New, classy Aviator ushers in Lincoln’s SUV-centric future
What is it?: One seriously hightech and surprisingly powerful SUV from a somewhat unlikely source. Why is it important?: The Aviator is important because Lincoln may soon, like parent company Ford, be out of the sedan business. Indeed, since it doesn’t sell pickups, Lincoln may soon be offering only SUVs in its dealerships. If one is going to be a onetrick pony, then it behooves one to be a seriously talented pony. Every indication is that the new Aviator will indeed deliver the goods. There’s nothing outrageous about its design. It is, after all, a mid-size SUV with pretensions to three rows of minivan-dom. But there are plenty of standout features that show Lincoln is upping its game. Lincoln’s Adaptive Suspension with Road Preview, for instance, uses a forward-facing camera to constantly scan the road and adjust the suspension accordingly. In the powertrain department, the standard 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V-6 is good for 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. The Aviator Grand Touring, meanwhile, takes that same powerhouse and mates it to an advanced electrified powertrain to create a 450-hp hybrid. Throw in high-tech features such as Phone as a Key, Lincoln’s Co-Pilot 360 suite of safety features, and an available 28-speaker Revel Ultima audio system, and you have a fair rendition of a mid-size luxury SUV. When is it coming?: The basic, gas-fed Aviator should arrive in dealerships in the summer of 2019, followed by the hybrid Grand Touring version a couple of months later. Should you buy it?: A few years ago, the answer would have been a firm no. But, with the addition of the latest Navigator to its lineup, Lincoln has proven itself capable of making SUVs that luxury intenders covet. And on initial inspection at least, it appears the Aviator is a worthy followup.