Lincoln Aviator: История и Современность Американского SUV

Mid size SUV

The Lincoln Aviator is a mid size, three row luxury SUV manufactured and marketed under the Lincoln brand of Ford Motor Company — and now in its second generation, with a hiatus from 2006 to 2020. The first generation Aviator was manufactured for 2003–2005 model years as a rebadged variant of the third generation Ford Explorer — and assembled at the now closed St. Louis Assembly in Hazelwood, Missouri, alongside the Explorer and Mountaineer. For the 2020 model year, Lincoln reintroduced the Aviator as a badge engineered variant of the sixth generation Ford Explorer

Lincoln played up the similarity to the Navigator full size SUV with magazine ads that read, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Especially when it's yourself you're imitating." The Aviator was met with relatively positive press coverage. While the Aviator's styling borrowed cues from its big brother, the Navigator, it also looked similar to the very widespread Explorer with which it shared the platform. Also working against the Aviator was the fact that it was priced similar to the larger and relatively popular Expedition. Car and Driver said in a comparison test, in which the Aviator tied for fifth place, that only the car's high price and lack of certain features and no low range with the 4WD model held it out of contention for the top spots.

The first generation Lincoln Aviator was discontinued after the 2005 model year, with the final vehicle produced by St. Louis Assembly on August 19, 2005. At the 2004 Detroit Auto Show, Lincoln previewed an intended second generation. In a break from the Explorer/Mountaineer, the model line was shifting its design from a three row SUV to a two row crossover SUV, becoming a Lincoln counterpart of the Ford Edge CUV. The second generation Aviator was released as an early 2007 vehicle. IN 2007, Lincoln rebranded its model line, adopting an "MK" model across its lineup, with the exception of the Navigator and the Town Car. The Aviator nameplate was dropped, becoming the Lincoln MKX (X= crossover); based on the Ford CD3 platform, the production MKX served as a counterpart of the Ford Edge.

At the 2018 New York Auto Show, Lincoln unveiled a prototype version of its planned second generation Aviator, scheduled to enter production in 2019. A more detailed production was later introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 28, 2018. Lincoln confirmed that the Aviator would go on sale in the summer of 2019 as a 2020 model in North America and China afterward. With and of torque and all of the power and torque coming from a 3.0 liter twin turbocharged V6 with a hybrid system, the Aviator Hybrid's output makes it on par with likes of other midsized performance SUVs such as the BMW X5 xDrive 50i ( and ), and the Porsche Cayenne E Hybrid ( and ).

The 2018 Aviator prototype marked the debut of an all new vehicle platform for Ford Motor Company; while the vehicle is RWD, the architecture is designed for multiple powertrain layouts, including all wheel drive (AWD) and front wheel drive (FWD). A number of safety technology features were included, with Lincoln CoPilot360 packaging automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, a blind spot information system with cross traffic alert, lane keeping system, lane centering, reverse camera, and auto high beams. Reverse Brake Assist applies the brakes if the vehicle detects an object when the transmission is in reverse.

The facelifted Aviator was revealed on February 5, 2024, for the 2025 model year. It features a redesigned front fascia, refreshed interior and redesigned headlights. The PHEV Grand Touring trim was discontinued for 2025.