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Road & Track Aviator Review - "the Best American Luxury Car in a Generation"


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https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/road-tests/a32627323/2020-lincoln-aviator-grand-touring-review/

 



the Aviator's boundless ambition sets a great precedent for the brand. Look at the styling. To my eye, this is the first SUV since 2013 to match the current Range Rover's elegance and athleticism, with even more intricate detailing.

 

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Those keeping track of luxury car best practices will recognize that Lincoln has nailed just about every one. The key stuff—the seats, the ride, the interior—was solved in the first generation of new Lincoln products. But as the reborn company matures, the Aviator represents the company paying attention to the details. No longer content to be very good, Lincoln is shooting for best-in-the-business.

 

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1 hour ago, rperez817 said:

Once Ford addresses reliability and build quality issues, this new Aviator could be the best Lincoln vehicle in at least 2 generations.

 

It's far and above any previous Lincoln vehicles in every category.

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The writer didn't like the PHEV, describing the lack of smooth operation that's been noted in other reviews. But he was pretty fair in noting that you can just skip the PHEV and just get the 3.0 EB without the jerky hybrid action. 

 

High praise for Lincoln when noting the price as compare to a Mercedes and coming out ahead because it is a better vehicle. 

 



So the simple solution is to skip the Grand Touring option altogether. The twin-turbo V-6 alone makes 400 hp. It's not the 494 of the hybrid, but it's a predictable and smooth way to motivate a heavy luxury crossover. And that'll help save you some money, since the other major drawback of the Aviator is that it is not a budget option. Lincoln is building a world-class product, which means it's charging prices in line with other world-class cars. A top-trim Aviator Black Label starts at $77,695. That's deep into Mercedes GLE territory. But that's not a dealbreaker for one simple reason: the Aviator is easily the better car. Just don't get the hybrid.

 

 

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2 hours ago, bzcat said:

The writer didn't like the PHEV, describing the lack of smooth operation that's been noted in other reviews. But he was pretty fair in noting that you can just skip the PHEV and just get the 3.0 EB without the jerky hybrid action.  

 

 

I don't know if it's just my Aviator GT is different somehow, but I'm constantly shocked at all the various reviewers making negative comments about the PHEV powertrain and a "lack of smooth operation" that is simply not true, or at least not with my specific vehicle.  Maybe they are driving an earlier produced vehicle that still had issues with the build quality.  They should come and drive mine!  I love the PHEV powertrain and contrary to what others are saying it is silky smooth.  The transition from EV to engine is so seamless and the cabin so quiet that half the time if I wasn't starting at the Power Flow screen or the tachometer I would have no idea that it transitioned from EV to engine and vice versa.  I've driven mine now for 3,800km and can't say I've experienced anything even remotely close to what many reviewers are talking about with a lack of smoothness or jerkiness.  The closest thing I could describe is what feels like a slight "downshift" (I'm guessing that's what it is) when braking which could be an actual downshift of the transmission or just the regen braking from the motor kicking in, in most cases is so subtle and practically imperceptible.

 

There is plenty of power and if you put it in Excite mode you get the combined full output of both the engine and electric motor which is really quick.  If you see my post about my first towing experience the PHEV powertrain blew me away with the towing performance and fuel efficiency. 

 

His comments about the interior are spot on, it has to be one of the nicest automotive interiors I have ever been in and I would say probably the best the Ford/Lincoln has come out with to date.  The layout and combination of buttons and touchscreen are ergonomic and stylish.  The SYNC software in the touchscreen is a bit laggy sometimes but otherwise generally functions as intended.

 

Overall a fantastic vehicle IMO. I would certainly highly recommend the Aviator GT PHEV it to anyone that is looking for a performance SUV and want's to save money on gas.

