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Lincoln Aviator

Automotive industry	Lincoln
Parent company	Ford Motor Company
Production	2003–2005
Assembly	Hazelwood, Missouri, USA
Successor	Lincoln MKX
Car classification	Mid-size Sport utility vehicle
Car body style	4-door SUV
Automobile layout	Front-engine design, Rear-wheel drive / Four-wheel drive
Automobile platform	Ford U platform
Internal combustion engine	4.6 L DOHC Modular V8
Transmission (mechanics)	5-speed Automatic transmission
Wheelbase	113.7 in (2888 mm)
Length	193.3 in (4910 mm)
Width	73.9 in (1877 mm)
Height	71.9 in (1826 mm)
Fuel capacity	22.5 US gallons (85.2 L; 18.7 imp gal)
Related	Ford Explorer Ford Explorer Sport Trac Land Rover Discovery Land Rover LR3 Mercury Mountaineer

The Lincoln Aviator was a Mid-size Sport utility vehicle (SUV) produced by the Ford Motor Company's Lincoln luxury division. It was introduced in 2003, and production ended in 2005. The Aviator was built exclusively at Ford's St. Louis Assembly plant in Hazelwood, Missouri, Missouri. Its competitors included the Cadillac SRX, Lexus GX (launched at the same time as the Aviator), and Infiniti FX.

Prices for the Aviator ranged from United States dollar39,940 for the base Rear wheel drive model to US$ 42,890 for the Four-wheel drive model. It was available only with a 4.6 L DOHC V8, 302 hp (225 kW) gasoline engine.

Lincoln played up the similarity to the Navigator with magazine ads that read, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Especially when it's yourself you're imitating." The Aviator seemed to have been met with relatively positive press coverage.^[1]

While the Aviator's styling borrowed cues from its big brother, the Navigator, it didn't look much different from the very widespread Ford Explorer that it was based on. Also working against the Aviator was that it was priced similar to the larger and relatively popular Ford Expedition. (The Navigator, based on and priced above the Expedition, was priced similarly to the Ford Excursion, but the Excursion was rare so the comparison did work not against the Navigator, whereas the Aviator was frequently compared to the Expedition and Explorer.) Indeed, Car and Driver magazine 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 held it out of contention for the top spots.^[2]

Despite the initial praise, the Aviator was a poor seller for Lincoln—with many hypothesizing that its all-too-familiar looks were to blame—and was quickly discontinued in August 2005. Originally, the Aviator was supposed to be on hiatus for the 2006 Model year and reappear based on the CD3 platform the next year. However, Ford scrapped the Aviator name, and the car has been replaced by the Lincoln MKX mid-size Crossover SUV, which was unveiled at the 2006 North American International Auto Show and went on sale in December 2006 as a 2007 model. Even though the Aviator only had a V8 engine, the MKX only has a V6, and the MKX doesn't properly replace the Aviator. Some^[who?] argue that the Ford Flex-based Lincoln MKT is the proper Aviator replacement.

v • Lincoln vehicles • e Lincoln, a Luxury vehicle division of Ford Motor Company – road car timeline, 1970s–present
Type	1970s										1980s										1990s										2000s
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Personal luxury car	Mark III		Mark IV					Mark V			Lincoln Continental Mark VI				Mark VII									Mark VIII
Mid-size car								Versailles																							LS
																																					Zephyr/MKZ
Full-size car													Continental						Continental							Continental			Continental											MKS
	Continental					Continental					Continental		Town Car								Town Car								Town Car
Sport utility vehicle																																		Aviator
																													Navigator					Navigator				Navigator
Crossover SUV																																						MKX
Pickup truck																																	Black­wood				Mark LT

References