{"id":76231,"date":"2024-08-28T06:03:21","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T10:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=76231"},"modified":"2024-08-28T06:03:21","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T10:03:21","slug":"2025-lincoln-aviator-first-drive-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=76231","title":{"rendered":"2025 Lincoln Aviator First Drive: The class of the class"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Lincoln Aviator<\/a> was a real tentpole, flag-in-the-ground moment for Lincoln<\/a> five years ago<\/a>. Built on a completely new rear-drive-based platform that was actually tweaked for Lincoln\u2019s use, it drove like a top-tier luxury SUV and looked the part. Although it could\u2019ve been pitched as a value proposition, it was also a fully competitive answer to three-row luxury SUVs like the Acura MDX<\/a>, Volvo XC90<\/a> or Audi Q7<\/a> based on merit alone.<\/p>\n

Lincoln has since sat on its laurels, not altering much beyond axing the lovely but slow-selling<\/a> plug-in hybrid Grand Touring version<\/a>. Changes have finally arrived, however, as the 2025 Lincoln Aviator<\/a> is given a revamped interior, minor styling revisions and some tweaks to the driving experience.<\/p>\n

The new dash houses the 2025 Aviator<\/a>\u2019s biggest quality-of-life improvement with a new 13.2-inch touchscreen running the \u201cLincoln Digital Experience\u201d interface. This Android Automotive infotainment system lets you run Google Maps as the native navigation system, use the Google Assistant for voice control and download tons of different apps via the Google Play Store. You can ignore all that and use the wireless Apple CarPlay\/Android Auto screen mirroring if you prefer, but you might not want to.<\/p>\n

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Lincoln integrates the Google Maps view into the new 12.4-inch digital instrument panel beautifully, leaving you with a much better experience than if you just ran it through CarPlay. Logging into your music streaming app of choice in the infotainment is super easy, and controlling it via the Google Assistant makes music selection a seamless process. All of this goes down without any stuttering or awkward lag, which is impressive considering the smartphone-like animations and transitions.<\/p>\n

This upgrade to the Lincoln Digital Experience is extra-important for the Aviator, as it was previously rocking the Sync 3<\/a> infotainment system. Though functional, it was dated compared to even the Sync 4<\/a> interface that\u2019s been found in various Fords<\/a> for years now. The Aviator was one of the last holdouts and on the whole is better for it. Depending on your point of view, though, there may be a downside to this upgrade. The new screen and center stack eliminate most of the physical climate controls, relocating them to a permanently docked row at the bottom of the touchscreen. Lincoln at least retained the volume knob, but it\u2019s possible some will find this change frustrating.<\/p>\n

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The 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 that comes as the only engine option for the Aviator shouldn\u2019t cause any sort of consternation. It\u2019s the same engine as before, still making 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque. What is<\/em> different for 2025 is the 10-speed automatic transmission that\u2019s been recalibrated for smoothness. Lincoln isn\u2019t lying here, either. The 10-speed wasn\u2019t exactly a sore point previously, but the perceptible driver could certainly notice some less-than-silky shifts. You won\u2019t notice them at all for 2025, as the Aviator slinks through each gear with nary an interruption nor noticeable \u201cchange.\u201d It\u2019s just the way it should be for such a classy, peaceful luxury vehicle<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lincoln didn\u2019t mess with the Aviator\u2019s stellar ride, as the available air suspension and standard adaptive dampers do a bang-up job of keeping things comfy. It was one of the better-riding three-row crossovers<\/a> before, and it still is for 2025. That said, this also means it remains unexciting on a winding road. The BMW X7<\/a> and MDX<\/a> are far more engaging to drive when the road starts meandering, so don\u2019t think of the Aviator as a dual-threat for ride and handling capabilities.<\/p>\n

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On the plus side, all efforts are seemingly devoted to the Aviator keeping its occupants happy and relaxed. Its V6 rarely intrudes upon the cabin\u2019s serenity and only makes its presence known when you mat it to enjoy the 400 horses it has on offer. The big wheels and tires (our test car had the optional 22s) are mighty-quiet in all situations, and don\u2019t seem to bother the ride. An available 28-speaker Revel audio system creates quite the concert inside when you want it to. Plus, long highway stints can be low-effort affairs thanks to Blue Cruise<\/a> joining the party. It\u2019s standard for four years but will require a subscription thereafter. Functionally, it\u2019s the same as any other Ford or Lincoln with the latest software that allows for hands-free lane changes and in-lane repositioning to keep you away from vehicles in adjacent lanes \u2013 both features work as advertised<\/a>, though its overall competence in lane-following and feature set still lag behind GM\u2019s Super Cruise<\/a>.<\/p>\n

All these updates in the tech sphere make it easy to miss the refreshed front fascia that makes the \u201cLincoln Embrace\u201d its standout feature. A lovely welcome animation plays on both the front and rear lights when you unlock the car, and it does the same every time you lock it. This highlights the new headlights themselves that now stretch across to interrupt the larger grille. And while our test car wasn\u2019t finished in it, I can highly recommend opting for the Cenote Green (below, top row) shade of paint Lincoln showed off upon initially revealing this 2025 Aviator<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Black Label themes continue into 2025, and there\u2019s even a new one (above, bottom row) called \u201cInvitation\u201d for those who might not be into some of the rather out-there colors<\/a> we typically see in Black Label models. This one\u2019s a simple black with laser-etched Khaya wood trim as a slight contrast. Per usual with Black Labels, the ultra-rich materials and color scheme apply to every row of the vehicle. Second-row passengers will enjoy a slight tech upgrade in the form of a screen to control their climate and audio controls. Besides that, the Aviator carries over unchanged for third-row riders, which is to say space is adequate but nothing like the expanse you might enjoy in the larger Navigator<\/a> or extra-spacious crossover competitors like the Lexus TX<\/a> or Volvo XC90<\/a>.<\/p>\n

None of the appearance tweaks come close to the impact of the new tech suite in the 2025 Aviator, though. An infotainment system that can rival the very best that Audi<\/a>, BMW<\/a> and Mercedes<\/a> offer today makes this SUV even easier to recommend. It\u2019s a shame the plug-in is no longer an option, especially given today\u2019s increasingly hybrid-friendly market, but this V6 fits the car and its mission quite nicely.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The biggest qualm could easily be the jacked-up price, as the base model goes up by $5,155 to $59,890. There\u2019s a lot more standard equipment on offer than before, but even the Black Label is up by $7,770 to $88,390, and that version\u2019s always been a fully loaded offering. That leaves it with other great options like the Genesis GV80<\/a> and Volvo XC90<\/a> in the low-to-mid-tier trims. That means there\u2019s not the same value proposition to be made any more, but there\u2019s also nothing to take away from what a great SUV the Aviator was and continues to be as a beautiful example of American luxury.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Lincoln Aviator was a real tentpole, flag-in-the-ground moment for Lincoln five years ago. Built on a completely new rear-drive-based platform that was actually tweaked for Lincoln\u2019s use, it drove like a top-tier luxury SUV and looked the part. Although it could\u2019ve been pitched as a value proposition, it was also a fully competitive answer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":76232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76231\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/76232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}