nruggiero Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 (edited) http://bp3.ford.com/2016-Ford-Explorer?branding=1&lang=en#/ChooseYourPath/ The Platinum starts at $52,600, which is more than a base Audi Q7 and Infiniti QX60. However, the Explorer comes with more standard features. There's really no point in doing a Lincoln Aviator. If they did, I'd expect it to be around $60-$65k. That's too much for a Lincoln, IMO. You can get a Range Rover Sport for that kind of money. Edited November 20, 2014 by nruggiero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzcat Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 http://bp3.ford.com/2016-Ford-Explorer?branding=1&lang=en#/ChooseYourPath/ The Platinum starts at $52,600, which is more than a base Audi Q7 and Infiniti QX60. However, the Explorer comes with more standard features. There's really no point in doing a Lincoln Aviator. If they did, I'd expect it to be around $60-$65k. That's too much for a Lincoln, IMO. You can get a Range Rover Sport for that kind of money. $60k Aviator would be the kitchen sink model... I would expect Lincoln version to start at much lower price - somewhere between Explorer Limited and Platinum. Lincoln's Premier/Select/Reserve trim level lines up nicely with Audi's Premium/Premium Plus/Prestige trim levels and thus we can compare the hypothetical Aviator and cross referenced with Explorer trim levels: Q7 Premium ($47,700) is roughly comparable to Lincoln's "Premiere" level, which will be similar to Explorer Limited in terms of equipment level. Q7 Premium Plus ($54,200) is roughly comparable to Lincoln's "Select" level, which will be somewhere between Explorer Limited and Platinum equipment level. Q7 Prestige ($61,400) is roughly comparable to Lincoln's "Reserve" level, which is a "kitchen sink" grab bag of everything you can think of. Ford won't sell many $60k Aviators but the few that they do will be mega profitable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonj80 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 $60k Aviator would be the kitchen sink model... I would expect Lincoln version to start at much lower price - somewhere between Explorer Limited and Platinum. Lincoln's Premier/Select/Reserve trim level lines up nicely with Audi's Premium/Premium Plus/Prestige trim levels and thus we can compare the hypothetical Aviator and cross referenced with Explorer trim levels: Q7 Premium ($47,700) is roughly comparable to Lincoln's "Premiere" level, which will be similar to Explorer Limited in terms of equipment level. Q7 Premium Plus ($54,200) is roughly comparable to Lincoln's "Select" level, which will be somewhere between Explorer Limited and Platinum equipment level. Q7 Prestige ($61,400) is roughly comparable to Lincoln's "Reserve" level, which is a "kitchen sink" grab bag of everything you can think of. Ford won't sell many $60k Aviators but the few that they do will be mega profitable. Speaking of Lincoln Names they need to dump the "base" out of the model name -- sounds so f****** cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryG Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I was planning to sell my '11 Explorer Limited before the extended waranty is out, and get a new one. I don't like the MPG of the EcoBoost and my V6 3.5L gets better MPG and has all the power I'll ever need. Glad Ford still makes this motor available. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blwnsmoke Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 (edited) The Platinum almost fully loaded is about $54k from Ford's site (excluding 2nd row bucket and rear dvd). That puts it at about 49-50k at invoice plus rebates (obviously none or under $1,000 at launch). Here is the order guide https://pdf.yt/d/_3FQ5fs55tpmp384 Orders can be placed now, scheduling 3/12 and production 4/20. Edited November 20, 2014 by blwnsmoke 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 http://bp3.ford.com/2016-Ford-Explorer?branding=1&lang=en#/ChooseYourPath/ The Platinum starts at $52,600, which is more than a base Audi Q7 and Infiniti QX60. However, the Explorer comes with more standard features. There's really no point in doing a Lincoln Aviator. If they did, I'd expect it to be around $60-$65k. That's too much for a Lincoln, IMO. You can get a Range Rover Sport for that kind of money. The thing your forgetting is this....nearly 50% of expected Explorer sales are XLT models that are nicely/fully equipped for about $40K (next biggest portion is Sport sales, which surprised me at 14% and the remainder being base/Limited/Platinum models) I found this nugget from when the Lincoln Aviator was launched almost 10 years ago: Lincoln, not surprisingly, says the Aviator is the top rung of the Explorer ladder. It does cost the most. The Aviator starts at $39,995 and can balloon to almost $49,000 with options. The Mountaineer, the first step down, runs between about $30,000 and $39,000, and the broad-appeal Explorer runs from roughly $26,500 to more than $40,000. To justify the extra money, Lincoln fitted the Aviator with a more-powerful engine, redesigned the suspension, and gave it a new body and interior. When Lincoln was done, the list of parts unique to the Aviator stretched far longer than the list of parts it shared with the Explorer. http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/lincoln-aviator-road-test Anyways, the starting price of a Lincoln Explorer would be right around $43K (which the current MKT is priced at), which is nearly a 13K upcharge over a base model Explorer...even with the extra costs with giving its own unique top hat and a couple options that you can't get on an Explorer, it still will be very profitable for Ford to go that route. I can see it topping out at $65K or so...but since 85% of the costs of developing it would be "paid" with sharing it