Hey all,

Lincoln has done it again! It is now "upgrading" the Ford Explorer to become the Lincoln Aviator...as if Mercury Mountaineer is not enough. (This begs the question, "who would buy the Mountaineer??" Mercury is ALREADY not doing too well. Strange logic by Ford.)

Aviator will have similar interior trim as the big Lincoln Navigator (faux brushed aluminum trim) along with similar exterior styling. It will have the Mercury Marauder's 4.6 L engine (302 horsepower and 300 pounds-feet of torque and drives a five-speed-automatic transmission). Unfortunately, this engine is a car engine, with peak torque above 4000 RPM. From reading a few previews, a few authors have mentioned it's lack of low-end power during acceleration. (The same can be said about the Mercury Marauder too.)

Other highlights: HIDs and stability control (with roll-over sensors). Unfortunately, there will be NO low-range, just AWD mode.

Here is the link to more info:

http://www.cars.com/carsapp/nationa...ln/aviator.tmpl

Hey all,

Here is official information from Lincoln.com:

http://www.lincolnvehicles.com/CRM....iator_Home&f=01

Hey all,

Here is more information on the Aviator:

http://media.ford.com/products/pres...=421&make_id=93

Compared with its competition, the new Aviator has several distinct advantages:

- Front-seat headroom and legroom are best in class, and no other mid-size luxury SUV offers a choice of bucket or bench seats in the second row.
- Aviator

Link:

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/ly/03aviator.htm

First Drive:
2003 Lincoln Aviator
by Laurance Yap

Hot Springs, Virginia - Despite what it says on that shiny new wrapper, there's no way you're going to be flying a Lincoln Aviator anytime soon.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. SUVs, after all, due to their height and high centres of gravity, are more prone to airborne antics after wheel-droppings and steering overcorrections, so that the Aviator isn't a flyer comes as good news. Its wide stance and chunky 17-inch wheels make the Aviator feel stable, planted, and confident in the turns, despite its traditionally sturdy ladder-on-frame construction.

In fact, thanks to a four-wheel independent suspension, the Aviator feels positively car-like. It's been tuned more for ride comfort than pure handling--that's as the way it should be for a family-friendly SUV--but the steering responds faithfully and linearly to every input, the brakes are alert with strong stopping power and little nosedive, and body roll (and the resultant head-tossing motion common in tall vehicles) is very well controlled. On some of Virginia's most sinuous back roads, the Aviator was a cinch to drive, despite its size; for a midsize SUV this is about as enjoyable as it gets.

Despite 302 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque, the Aviator's not really going to fly down the road, either. Sure, there's snap-to-it response to the gas pedal from the gutsy V8, but given it's tugging around more than 4000 pounds, the modular engine still struggles on steep uphill grades; it doesn't make much noise, but what noise it does make has a gruff, kind of truckish edge to it. Nevertheless, its deep-chested, lazy-revving character makes for energetic stoplight takeoffs, and lots of low-down torque means you never have to reach into higher revs to make adequate progress. The five-speed automatic is a gem, with quick and smooth shifts under any condition; towing capability is best-in-class, at 7500 lbs.

One major advantage that Aviator holds over the Explorer on which it is very loosely based is a more sophisticated all-wheel-drive system. There is no low range (you wouldn't take this Lincoln that far off-road anyway, would you?) but nor is there any button to push or knob to twist to engage full traction; it's there pretty much all the time, and power--under normal conditions split 30/70 for a distinct rear-drive feel--is diverted to the wheels that could use it most automatically, without any intervention.

Driving details aside, what makes Aviator an exceptionally well-resolved, and beautifully-refined, conveyance, is its sumptuous cabin appointments. It partly comes from being designed from inside out; the exterior styling is conservative--timeless, you could suggest, thanks to some nice details like the lights and wheels--but the boxy body has liberated a lot of interior space, enough for what is the most useful third-row seat in the class; it's not roomy, really, but is at least habitable for short trips.

The interior is packed with thoughtful features, like multiple storage bins, sunglass holders, and other places to lose your stuff. The seats are big, plush, and comfortable over long distances. There's an optional DVD system to keep rear-seat passengers entertained (too bad it doesn't have the LS' THX-certified audio system), an in-dash 6-CD changer, and the front seats are ventilated as well as heated. Power assists for everything are, of course, standard.

