2004 Lincoln Navigator
5.4L 300hp V8 355 lb. ft.
0-60: 10.21
1/4 mile: 17.54 @ 82.50 mph
60-0 Braking: 148 ft.
Source: http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/S...VIP&tab=2&sub=0

2004 Cadillac Escalade
6.0L 345hp V8 380 lb. ft.
0-60: 7.95
1/4 mile: 16.14 @ 86.20
60-0 Braking: 145 ft.
Source: http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/S...VIP&tab=2&sub=0

I choose the Navi for the same reason I choose the LT.....nicer interior and overall I think its more livable with.....but I do like the Exterior of the Escalade better.

I love the power and the looks of the Escalade.. The Navigator looks almost the same as it did when it came out years ago. The Escalade has already made some nice changes.. I'd definitely take the Cadillac Escalade over the Lincoln Navigator...

I agree the Escalade wins hands down on the exterior looks. The Navigator is superior on the inside. GM has a bad habit of making it's interiors look cheapish in the last few years....IMHO

its tough, the escalade has the power and exterior styling, the navigator has the nice interior and neat gizmos(power running boards, auto fold flat third row). Im glad i dont have to choose, cause im not sure which id pick

Well....I beg to differ. I think, next to the Range Rover, the new Navigator is the BEST looking SUV in the market, if only it had a more powerfull V8 it would be close to perfect!!!

My mom's friend bought a Navigator in 2002. She HATES it, and shes been a loyal Lincoln customer for three decades. (Her huge garage has old Continentals wall to wall.)

The dealer cant seem to fix an issue that causes it to make the driver look drunk. It weaves all over the place, and she's been pulled over for suspected drunk driving more than a few times. The tire wear is horrid.

I love the luxury interiors from Lincoln, but I trust Cadillac more for trucks.

-Jesda

The Escalade is by far the better choice, its been proven in numerous comparisons. some reasons

1. it has the more powerful enigne
2. Rides and Handles better ( i have driven both)
3. Escalde is cheaper

Only thing the Navi has over the Escalade is the interior, obviously. Everything else is pretty much subjective styling wise

I sat in both at a car show pretty recently. I like them both a lot. The exterior of the Lincoln seems more stately, the Escalade is more "cool," it's just a matter of preferance there. The Navigators interior is nicer than the Escalade, but they're both pretty nice. I honestly don't know which I'd choose, although If I could get ahold of the xv12 there would be no competition.

Hands down the interior award goes to the Lincoln...personally that is where I drive and I like my car to have a nice interior.....interior is the first thing I look at with Drivetrain next and then Exterior styling.

Jes........the 2002 were the old ones if im not mistaken.

Hands down the interior award goes to the Lincoln...personally that is where I drive and I like my car to have a nice interior.....interior is the first thing I look at with Drivetrain next and then Exterior styling.

Jes........the 2002 were the old ones if im not mistaken.


Msilva, I've noticed your posts seem very Ford biased. Are you from a long time Ford family? Not being smart, just wondering. ;)

They are both have their strong points & weaknesses, but for me.....I'd by-pass them both an get an '05 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited :) ~ to me 4WD *IS* Jeep, NOW with the HEMI !

Msilva, I've noticed your posts seem very Ford biased. Are you from a long time Ford family? Not being smart, just wondering. ;)

Naw, im not biased to any company........I do prefer some though......we had a 97' Thunderbird......and mechanically it was great but overall the car sucked...ours was a lemon......then currently we have a 97' Mustang V6....great gas mileage...and no problems what so ever, for the money there isnt a car out there (at the time) that could touch this car (style wise) from an american maker.

Currently we have a BMW 325 too 01', I like it, but personally would never buy one myself........and I drive a Caddy so that shows no Ford bias......my parents have had 2 firebirds and one Camero.....Mazda MPV.......VW Sciroco.....Chevy Malibu 70's......VW beetles....etc...

I just happen to like what Ford Motor Company offers currently then any other brand....(Jag,Volvo,LR,Mazda,Aston) Excluding Mercury........and I love Lincolns too.

So thats your answer right there......I love American Cars period......but If I dislike one you will be sure to know, Ford just has better things at this time.....not including the useless Mercury and the crappy Taurus.

The Navigator has a superior interior and feature set. That is... the 03 Plus Navigator. The one before was an absolute pile of junk. I agree the Cadillac looks much more powerful and edgy on the outside, but like Silva, the interior is a big deal to me. The major drawback of the Lincoln is still the engine though.. 10 second 0-60 times for the Lincoln are unacceptable when compared to the 345 Horse Escalade which does it almost as fast as my 330i. Nonetheless, my choice is the Lincoln.

I hear that 6sp is really gonna help that 0-60.............but it does need some better styling.

The Cadillac brand in general is ment to stand out...which some like.....while the Lincoln brand is "quite" luxury.....for the people who have money yet really dont want people to know it.

