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Trade in Raptor for Aviator Black Label GT?


DrBabbitt

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Hello, 

 

I have a 2020 Raptor, but have an itch to get back into a SUV. I love the Aviator and have been lurking on the forum for the past couple of weeks. Some on the forum have noted quality issues with the Aviator, which is unfortunate, but ought to be expected in my opinion. Nearly every manufacturer has some type of problems regardless of the money that you pay. My front and back cameras went out within my first week of ownership in my Raptor. But that’s why you have a warranty and in particular pay the money to have the Black Label experience with Lincoln. 
 

Any long term feedback from Black Label GT owners? I haven’t had the chance to drive one yet, but plan to do so soon. Driving is therapeutic to me and something I greatly enjoy. So I want something to be quiet and luxurious, while having enough power to make me grin when I floor it :) 

 

Also, does anyone have any insight into how the electric hybrid system works? I looked extensively for various videos and webpages, but never could find anything substantive. My understanding is that you can drive the vehicle in pure EV mode if you so choose, which I don’t see myself ever doing. My main question is that if you don’t have the vehicle in pure EV mode, can the battery recharge itself as you drive with the combustion engine on? I like to take long road trips, so I don’t want to be confined to any charging stations, which I don’t think is the case, but I want to make sure. 
 

Also, are the complimentary car washes just basic car washes where they drive your vehicle through a car wash? I am OCD about paint scratches, so I avoid car wash drive-thrus unless they are touchless. 
 

Thanks! 

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3 hours ago, DrBabbitt said:

Hello, 

 

I have a 2020 Raptor, but have an itch to get back into a SUV. I love the Aviator and have been lurking on the forum for the past couple of weeks. Some on the forum have noted quality issues with the Aviator, which is unfortunate, but ought to be expected in my opinion. Nearly every manufacturer has some type of problems regardless of the money that you pay. My front and back cameras went out within my first week of ownership in my Raptor. But that’s why you have a warranty and in particular pay the money to have the Black Label experience with Lincoln. 
 

Any long term feedback from Black Label GT owners? I haven’t had the chance to drive one yet, but plan to do so soon. Driving is therapeutic to me and something I greatly enjoy. So I want something to be quiet and luxurious, while having enough power to make me grin when I floor it :) 

 

Also, does anyone have any insight into how the electric hybrid system works? I looked extensively for various videos and webpages, but never could find anything substantive. My understanding is that you can drive the vehicle in pure EV mode if you so choose, which I don’t see myself ever doing. My main question is that if you don’t have the vehicle in pure EV mode, can the battery recharge itself as you drive with the combustion engine on? I like to take long road trips, so I don’t want to be confined to any charging stations, which I don’t think is the case, but I want to make sure. 
 

Also, are the complimentary car washes just basic car washes where they drive your vehicle through a car wash? I am OCD about paint scratches, so I avoid car wash drive-thrus unless they are touchless. 
 

Thanks! 

 

Hi DrB. I will answer the two questions that I can. Yes the vehicle battery recharges with driving. And I would assume the method of washing can/will vary by Dealership. My Dealership does it by hand. Others may use the drive-thru car wash method. So it would be best to get a definitive answer as to what your Dealership does by asking the Dealership/Service staff.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

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came close to a Raptor, but got the 150 limited instead.   Going to downsize the limited to a honda Ridgeline.  

Great Ford truck every option Ford has but just too big for running around town.   So downsized the Escalade to

a Aviator,  and now the Ford to Ridgeline.    So far not having any issues so many are having with early build lincolns.

But than didnt get a battery Aviator

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I'm at 7500 miles now, I drive to and from work in conserve, I'm at about 95MPGe, overall since taking possession I'm at 35 MPG for gas usage.  I fill up every 5 weeks but am no where near empty, usually add 12-15 gallons.  I have a 40 mile round trip 5X a week.  I get a check engine light for regulatory after some charges, but goes away.   A few glitches that were one time happenings.  I also drive a 500HP Mustang, Audi Q5, BMW X3 rarely now.  I planned to keep the miles low on the Aviator to trade up in a few years.  It is so much fun and comfortable to drive I ditched that idea.  I rarely drive any of our other cars.  I only have one long trip where I was hybrid most of the way, I got 27 MPG on the interstate and close to 500 miles.  I have a slightly heavy big toe that tips the throttle occasionally.  I traded in my F150 Platinum for the GT, best decision for me.  It tows my Mustang just fine.  Dealer washes vary by dealer, mine has a hand wash crew.  It takes about three hours to charge on 220 and eleven on 110.  Both connectors come with it.  