Cabin quality and design is simply among the best in the business--as nice as a Navigator, at 7/8ths scale. The leather is rich, the dash has a fine grain that would do a BMW proud, and the big "T" of silver plastic that divides the symmetrical dashboard (a throwback to the design-icon Continentals of years past) looks fantastic. Too bad this, and the rest of the metal-painted surfaces aren't really metal, but they do elevate the cabin's ambiance way above the class norm. Which makes it all the more irritating that some cheap touches undermine the whole thing--power adjustment only for the bottom cushion of the seat, for example, or a mirror adjuster ripped off a Focus and painted silver to match the rest of the insides.

Aviator's wide stance (true, this is partly illusory, as an Acura MDX is nearly four inches wider) makes for an elbow-friendly cabin; the seats and scooped-out door panels, along with generous head- and leg-room in the first two rows mean you're never lacking for space. Nor airiness: not only is the tall cabin glazed with vast quantities of safety glass, and the interior finishes are light and bright. The rear windows go all the way down, too.

One thing about that name: if perhaps "Aviator" isn't the best moniker for this vehicle given its relaxed, road-tripping luxury mission, it may hit just the right metaphorical tone for the way this thing will depart showroom floors. Aviator is a near-perfect luxury SUV compromise, with impressive room, excellent feature content. It also looks, even from close up, exactly like a much more expensive Navigator--whose massive size and fuel consumption exclude it from consideration for many people who might otherwise consider a Lincoln SUV.

Next of (Lin)Kin
By Ed Hellwig

When Lincoln rolled out the Navigator in 1998 it was met with more than a few snickers and furrowed brows. Sure, some of its famed Continentals were big enough to qualify for their own ZIP codes, but a full-size Lincoln truck?

Traditionalists' fears of brand dissipation and public ridicule were quickly set aside when the Navigator began racking up huge sales numbers right out of the gate. Everyone from corporate executives to professional athletes flocked to the big Lincoln, attracted by its endless amenities and commanding presence. Its popularity was so strong that even Cadillac was forced into building a full-size luxury sport-ute of its own.

With the Navigator firmly entrenched in the luxury sport-utility scene (a redesigned version debuted for 2003), Lincoln decided to expand the franchise. This time, however, it would be a smaller, more agile and less expensive sport-ute

2003 Lincoln Aviator

A not-so-baby Navigator with no apologies.
by Bob Hall 10/21/2002

HOT SPRINGS, Va.

Aviator a beauty to drive, but not to behold

HOT SPRINGS, Va.

Agile Aviator is all Lincoln in looks, price

BY JIM MATEJA
CHICAGO TRIBUNE (KRT)

CHICAGO -- A colleague spotted the sport-utility vehicle in the parking lot and asked:

"How do you like the Lincoln Navigator?"

If the folks from Ford Motor Co.'s luxury Lincoln division could have heard her question, they probably would have shed tears of joy, because it wasn't a Navigator, it was the new 2003 Lincoln Aviator.

What was expected to be no more than a dolled-up derivative of the midsize Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer sport-utility vehicles comes across as a dolled-up full-size Lincoln Navigator, in slightly more economical size.

"It's a seven-eighths scale model of the Navigator and shares its DNA," said Mark Politte, Aviator marketing manager.

And it comes assembled.

Aviator shares the big, bold, thickly chrome-accented grille, quad headlamps and rounded fog lamps outside and the yards of leather and pounds of burl walnut and satin nickel trim inside Navigator.

Credit the designers for not allowing it to look like a dolled-up Explorer or Mountaineer, the midsize SUVs with which it shares platforms.

But, while it shares the Navigator look, it also comes close to sharing the window sticker.

Aviator comes in base Luxury and top-of-the-line Premium versions with a choice of two-wheel- or all-wheel-drive. We tested Aviator with AWD in Premium garb, and the sticker read $45,125 before options. A base model 4WD Navigator starts at $51,500.

Why $45,000 and how long before it reaches $50,000?

Of course, why one more luxury Lincoln SUV?

"It's an alternative for those intimidated by Navigator size and the perception you have to put up with tough driving dynamics in a large SUV. The smaller Aviator will be perceived as more athletic and easier to maneuver and park," Politte said.

Not just a perception. Aviator's gas shock suspension is tuned to deliver the ride and handling of the Lincoln LS sedan and complemented with 17-inch performance radial tires. The ride is firmer but the handling more precise than in the bigger Navigator, which cushions you more in up-and-down movement, but thus tends to lean more in corners and turns.

Navigator is get in and relax, Aviator is get in and run, a more nimble, agile performer that happens to be a sport-utility vehicle.

