CARLSBAD, California — On April 14, San Diego County experienced an earthquake that made national news. It registered 5.2 on the Richter scale. Residents recounted hearing a rumble as loud as a freight train. Floors rattled. Vases fell off tables.

Riding on top of the smooth, adaptive suspension inside the whisper-quiet, three-row Lincoln Navigator, I didn’t feel a thing.

New for 2025, the Navigator land yacht isn’t so much a vehicle as it is a rolling sanctuary. Like a basement entertainment room, it comes with multi-way lounge chairs, wood accents, 48-inch jumbotron screen and remote voice control. Heck, in San Diego, developers may want to start building homes to Lincoln spec.

Navigator drivers don’t even have to drive.

On Interstate 5, I selected Blue Cruise hands-free drive assist, and Navigator ... navigated itself. I settled back into my 24-way La-Z-Boy-like seat, adjusted the headrest and spoke to the Google Built-in assistant:

Hey, Google, tune to Sirius XM Comedy Greats Channel.

A favorite Brian Regan bit popped up on the jumbotron, lighting the cabin with laughter. I selected Mystic Forest from the smaller control screen (one of three odors on offer) and its subtle scent filled the cabin.

Hey, Google, order a Shake Shack burger. With fries, please?

Just kidding, Navigator can’t accept food deliveries. Yet.

Since it inaugurated the super-sized, three-row, truck-based SUV segment in 1998, Navigator has been the patriarch of the Lincoln brand. It’s weathered market storms like $4 gas prices, “What Would Jesus Drive?” activism and government electric-vehicle mandates.

Now it leads a transformed Lincoln family of four SUVs into the high-tech, digital age. Its $100,000 price tag is as exclusive as a six-figure, three-row Tesla Model X — but, like Model X and its entry-level $40K Model 3 sibling, Navigator promises a unique brand experience that should trickle down into every Lincoln, including the entry-level $40K Corsair. On sale now, the Navigator and two-row, midsize Nautilus are the first family members to share the Lincoln Digital Experience.

Like Tesla, the experience centers around a screen, steering wheel and simplified interior.

Elon Musk’s brand reimagined the automotive interior with its Apple phone-simple layout and big center screen. Lincoln has done the same while maintaining lush leather, wood and stitched materials synonymous with the brand. Black Label trims turn up the decadence — for example, the Atmospheric theme wows with quilted seats, ash wood, and copper accents echoed in its 24-inch wheels.

The sleek cabin is uncluttered by door-mounted seat controls or climate knobs. These features have been moved on to the console controller screen and steering wheel. Like a Tesla, the ergonomics take a moment to learn (and drive some traditionalists mad), but the reward is one of the coolest interiors in autodom.

While the A-pillar to A-pillar screen is the focus, the steering wheel is a work of art. Lincoln took a page from Corvette’s book by designing a square wheel so the driver can better see the horizontal screen. The two-spoke steering wheel is clean and deceptively simple.

I moved my thumb over the left spoke touchpad and avatars illuminated on the jumbotron to adjust Blue Cruise speed, radar distance. On the right spoke touchpad, my right thumb adjusted mirrors, steering wheel, even pedals. Like a Tesla.

Why the Tesla obsession? The digital generation has made the Model Y SUV and 3 sedan the nation's No. 3 and No. 12 best-selling, respectively, non-pickup vehicles. After a year in the market, the redesigned Nautilus' buyers are already trending eight years younger. Want traditional ergonomics with a dash jumbotron? Buy a Cadillac Escalade.

Lincolns are now vehicles that symbolize 21st-century tech — not just a 19th century president. The Navigator console screen even comes with tutorial videos to walk you through the tech toys — even simulating while parked what it’s like to drive Blue Cruise.

What is not Tesla-like is Navigator’s drivetrain. Family-focused Lincolns are gas-powered, and that’s a good thing.

I never sweated range anxiety during my day across southern California. The mega-ute uses the same twin-turbo V-6 drivetrain as its Ford F-150 pickup cousin, and its 510 pound-feet of torque and 519 miles of range are plenty capable.

When I wasn’t being chauffeured around on Blue Cruise, I dipped into Navigator’s library of drive modes (ECO, SLIPPERY, SPORT, SAND, EARTHQUAKE — kidding about that last one) and selected SPORT, which tightened the suspension and lowered the V-6’s mighty voice.

GROWWWWWL! went the four pipes out back, and the land yacht made waves. The coddled second and third-row passengers may protest, however.

The rear-seat spaces are as comfortable as the front and therein lies the appeal of the Navigator (and Cadillac Escalade and Jeep Grand Wagoneer) over all other luxury chariots in the six-figure space.

I got back!

If I were a kid on a family trip, I’d call dibs on the third-row bench seat. Let my other sibling(s) have the second-row captain’s chairs.

It is palatial back here. I rode for hours in the back bedroom — er, row — and had everything I needed.

Legroom for my 6-foot-5-inch legs? Check.

Reclining seats? Check.

Seat heater? Check.

Room to lie down and take a nap? Check.

USB-C ports? Check, two on each side.

Cupholders? Check, two on each side.

Burger and french-fry holder? Check, dish on both sides.

Panoramic roof? Check, standard on all Navigators bringing the sunshine in.

Middle armrest? Check.

Coat hook? Check, four of them: two on each side and two in the back of the second-row seats.

Wait, what? Coat hook, Payne?

I told you this is a rolling domicile. The third row even has access to the rear cargo area’s 110-volt outlet so I could plug in my laptop. Eat your heart out, second row.

The cargo hold bears more goodies like a split tailgate (complete with seatback) so that Mrs. Payne and I could sit in back and watch, say, a school soccer game (the tailgate holds up to 500 pounds). A spare tire is underneath and more cargo room is available with the long wheelbase model.

I arrived in the small town of Julian in the Cuyamaca Mountains where the epicenter of the earthquake had been earlier in the day. TV news crews were crawling all over town quizzing residents about their shaky morning. The hill town is also epicenter to the world’s best apple pie maker: Julian Pie Company.

I ordered a warm slice and devoured it on the spot. Or I could have dined while driving hands-free back to San Diego. Hey, Google, play “American Pie” by Don McLean.

2025 Lincoln Navigator

Vehicle type: All-wheel drive, four-door, seven- or eight-passenger SUV

Price: $101,990, including $1,995 destination charge ($108,355 Reserve as tested)

Powerplant: 3.5-liter turbocharged V-6

Power: 440 horsepower, 510 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.3 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 2,000 pounds

Weight: 5,929 pounds (standard length model as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA 15 mpg city/22 highway/17 combined (AWD)

Report card

Highs: Tech-tastic interior; comfort in all three rows

Lows: Touch controls take getting used to; priced for the few

Overall: 4 stars

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