with the Explorer platform, Ford would still make a lot of money on it in much smaller numbers. If Ford's numbers work out, they only expect to sell about 14K units of the Platinum Explorer a year using 2013 numbers...vs 25-30K Lincoln models that would have much higher ATPs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Aviator launched in 2002 as a 2003 model. I saw the pre production prototype in a focus group early in 2002. Bought a leftover 2003 in 2004. The unique parts turned out to be the bad ones including the 32V dohc 4.6L heads. Got rid of it right after the warranty expired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Aviator launched in 2002 as a 2003 model. I saw the pre production prototype in a focus group early in 2002. Bought a leftover 2003 in 2004. The unique parts turned out to be the bad ones including the 32V dohc 4.6L heads. Got rid of it right after the warranty expired. What was the deal with the heads? You'd figure they would have had that sorted out already since they had a 4V 4.6L since the Mark VIII was out?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I don't think the 32V 4.6L engine, in general, never lived up to its expectations. It was $$$$$$$ !! I don't know specifically what the difference are between those heads and the Coyote heads (same bore spacing, but I don't think anything else lines up). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I don't think the 32V 4.6L engine, in general, never lived up to its expectations. It was $$$$$$$ !! I don't know specifically what the difference are between those heads and the Coyote heads (same bore spacing, but I don't think anything else lines up). If it was so much money, why did they go that route with the 5L and other engines? Or was it just the case of it being an immature technology that the price came down as time went on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 The problem was inadequate cooling in cylinder 7 which led to loss of compression and ultimately head replacement. Ours failed under warranty thank goodness. Also affected the mustang Cobras with the same engine and possibly others. There are aftermarket kits available to fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosetang Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Looks like a solid update save for the front end, which just feels off to me. Its better than the TC but it has that same "someone needed to stop about 4 styling elements ago" feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papilgee4evaeva Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 How similar was that 4.6 4V engine to the InTech V8 from the Continental? I don't recall hearing about so many problems with the latter vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 How similar was that 4.6 4V engine to the InTech V8 from the Continental? I don't recall hearing about so many problems with the latter vehicle. Seems to be similar but with a different head design. That one only had 275 hp compared to 300+ for the Aviator and Cobra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papilgee4evaeva Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Seems to be similar but with a different head design. That one only had 275 hp compared to 300+ for the Aviator and Cobra. I always figured that the power was down just due to the engine orientation, much like the current 3.5EB. But if the heads were different, that would explain the relative lack of issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I always figured that the power was down just due to the engine orientation, much like the current 3.5EB. But if the heads were different, that would explain the relative lack of issues. That one was transverse compared to the others being longitudinal so it could have been a combination of things including the position of that piston in the engine bay (since it was related to cooling/heat). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2005Explorer Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 I was watching some running footage of the new Explorer Platinum (looks beautiful) and I wonder who the heck would buy an MKT over it? I can't imagine this launching will help the MKT out especially in shared Ford-Lincoln dealerships. It sort of makes me wonder how many more years the ol' whale is going to soldier on with the Explorer Platinum coming. Some nice footage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 I would think the small amount of MKTs that are still sold are primarily fleet. The only ones I ever see around here are at the train station or airport with someone's last name plastered on a white sheet of paper in the window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2005Explorer Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 I would think the small amount of MKTs that are still sold are primarily fleet. The only ones I ever see around here are at the train station or airport with someone's last name plastered on a white sheet of paper in the window. I know they sell a handful of them for fleet, but the MKT just doesn't fit at all with the "new" Lincoln. I was hoping 2014 would be the last model year, but it looks like it's going into 2015. Since I doubt this model will ever see any significant investment at this point will 2015 be the end of the line for it or will they "Town Car" it and just keep building it for fleet duty past 2016? I just don't think the style leaves a good impression on the brand. When numbers get as small as they are you would think sourcing such a small number of special parts would start to drain on model profitability... Then again they probably have years of MKT parts laying around and will keep building until they are used up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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