In December Aviator will be an even better performer when Advance Trak becomes available as an option. That's a traction/stability control system with yaw sensors to control lateral movement and counter understeer or oversteer problems.

Aviator is targeted at a mid-40s audience attuned to performance driving, and Navigator is geared toward those in their early 50s concerned more with lap-of-luxury cruising. This is why Aviator comes with a 4.6-liter, 302-horsepower V-8 and Navigator a 5.4-liter, 300-h.p. V-8.

Though Aviator and Navigator look alike, the engines are another reason they don't act alike. Aviator's 4.6-liter delivers 300 foot-pounds of torque, 90 percent of it at only 2,000 r.p.m. for rapid off-the-line launch, and Navigator's 5.4-liter delivers 355 foot-pounds of torque for heavy-duty hauling and towing.

Luxury and Premium editions are 4 inches longer and 4 inches wider than Explorer/Mountaineer. Premium also has a little more equipment -- high-intensity discharge headlamps, automatic climate control, a premium audio system with six-disc in-dash changer and alloy wheels.

And heated and cooled seats with a choice of warm or cool air filtering through the perforated leather to serve you winter or summer.

Not offered, however, are two of the main attractions on the Navigator, power running boards that slide out for easy entry when you open the door and retract when you close the door, and a power third-row seat that lowers into the floor and rises at the touch of a button.

Of course, imagine the sticker if those were available!

Like Navigator, Aviator has a third seat, but with a manual release handle rather than a power button. Second-row seat backs also fold down to hold more cargo, but when folded, there's a gap between the second and third row that items can slip into.

A platform on the back of the third-row seat slides forward to close the gap, but falls a tad short when you opt for second-row bucket seats with a huge console between, rather than the no-added-cost bench seat without the protruding console.

While second- and third-row seat backs fold, the third-row backs don't lie flat unless you remove the seat cushion. To do so you have to pull floor levers on each side -- and then find a place to store the cushion. A lot of busywork to get the floor flat.

Head and arm room is spacious in the third seat, but your legs can't wander far. And that seat bottom cushion is very thin to make it light enough to remove when creating the flat cargo floor.

As for safety items, Aviator comes with dual-stage front bags with sensors to determine how close occupants are, how much they weigh and whether they are belted or not to gauge proper inflation speed.

There's also side air-bag curtains for front- and rear-seat occupants with sensors to keep the curtains inflated longer in a rollover. The curtains also cover the side windows to prevent occupant ejection. And four-wheel anti-lock brakes are standard.

Neat features include storage compartments built into the front door bottoms and armrests; power adjustable pedals to compensate for different driver heights; plastic lower body/wheel well cladding to prevent parking lot and roadway debris dings; a keyless entry-coded keypad on the door, a demand from golfers who don't want to carry keys on the course; and reverse sensing aid, sonar sensors in the rear bumper that sound an alert when someone or something is behind when backing up.

A must-have feature for those with kids is the $1,295 DVD entertainment system with 7-inch-wide screen that lowers from the roof for watching movies or playing games to keep the little ones content on long trips. The system also comes with headsets and a roof-mounted case to store DVDs.

Besides Advance Trak, the navigation system from the Lincoln LS will be added as an option on Aviator, along with an optional tire-pressure monitoring system, in December.

A couple of gripes: The outside mirrors have a vertical design so they don't offer the side vision of wider, horizontal mirrors.

And for some reason, the AWD Aviator carries no badge identifying that all-season driving feature. Maybe not a big point when Aviator is new and the window sticker proves this is an AWD version, but cause for concern when used and you need to ensure you are getting AWD. Simply look under the vehicle to see the AWD hardware for yourself? Most consumers can't ID a spark plug, much less a drive shaft.

Politte expects sales of 35,000 Aviators annually. And because 60 percent of Navigator buyers are new to the Lincoln brand, he estimates 70 percent of the buyers for the smaller, lower-priced Aviator will be new to Lincoln.

2003 Lincoln Aviator Premium AWD Wheelbase: 113.7 inches

Length: 193.3 inches

Engine: 4.6-liter, 302-h.p., 32-valve V-8

Transmission: 5-speed automatic

Fuel economy: 13 m.p.g. city/18 m.p.g. highway

Base price: $45,125

Price as tested: $46,670. Includes $1,295 for DVD entertainment system and $250 for Class III trailer hitch. Add $740 for freight.