The interior in the navigator is nice, but I dont understand the crappy leather, feels like the leather in a high-end honda or dodge, I was expecting STS quality leather, guess they cant put it in for $50000....

Took a day out and drove the 04 & O5 Escalade with nav, the Navigator, the Lexus GX 460, and the Infinity QX56.
The Navigator was noisy and sluggish on power, had neat running boards electric folding seats and good rear room neat fit & finish.
The Infinity had the best features like the laser cruise control & back up TV and lowest price but was much longer and higher and I wonder about resale.
The Lexus was the quietest and the lowest powered and the most expensive. Bought the new 05 Escalade with touch screen nav & XM radio for nearly the price of the new 04 Escalde. Traded in an 02 Escalade with 43,000 mi. that served me well and so has the dealer. OnStasr also is a real plus for me on the Lades.

Yeah i agree Power and exterior styling go to the Escalade while better interior styling goes to the navigator.

btw does anyone know any good lincoln forums/message boards that are as good as this caddy board???
thanks

The Escalade is by far the better choice, its been proven in numerous comparisons. some reasons

1. it has the more powerful enigne
2. Rides and Handles better ( i have driven both)
3. Escalde is cheaper

Only thing the Navi has over the Escalade is the interior, obviously. Everything else is pretty much subjective styling wise

First of all the Navigator is cheaper, Navi starts 51,000, Lade starts 54,000. In my opinion I take Caddy, and not because I own one. I like their products, design, the V's, and when the new Escalade comes out its gonna have the best looking interior and exterior of any truck in its class!

Thats for sure... Im sure Ill pee my pants when the new Escalade comes out. Unfortunately it has also made me seriously put aside possibly purchasing an 03 Escalade I wanted right now in favor of the BMW 740i. I like my Avalanche alot, and the Escalade EXT would be the perfect balance of just enough luxury still with the utility of the Avalanche, but alas with the redesign coming Im not so sure I want to jump into one right now. That combined with the massive size of this thing (3 inches longer than a Suburban) and the terrible fuel economy is enough to sway me to the luxury sedan instead.

As you can see by my above post, the last year has changed my opinion on the Lincoln. YES it DOES have the nicer interior, but Ive decided that just doesnt make up for the rest of its faults. The door paint is cheap and peels off the handles like a 2.00 Hotwheel, its rattly, it feels big, its underpowered and its very noisy. It is unbecoming of a 52000.00 sport utility vehicle. That QX56 on the other hand...

I'm concerned about initial quality on the Infiniti QX56. I suppose they've resolved them by now, but early examples had a lot of problems with squeaks and rattles that you dont expect from a vehicle in its class.

Jesda. Do you think the quality of the QX56 has improved mid-year? It really is very nice to sit in. I've never test-driven one, though.. I've heard a lot of bad things about quality as well.. It's a damn nice-looking truck inside and out. It's a shame it's not built well...

Nissan-Renault's way of doing things now is to release a flashy car with initial quality problems, such as the fragile interiors and brittle plastics on the 2002 Altima, or the G35 that didnt come with a tranny dipstick (WTF!?!?). Then, a year later they spend even more money fixing what they tried to cut costs on to make their customers happy. Damn French. :) Also, some time late last year, Nissan sent dozens of Japanese managers over to the US to observe factories and improve quality.

I would say that a year later, the QX56 is fine, considering its currently high initial quality scores and an honest effort by Nissan at getting all the screws tight. Its biggest problem is that it doesnt fit in anywhere. The Lexus LX is the doctor's and accountant's SUV. The Navigator and Escalade are flashy displays of power and wealth. The H2 is for outdoors people. I'm not sure who the heck the QX is targetted at, and according to a friend of mine in the marketing profession, neither does Infiniti.

At least the old (overpriced Pathfinder!) QX4 was popular with suburbanites looking for a fancier nameplate. Since it was discontinued, the Acura MDX (overpriced Honda Pilot!) took its place.

Are there any reports of low initial quality scores from a year ago? I'd like to see how things improve over time...

Back on topic - after I've looked into both vehicles a lot lately, I'd choose the Navigator. In fact, I wouldn't even consider the Escalade. The interior is where my eyes spend more time and it's far more pleasing in the Navigator than the Escalade. And, the Escalade doesn't have ALL that much better of an exterior either.. So what am I doing? Waiting for the 2006 remodel of the Escalade.. It had better be nice...

Are there any reports of low initial quality scores from a year ago? I'd like to see how things improve over time...

I dont have any, just things I've heard from owners, dealers, and forums. My guess is that little annoyances in the new Pathfinder/QX are what brought Nissan and Infiniti down in JDP Initial Quality.

I like the Navigator too. Seems like the best choice if you want to look wealthy but dont want to look like a drug dealer. :)