of SUVs with silly alphanumeric names, the 2018 Cadillac XT5 lines up remarkably well with the 2018 MKX. Besides hailing from American luxury brands, they have virtually identical exterior dimensions and similar standard engines as well. Cross-shopping seems assured. But what does the change to the 2019 Nautilus mean for how it compares to the XT5? Cosmetic changes might tweak exterior dimensions by a tenth of an inch here or there, but the interior should remain the same. The Nautilus gets a new engine, though, so check out our spreadsheet below to see if America's (and Canada's) luxury SUVs still stack up. Conclusions The switch to a turbocharged four-cylinder base engine means the XT5 and MKX/Nautilus are no longer on equal terms under the hood. While the Cadillac now has a considerable power advantage, the Lincoln Nautilus could save you hundreds every year based on its likely fuel economy (the 2.0-liter turbo engine, albeit with a different transmission, is in the mechanically similar Ford Edge). Besides the new engine for 2019, the Nautilus also gains an eight-speed automatic and an automatic stop start system. Both of those elements are already included on the XT5. It was announced that the 2019 Nautilus will start at $41,335, which compares to the base MKX at $39,960 and the 2018 Cadillac XT5 at $41,590. In other words, the Lincoln is still less expensive, but just barely. Standard feature content is also comparable, especially as the Nautilus gains standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which are already standard on the XT5. So really, no matter what they're called, the Cadillac and Lincoln should continue to be neck-and-neck competitors. 2019 Lincoln Nautilus Photos View 20 Photos 2018 Cadillac XT5 Photos View 28 Photos 2018 Lincoln MKX Photos View 57 Photos Related Video: Cadillac Lincoln Car Buying Crossover SUV Luxury Comparison consumer cadillac xt5 lincoln nautilus

2020 Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring First Drive | It's the plug-in hybrid one

NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — While we've already declared that the 2020 Lincoln Aviator is the real deal, that earlier first drive only covered the gas-only base version. Not that a 400-horsepower anything is typically considered "base," but it certainly becomes that when there's another version available, the Aviator Grand Touring, that's good for a cool 494 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque.  Frankly, it seems a little odd to fixate on output figures when the Aviator goes out of its way to push its accelerative capability into the background and instead focus on an altogether luxurious and effortless driving experience. But 630 pound-feet is a whole heap of torque that fully eclipses even the mighty BMW X7 M50i. The BMW has a twin-turbo V8 engine fettled by M Division, however. The 2020 Aviator Grand Touring is a plug-in hybrid. Unlike other gasoline-electric variants, this version does not take a smaller engine and add electricity. Rather, it starts with the regular Aviator's whole hog 400-horsepower twin-turbo V6 and sandwiches a 75-kW electric motor between it and the 10-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is standard, but it's a traditional system rather than one created by a rear-axle electric motor. With this approach, Lincoln is trying to create a range-topping model, not necessarily an eco-oriented one. The Grand Touring is the V12-powered Mercedes S600 to the regular Aviator's S500. It's best to think of it in those historic luxury terms, because despite the eye-popping output, this is still not a sport-tuned vehicle. Indeed, it's very possible that it's not actually that much quicker off the line than the regular version. Black Label - Chalet 3 View 30 Photos Lincoln didn't provide a 0-60 time, but the Grand Touring weighs 781 pounds more than a gas-only all-wheel-drive Aviator. Stuffing 96 lithium-ion battery cells under the second-row seat tends to do that. As a result, the hybrid's added electric wallop does in fact make it feel more powerful, but it's not the sort of face-flattening experience you might expect with that torque number. It's not that different. Well, in terms of acceleration, at least. There are actually some drivability issues. The throttle is difficult to modulate smoothly from a start, at least when driving in hybrid mode with the plug-in battery portion fully drained.