Pluses: A smaller, less expensive, midsize version of the full-size Lincoln Navigator. Tuned for those who want all the luxury amenities along with more performance-oriented ride and handling. Goodies such as heated and cooled seats, power adjustable pedals and side air bag curtains with rollover sensors as standard.

Minuses: Smaller, but look at that price tag. And that's without Navigator's power third-row seat or power retractable running boards. And look at that mileage rating. Outside mirrors too vertical for good vision. No AWD badge.

Engine, Suspension Defects Stop Aviator Shipments - Plague JOB1
06 November 2002
Robert Lane

Aviator 4.6L V8

Bill Ford's desire to get one launch right will have to continue to wait - it won't happen with the 2003 Lincoln Aviator. Reports from Romeo engine indicates a problem may exist with the Aviator's 4.6L V8 engine. A manifest of Aviator VIN numbers with alleged defective engines was also sent to BlueOvalNews. Other sources have also confirmed that hundreds of Lincoln Aviators may be plagued with factory installed defective engines. The Romeo, Michigan engine line which supplies engines for the Aviator, Mustang Cobra and other products is now closed.

According to sources, the number 7 and 8 cylinders of the Aviator's 4.6L V8 engine are failing between 7,000 and 30,000 miles. Sources also contend that Ford has tried to reroute the exhaust system and install a water pump that can pump more volume in an effort to keep the engine running cooler. It's not known if either one of those proposed changes worked or not. BlueOvalNews was also told that Ford Motor Company has shipped a pallet of finished left bank cylinder heads and a team of non-Ford, non-union employees to change the cylinder heads in the effected Aviators.

Last week, BlueOvalNews first reported that Ford stopped production of the 2003 Cobra Mustang due to suspected engine problems. Based on recently obtained information, we believe that the Cobra Mustang has suffered from the same problems as the Aviator. A reliable source informed us that the 2003 Cobra was experiencing engine cylinder head problems too. This was reported further by Detroit Free Press writer Mark Phelan who wrote an article "Engine Glitch Holds Up Mustang's Production." There are several interesting similarities between the Aviator and Cobra engine problems. First, they both use identical cylinder head and cylinder head gaskets. Second, production of both vehicles was stopped around the same time. As a side note, 2001 Cobra Mustangs have been plagued with "pinging" cylinder heads. The 2002 Cobra's production was cancelled, a few were made and sold to Ford employees though.

Aviator Front Suspension Problems:

Additional sources have also added that a part or parts in the Aviator's front suspension were failing and causing shipments to become delayed. The St. Louis assembly plant is allegedly having teams replace at least one suspension part before the Aviators can be shipped to dealers. Ford is currently building 13 Aviators per hour at St. Louis on two different shifts. The part is supplied to Ford by an outside vendor. An estimated 1,000 Aviators cannot be shipped due to the alleged suspension problems.

Bill Ford had insisted that new product launches would take priority at Ford and strengthen customer's perception about the revival of quality at Ford. The continued problems have however, been seen by Ford workers as disheartening and disappointing. A day before the Lincoln Aviator was given the official approval from Ford to ship, A SLAP employee wrote to us "I sat inside one last week and it was like a Lear-Jet! EVERYTHING inside of the cabin is high-class."

Sources stated that Ford specifically instructed employees not to leak any information to BlueOvalNews.com.

Here is the full C&D review of the Aviator:

Car & Driver Review

THE VERDICT
Lincoln Aviator

Highs: Muscular motor, intelligent transmission, swanky interior, more nimble than its size suggests.

Lows: Looks too much like the Navigator.

The Verdict: A well-executed upgrade of the Explorer platform.

Link:

The CarConnection.com Review II

2003 Lincoln Aviator
A wing and a prayer.
by Marc K. Stengel

Lincoln was one of the first auto divisions to recognize that rich people need sport-utility vehicles too, so back in 1998 the company debuted the world’s first full-size luxo-premium-super-duper SUV, the Navigator. Boy howdy, did that idea catch on. Today, everybody’s in on the act: Land Rover (okay, maybe they were first), Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, BMW, Acura, Cadillac. And, no, your eyes don’t deceive; that is a Porsche you see over there--the 2003 Cayenne, to be exact.

Suddenly, five years into the game, Lincoln powers-that-be must have awakened to the obvious: There’s a whole raft of competitors out there selling gold-plated SUVs to John and Jonelle Rich...and they’re almost all mid-size! One of the bestsellers of the lot, in fact, is the dainty Acura MDX, which somehow manages to shoehorn seven seats into a sheetmetal envelope scarcely as big as the venerable (and thoroughly downmarket, given this entry) Ford Explorer.

