The Sync multimedia integration system is newly standard on the 2009 Lincoln Navigator, as are a back-up camera and heated second-row seats. Also, the optional navigation system is now hard-drive-based and voice-activated, and the engine gains 10 horses and flex-fuel capability.

Is there still a market for 3-ton luxury SUVs riding on full-size-pickup platforms? Ford certainly hopes so, because the fate of the 2009 Lincoln Navigator hangs in the balance. A few short years ago, the Navigator was the automotive darling of hip-hop stars and professional athletes, blinging its way through an endless procession of MTV videos and red-carpet events. Today, it's under siege, as the spike in gas prices and subsequent economic downturn have conspired to threaten its very existence.