Lincoln basically won last year’s New York auto show when it rolled the surprisingly seductive Continental concept onstage, a move that signaled the dormant American luxury-car brand might have awoken from its product slumber. Now this year Lincoln is again making big news in the Big Apple with an even bigger vehicle: the Navigator concept.

Applying Lincoln’s new form vocabulary to the model said to wear its most recognizable nameplate, the Navigator concept is an enormous and surprisingly lovely thing. Don’t be seduced by the huge gullwing doors and wood-paneled “concertina” staircase—those are strictly conceptual touches, devised to provide a good view of its interior, according to Lincoln—but spend some time checking out the details, including its elegant headlamps, slim horizontal tailpipes, wide lower air intakes, cantilevered rear air deflector, and straked hood gently dropping down to the signature Lincoln grille. The turbofan-style wheels lay it on a little thick, but for the most part, this is as elegant a form as we can imagine for any full-size, three-row SUV.

As with the Continental concept, this Navigator already has critics calling its originality into question, particularly with respect to its slab-sided Range Rover–esque proportions and blackout C- and D-pillars, as well as its Aston Martin–like fender garnishes. Accusations of copycat design work have never seemed to cause Ford or Lincoln much concern, though. Based on how closely the production Continental hews to the lines of its concept forebear, we don’t expect Lincoln to make substantial changes to the production Navigator that will appear in 2017. Adding B-pillars and using four conventional doors seem obvious necessities, of course, but the basic shape should survive. And we have confirmed that the production model will indeed be called “Navigator” and not something like “MKN.” Whew.

The Navigator concept matches its Continental forebear in boasting a richly dressed interior. Lincoln claims the teak- and chrome-trimmed cabin is roomier than that of the current Navigator or any Navigator before it. Seats for six (in a space where others would squeeze seven or eight occupants) sprawl over three rows, each containing two 30-way-adjustable pillow-top seats. Tunes come courtesy of the latest Revel audio system. Headrest monitors provide access to the vehicle’s Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing the sharing of music and other files among whatever devices are brought onboard. The cargo area features a trick custom wardrobe-management system to holds the day’s gear, something we envision being offered as an option. We don’t yet know exactly which of the specific interior trimmings—including the stand-up infotainment screen, two-spoke steering wheel, and glassy center consoles—will reach production, but at least some of it will make the transition.

Lincoln was not willing to confirm whether the Navigator would remain a body-on-frame vehicle or adopt more modern unibody construction. Officials did state that power comes from a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 producing more than 400 horsepower, which represents a slight bump in output from the 380-hp version of the same engine in today’s Navigator. The concept also features a pre-collision braking system with pedestrian recognition, a parking assistance system, and lane-keeping assist with “mild steering input.”

Lincoln is at a crucial juncture, and it’s unclear how the brand will evolve. Its “Quiet Luxury” mantra is not the sort of message that can be trumpeted, and there’s only so much good that a pensive Matthew McConaughey can do for the brand by staring down a bull on a deserted highway in the brand’s commercials. Indeed, Lincoln will have to rely on the strength and relevance of its next-generation products if it is to regain consideration among its target audience, and the models with great name recognition (what’s an MKT again?) must lead the charge. If the production Navigator hews closely to this concept, then perhaps there’s hope.

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