Here’s something we don’t see every day. Not drag racing of course – we see that pretty much all the time. Rather, we don’t typically see a vehicle from Lincoln engaged in such activity, especially something as sizable as the Navigator. In stock trim it doesn’t set the asphalt ablaze, but this nearly three-ton SUV is among the plethora of vehicles that garner attention at Hennessey Performance.
In case you forgot about it, Hennessey offers up a new drag race video as a reminder of what some EcoBoost tweaking can do for the full-size luxury machine. This is the HPE600 Navigator, fitted with upgrades available for 2018-2021 models. The engine is Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 which already offers 450 horsepower (335 kilowatts) in stock trim. That sounds impressive until you remember this is a 6,000-pound monster, so Hennessey upgrades the intake and intercooler, bolts up a new exhaust, and plugs in an engine tune which ups the ante to 600 hp (447 kW).
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To make that live for you, Hennessey brought out a stock 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe High Country model. Its 6.2-liter V8 makes 420 hp (313 kW) and with similar mass to carry, it’s decidedly outgunned in this matchup. Why not line up the hot rod Lincoln with a modified Tahoe? Computer systems in vehicles under the General Motors umbrella have become increasingly difficult for aftermarket companies to crack, and as the video points out, the new Tahoe simply isn’t tunable at this time.
Frankly, it’s a good plug for Hennessey’s tweaked Navigator and a wake-up call to GM for buyers who want something more than what the factory offers. Without the capability to tweak and tune, the Tahoe isn’t merely beaten in this drag race but humiliated by bus lengths. Even with a starting line advantage on the second run, the big Chevy is no match for the Lincoln and its Hennessey upgrades. We doubt there are droves of customers craving a new full-size Chevy SUV (or a GMC Yukon / Cadillac Escalade) with bonkers power. But for those that do, the only new option is a Lincoln.
Your move, GM.