Lincoln Aviator: the luxury SUV that returned after fifteen years

The Lincoln Aviator is a mid-size, three-row luxury SUV sold by Lincoln, the Ford Motor Company luxury brand. Its first generation was built for the 2003–2005 model years as a rebadged version of the third-generation Ford Explorer; after a break from 2006 to 2020 the name returned on a new generation.

Lincoln Aviator at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article also stops at the 2018 unveiling of the second generation, so the 2020 car is described only in outline.

History of the Lincoln Aviator

The Aviator arrived for the 2003 model year as Lincoln’s mid-size alternative to the full-size Navigator. It was built alongside the Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer at St. Louis Assembly in Hazelwood, Missouri, and shared the body-on-frame Ford U1 platform and the 2,888 mm wheelbase of those two vehicles. Unlike them, it came only with three-row, six-passenger seating, with second-row bucket seats and a centre console offered as an option at no extra cost over the standard bench.

Under the bonnet the Aviator used the four-valve DOHC version of Ford’s 4.6-litre Modular V8 rather than the two-valve unit of the Explorer. The engine, shared with the Mustang Mach 1 and the Mercury Marauder, produced 302 hp and 407 N·m – two horsepower more than the 5.4-litre V8 of the Navigator, though with 55 lb·ft less torque. Rear-wheel drive was standard, all-wheel drive optional, and every car had a five-speed 5R55S automatic. Four-wheel independent suspension and a standard towing package on all-wheel-drive cars rounded off the chassis.

The body borrowed its structure, doors and roofline from the Explorer but took its face and tail from the second-generation Navigator: similar grilles, headlamps and running boards. Inside, the rectangular instrument panel echoed late-1960s Lincolns, with electroluminescent gauges, model-specific leather and American walnut trim on the doors and steering wheel. The range opened with Luxury and Premium trims; Premium became Ultimate for 2004, and for 2005 Luxury was the only trim, with the previous equipment available as separate options.

To mark the centenary of the Wright brothers’ flight and of Ford itself, Lincoln offered a Kitty Hawk limited edition in black only, with special badging, mink zebrano wood, a chrome grille, a rear spoiler and heated and cooled leather seats. The Aviator was well received but competed with the cheaper, larger Expedition, and Car and Driver blamed its price and missing features in a comparison test. The last car left St. Louis on 19 August 2005. Lincoln then renamed the planned two-row crossover the MKX, and the Aviator name stayed unused until a prototype was shown at the 2018 New York Auto Show ahead of the 2020 relaunch on the sixth-generation Explorer, this time with a plug-in hybrid variant.

Design and features

• Four-valve V8: the 302 hp DOHC Modular engine from the Mustang Mach 1 instead of the Explorer’s two-valve unit.
• Three rows as standard: six seats, with optional second-row buckets and a console.
• Navigator styling: the big SUV’s grille, lamps and running boards on a smaller body.
• Kitty Hawk edition: a black-only centenary model with special trim and badging.
• Second-generation hybrid: the 2020 car was the first Aviator offered as a plug-in hybrid.

Lincoln Aviator versions

• Luxury (2003–2004): the base trim, with the equipment list carried over as options in 2005.
• Premium (2003) and Ultimate (2004): the same upper trim under two names.
• Elite package (2005): bundled the former Premium and Ultimate equipment, including DVD navigation.
• Kitty Hawk Special Edition (2003): centenary model in black with unique wood and leather.
• Second generation (2020–): Ford Explorer U611-based SUV with a plug-in hybrid option.

The Aviator was the smaller brother of the Lincoln Navigator, and its cancelled second generation reappeared as the Lincoln MKX. More Lincolns are in the Lincoln collection.

Sources

• Lincoln Aviator, English Wikipedia: history, engines, trims, production