 

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1 hour ago, rampagex7 said:

 

I don't know if it's just my Aviator GT is different somehow, but I'm constantly shocked at all the various reviewers making negative comments about the PHEV powertrain and a "lack of smooth operation" that is simply not true, or at least not with my specific vehicle.  Maybe they are driving an earlier produced vehicle that still had issues with the build quality.  They should come and drive mine!  I love the PHEV powertrain and contrary to what others are saying it is silky smooth.  The transition from EV to engine is so seamless and the cabin so quiet that half the time if I wasn't starting at the Power Flow screen or the tachometer I would have no idea that it transitioned from EV to engine and vice versa.  I've driven mine now for 3,800km and can't say I've experienced anything even remotely close to what many reviewers are talking about with a lack of smoothness or jerkiness.

 

Thanks for sharing your Aviator GT experience rampagex7 sir. Sounds like Ford engineers acted quickly on feedback from early reviews of Aviator PHEV and Explorer Hybrid with the P2 hybrid transmission. Hopefully your Aviator GT is representative of later builds.  

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1 hour ago, rperez817 said:

Thanks for sharing your Aviator GT experience rampagex7 sir. Sounds like Ford engineers acted quickly on feedback from early reviews of Aviator PHEV and Explorer Hybrid with the P2 hybrid transmission. Hopefully your Aviator GT is representative of later builds.  

 

Aside from the attractive design of the new Aviator, one of the primary deciding factors that convinced me to go with the GT was because of the unique PHEV powertrain.  I happened to see the prototypes of both the 2020 Aviator and Explorer at the 2019 Toronto Auto Show and they had a cool cutaway of the Explorer to show the modular hybrid transmission.  (see photos below) What impressed me about the mod-hybrid PHEV concept is how you could get the exact same V6 twin turbo engine with 10-speed transmission as the regular gas model and they just add in the electric motor to give you the benefit of EV only driving for short commutes with the added torque of the electric motor in combination to the engine in hybrid mode.

 

If anyone has ever driven other PHEV vehicles they mostly have small 4cyl engines paired to an electric motor with a CVT transmission which sure are great for fuel efficiency but absolutely SUCK for any kind of power and performance.  On my 2019 Fusion Energi PHEV the electric motor is so underpowered for the the size/weight of the vehicle it can't make it up a steep hill at a sustained speed without the engine coming on to assist.  A lot of other PHEV's from other OEMs have similar small atkinson engine/motor/CVT combinations which just can't offer the performance of a real V6 and regular transmission.

 

I think it is a great move by Ford to come up with the high performance PHEV powertrain on the Aviator.  It's too bad the PHEV version of the Explorer is only available in Europe, I think it would help their North American sales a lot if they rolled it out here as well.

 

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12 hours ago, rmc523 said:

 

Let's hope Lincoln doesn't get relegated to parts bin luxury again under Hackett.


He had the opportunity to do that with both Corsair and Aviator and did not, plus he was planning a 100% Lincoln flagship with Rivian before it got cancelled.  I don’t think that’s an issue at all.

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3 hours ago, akirby said:


He had the opportunity to do that with both Corsair and Aviator and did not, plus he was planning a 100% Lincoln flagship with Rivian before it got cancelled.  I don’t think that’s an issue at all.

 

Those were already far along when he came in, though.

 

It may not be - I'm just saying we've not heard about anything in the pipeline aside from that flagship and midsize BEV 3 years away, so there's going to be a product lull for 3 more years.

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1 hour ago, rmc523 said:

 

Those were already far along when he came in, though.

 

It may not be - I'm just saying we've not heard about anything in the pipeline aside from that flagship and midsize BEV 3 years away, so there's going to be a product lull for 3 more years.

 

I don't think the BEV midsizer is 3 years away.  1-2 at most.  And remember the Explorer/Aviator program was on hold when he took it over so he certainly could have made changes like that if he wanted to.   I think he is all in on the new flagships being best in class (Aviator, Bronco, etc.).

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1 hour ago, akirby said:

 

I don't think the BEV midsizer is 3 years away.  1-2 at most.  And remember the Explorer/Aviator program was on hold when he took it over so he certainly could have made changes like that if he wanted to.   I think he is all in on the new flagships being best in class (Aviator, Bronco, etc.).

 

I mean, I think that's great news.  Best in class is what should be coming out of both brands.

