Though humongous gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles are reviled in some quarters as inimical to environmental sustenance, they are revered in places like the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

The Outer Banks, which includes famed communities like Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills — the birthplace of fixed-wing aviation — is a destination vacation area, among many around the country.

It means that people who travel there for holiday sojourns in beach houses must schlep all their stuff with them, including pool toys, beach chairs and sun umbrellas. That's where big SUVs like the tested 2008 Lincoln Navigator come in.

When you have a load to carry or tow, with the possibility of driving on a soft, sandy beach for some surf fishing, nothing quite cuts it like a Navigator or others of its ilk. It doesn't make it any more eco-friendly; just more useful. As a result, you're not likely to see any big SUV with egg on its flanks at the Outer Banks.

The Navigator is among only a few full-size, truck-based luxury SUVs. Its most prominent competitors are the Cadillac Escalade and the GMC Yukon Denali, and, to a lesser extent, the Chrysler Aspen, Mercedes-Benz GL and Land Rover LR3.

Redesigned for the 2007 model year, the Navigator continues largely unchanged for 2008. The number of models has been reduced from four to two — one with rear-wheel drive and the other with a system that allows the driver to choose among rear drive, part-time four-wheel drive and full-time all-wheel drive.

The tested Navigator had the latter, with a suggested base sticker price of $51,555. Standard equipment included stability and traction control, antilock brakes, side air bags and side-curtain air bags, tire-pressure monitoring, leather upholstery, automatic climate control, power tailgate, power folding third-row seats, six-disc CD changer, power adjustable pedals, motorized sunroof, reverse warning system, remote locking and a trailer hitch. The Navigator can tow up to 8,800 pounds.

In addition, the test vehicle had a premium package that included a navigation system, rear-seat DVD entertainment system, Sirius satellite radio and power running boards that deploy automatically.

The last is a real convenience in a big SUV like the Navigator. When you open a door, the running board drops down and, when the door is closed, it retracts into the rocker panel. With all that, and chrome alloy wheels, the tested Navigator had a bottom-line sticker price of $58,420.

Compared to the original, the second-generation Navigator has more formal styling, sort of like a tuxedo versus a sport coat and chinos, although the big, new grille exudes a hint of excessive bling.

Because it's a luxury SUV, the Navigator wastes some of its utility. The second-row seats, for example, are divided by a console with a giant bin that could just as well have been an additional seat.

As it is, however, there is seating for seven. The third row can accommodate three adults, and getting back there is not too difficult, thanks to the fact that the second-row seat can be flipped forward with one hand.

Cargo space behind the third row is a modest 18 cubic feet. (If you need more, order the stretched Navigator L). But it expands to a maximum of 103 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded.

That happens easily. The third row seats fold with the touch of a button, and the second row drops with minimal effort. Access to the cargo area is enhanced by the power tailgate, which also has window glass that opens separately.

On the road, the Navigator mimics its Lincoln sibling. Call it the Town Car of big SUVs. With its traditional body-on-frame construction, the passenger compartment is effectively isolated from outside noises so the passengers ride in mausoleum-like silence.

Lincoln's engineers also have done a fine job in tuning the suspension for a comfortable ride. Combine that with the quiet interior and some of the best seats in the business and you have a prescription for fatigue-free all-day motoring.

It's best, of course, if the travel is mostly in a straight line. At nearly 17.5 feet long, the Navigator is a ponderous beast on curvy roads, although it has a fairly tight turning circle for maneuvering in tight quarters.

The 5.4-liter V8 engine quietly serves up 300 horsepower through a slick-shifting six-speed automatic transmission. But the Navigator weighs more than three tons, so the fuel economy is dismal, just 11/16 miles to the gallon on the EPA's city/highway cycle.

Visibility from the driver's seat is good all around, enhanced by rear headrests that flip down with the pull of a strap. But there's no way to see immediately behind the tailgate, and there's no rear-view camera.

The visibility, however, does not extend to reading the instruments, which have skinny, white-on-black sans-serif markings housed in a dark pod, making them difficult to read, especially for the older drivers who are likely Navigator customers. Bright daytime lighting would help.

On the other hand, the touch screen for navigation and radio is bright, visible and intuitively easy to use.

2008 Lincoln Navigator

Body: Four-door sport utility vehicle.

Engine: 5.4-liter V8, 300 horsepower.

Transmission: Six-speed automatic.

Overall length: 17 feet 5 inches.

EPA passenger/cargo volume: 157/18 cubic feet.

Weight: 6,075 pounds.

Payload: 1,725 pounds.

Towing capability: 8,800 pounds.

EPA city/highway fuel consumption: 11/16 miles per gallon.

Base price, including destination charge: $51,555.

Base dealer cost: $47,604.

Price as tested: $58,420.