What’s an aging luxury division that’s struggling to remain relevant going to do? Well, if you’re a member of the Ford Motor Company, you simply plagiarize the best-selling Explorer, slap on some chrome exterior bits and satin nickel interior bits and call up the marketing guys for a catchy name. I can hear the conversation now: “Hummm. So it’s following the Navigator, you say.” “That’s right.” “Well, you see, the Navigator is a trailblazing pioneer, right? And it’s also got a five-year head start, okay? So if you’re late and you gotta be somewhere in a hurry, whatcha gonna do? You’re gonna have to fly, see? You’re gonna have to fly, and that makes you an Aviator. Next!”

Send in the clones

Far from apologizing for the raid on the company parts bin, Lincoln folks are actually pleased that the Aviator represents such a successful exercise in cloning. It looks, for all intents, like a shrunken-sweater version of the Navigator, right down to its toothy, grinning grille. And yet it also looks, for all purposes, like a glossy version of the Ford Explorer (and Mercury Mountaineer), only with slicked-back hair and tasseled, slipper-boy loafers. But if you can get past appearances, there’s the soul of a truck just yearning to roll up its sleeves and get to work.

That’s because Aviator sports a 4.6-liter twin-cam V-8 that muscles out 302 horsepower, which is 62 more horses than the Explorer V-8 in 2002. There are 300 ft-lb of torque on tap, as well. By Lincoln’s calculations, 95 percent of total torque is available for use from 2250 rpm to 5400 rpm, which is one half of the entire power band. This happy circumstance is a major reason why Aviator boasts the best tow rating in its class: 7300 lb for the rear-drive model, 7100 lb for all-wheel-drive. Those numbers, in fact, are good enough to best even some full-size SUVs, like the gargantuan Lexus LX470.

I was invited to test-fly the Aviator through the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in the Jefferson National Forest west of Roanoke, Va. Torque, even more than horsepower, is what’s required for negotiating turn after narrow uphill turn; and in the all-wheel-drive Aviator that I drove, power is distributed evenly and without hesitation at all four corners. On the downside--literally--Aviator negotiated mile after mile of steep, winding descents with flawless braking from the large four-wheel discs. Lincoln has specified somewhat firmer shock absorber valving for the Aviator’s four-wheel independent suspension, and steering is a much-appreciated rack-and-pinion unit from ZF. The result is surprisingly nimble handling, which if not exactly cat-like is satisfyingly bear-like, perhaps, for what is after all a truck.

Flying high

From a pilot’s perspective, the Aviator’s cockpit is functional, comfortable, and overdressed. I like the steering wheel controls for audio functions, and I appreciate the combination of adjustable pedals and a six-way power driver’s seat that allows me to compensate for my congenitally low altitude. I’m chromatically challenged as well due to red-green colorblindness, so I also appreciate the hundreds of white-light LEDs that illuminate dash controls and readouts instead of infuriating red ones I can barely see.

What I can’t understand, however, is the use of all that satin-finish faux-nickel plastic that swathes the central console and dash. There are even hinged panels of the stuff that fold down to hide rather important controls for the climate control and audio systems. It’s supposed to be a touch of luxury. To my taste, it looks like the equivalent of using wood-grain contact paper to dress up a mobile home.

The Aviator is capable of seating seven people in relative discomfort, thanks to the clever two-passenger third-row bench that folds flat when there’s cargo. Lincoln’s betting that six people will be happier than seven inside, so it’s installing second-row captain’s chairs as standard equipment, with a three-seater bench offered as a no-cost option.

Where cargo is concerned, Aviator is reasonably spacious, with 78 total cubic feet of storage space when rows two and three are folded, 40 cubes when only the third row is folded, and 12.4 cubes with all seats in use. The relevant seats fold and tumble easily without need to remove anything, even headrests. Getting a second-row captain’s chair out of the way to provide access to the rear seat is a bit of a production, however; and the folded seat is still big enough to complicate easy ingress/egress.

As SUVs go, the Aviator is pricey, ranging from $40,000 to $46,000. As rich-folk SUVs go, on the other hand, the Aviator is awfully close to being a bargain, considering its power and its people-and-payload credentials. I may question some of the more-money-than-sense styling decisions of this latest Lincoln; but in terms of its sporty driving feel and legitimate work ethic, the Aviator looks to be a hit among the high-flyers.