 

Recently had some seat time in an Escape SE - I'm going to make a post about it, but the short version is - it's nowhere near as terrible as its been made out to be, not even close.

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6 hours ago, Black Label said:

@rampagex7, I'm not only impressed with your remarks on your vehicle, I'm also impressed you could post that many pics. I have major issues with that on this forum. Anyway, glad to hear you have a great vehicle. 

 

Appreciate the feedback.  I'm curious to hear from any fellow Aviator GT owners like @mustangchief or @CoolScoop how their experience has been with the PHEV powertrain so far and how it compares against the harsh feedback from all the various automotive reviews.

 

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Always pleased with smoothness of Ford HEV's. I've also driven Toyota and Lexus HEVs. Toyota and Ford seem comparable. Lexus as expected is smoother, partly due to the V-6 powertrain. Expect Lincoln should aim for this level. Performance is defintely superior for Lincoln.

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On 6/2/2020 at 4:59 PM, rampagex7 said:

 

Appreciate the feedback.  I'm curious to hear from any fellow Aviator GT owners like @mustangchief or @CoolScoop how their experience has been with the PHEV powertrain so far and how it compares against the harsh feedback from all the various automotive reviews.

 

So far, it has been better than anticipated, I love every bit of it.  I have a quip, but it is merely that, not a complaint.  When towing an empty trailer you can really hear it back there bouncing around.  I think they did not focus on the road noise from the back.  The good news is it does tow very well, and towed effortlessly pulling 5K lbs.  So far my all electric range has increased by about 3 miles.  I have 19.6 miles to work, and usually have 6 miles of range left before a quick top off (2 hrs).  I have two areas I kick it hard to go from 25 to 80 on short freeway on ramps.  The engine runs about 2 minutes total.  Since February, I'm averaging 85 MPG, thanks to COVID I haven't done any recent trips out of state.  I am getting better with the brakes, which helps with the electric range.  I average 85 to 120 MPG on normal traffic work days.  If I drive exactly the speed limit on the freeway, I get about 140MPG lol.  I've been really good, still using my last fill up in March with 190 DTE.  

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1 hour ago, bzcat said:

That's pretty impressive real life MPG data.

I would never have believed I could go 1 month on a tank of gas, let alone two plus.  I think the hybrid reviewers have a bad tester.  I've taken people on rides to show them the transitions between modes.  They are totally blown away.  Note:  If you mash the peddle to the floor there is an obvious jerk when you go from either single mode to hybrid.  I'm a fairly aggressive driver and am used to torque from my Mustang.  Maybe the reviewer drives a Prius as a daily driver?

 

I'm at 3240 miles right now, here is a screen shot of my lifetime MPG

june mpg.jpg

Edited by mustangchief
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On 6/2/2020 at 5:59 PM, rampagex7 said:

 

Appreciate the feedback.  I'm curious to hear from any fellow Aviator GT owners like @mustangchief or @CoolScoop how their experience has been with the PHEV powertrain so far and how it compares against the harsh feedback from all the various automotive reviews.

 

Between the stay at home orders and then TDY for work I haven't been able to drive mine much yet... or even surf the forum lately.  But I've put it thru it's paces a few times and I'll say ditto to to everything you described about yours, including the silky smooth part.  Its unique presence demands attention... a real beauty inside and out.

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On 6/4/2020 at 5:32 PM, mustangchief said:

I would never have believed I could go 1 month on a tank of gas, let alone two plus.  I think the hybrid reviewers have a bad tester.  I've taken people on rides to show them the transitions between modes.  They are totally blown away. 

Now that things are opening back up I'll finally get to experiment with the EV modes.  The one time I tried it zapped the battery pretty fast.  Is your commute flat or hilly? Nothing flat around here...

 

I agree that the reviewers must have a bad tester. 

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On 6/6/2020 at 8:30 PM, CoolScoop said:

Now that things are opening back up I'll finally get to experiment with the EV modes.  The one time I tried it zapped the battery pretty fast.  Is your commute flat or hilly? Nothing flat around here...

 

I agree that the reviewers must have a bad tester. 

I'm fairly flat with a few small grades.

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