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I appreciate all the feedback everyone! Very insightful. 
 

@mustangchief great info about the charge times and MPG. My Raptor gets 18-20 MPGs in Florida. I was somewhat skeptical of the Ecoboost platform, but have came to really enjoy it. So I can’t wait to try out the hybrid platform on the Aviator. I didn’t buy the Raptor for MPGs nor will I buy the Aviator for such, but I am curious to see what the Aviator will yield in hot humid Florida. 
 

How has everyone’s experience been with Lincoln as far as customer service and how they have taken care of you? I have experience with Lexus, Acura, and Porsche, but have never had a Lincoln. So I am hoping the Black Label experience will be superb. 
 

Also, how does everyone like the technology? I am a sucker for technology. So having things like keyless entry with your phone is very enticing and something I plan on using often :) 

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From what I have read, if you drive in "preserve ev" mode, the engine will keep your battery at the level that it is at and maybe add a smidge more. It is difficult for the engine alone to charge these lithium batteries. Your engine will certainly  never be able to match a 220v outlet, maybe get halfway to 3/4 toward a 110v outlet. If you think about it that it takes 11 hours to charge the battery to full from empty  on 110v outlet, it would take longer than that for the engine to do it on its own.  People have driven over an hour on the highway and only added on like 1 mile of range. Now, regenerative braking probably adds more, but highway driving won't help you much. You really need to capitalize on the plug in, to get the most out of the GT.

 

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2 hours ago, DrBabbitt said:

I appreciate all the feedback everyone! Very insightful. 
 

@mustangchief great info about the charge times and MPG. My Raptor gets 18-20 MPGs in Florida. I was somewhat skeptical of the Ecoboost platform, but have came to really enjoy it. So I can’t wait to try out the hybrid platform on the Aviator. I didn’t buy the Raptor for MPGs nor will I buy the Aviator for such, but I am curious to see what the Aviator will yield in hot humid Florida. 
 

How has everyone’s experience been with Lincoln as far as customer service and how they have taken care of you? I have experience with Lexus, Acura, and Porsche, but have never had a Lincoln. So I am hoping the Black Label experience will be superb. 
 

Also, how does everyone like the technology? I am a sucker for technology. So having things like keyless entry with your phone is very enticing and something I plan on using often :) 

 

Hi DrB. Can state that my own Lincoln Dealer experience has been very good.

 

Good luck.

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14 hours ago, DrBabbitt said:

Hello, 

 

I have a 2020 Raptor, but have an itch to get back into a SUV. I love the Aviator and have been lurking on the forum for the past couple of weeks. Some on the forum have noted quality issues with the Aviator, which is unfortunate, but ought to be expected in my opinion. Nearly every manufacturer has some type of problems regardless of the money that you pay. My front and back cameras went out within my first week of ownership in my Raptor. But that’s why you have a warranty and in particular pay the money to have the Black Label experience with Lincoln. 
 

Any long term feedback from Black Label GT owners? I haven’t had the chance to drive one yet, but plan to do so soon. Driving is therapeutic to me and something I greatly enjoy. So I want something to be quiet and luxurious, while having enough power to make me grin when I floor it :) 

 

Also, does anyone have any insight into how the electric hybrid system works? I looked extensively for various videos and webpages, but never could find anything substantive. My understanding is that you can drive the vehicle in pure EV mode if you so choose, which I don’t see myself ever doing. My main question is that if you don’t have the vehicle in pure EV mode, can the battery recharge itself as you drive with the combustion engine on? I like to take long road trips, so I don’t want to be confined to any charging stations, which I don’t think is the case, but I want to make sure. 
 

Also, are the complimentary car washes just basic car washes where they drive your vehicle through a car wash? I am OCD about paint scratches, so I avoid car wash drive-thrus unless they are touchless. 
 

Thanks! 

 

I can't comment on the Black Label experience as we don't have Black Label available here in Canada.

 

As for the vehicle itself, I've had my Aviator GT for about 8 months now and have put about 12,000km on it so far.  I love the vehicle overall and the hybrid powertrain.  I've made numerous posts in other threads you can read about my experiences with the driving dynamics, charging, towing, etc.

 

Without regurgitating all the comments from my prior posts, the short answer is don't put much stock in all the so called "Reviews" out there regarding the Aviator GT there because they don't do it justice.  Look at feedback from current GT owners like myself: @rampagex7; @mustangchief;and @CoolScoop

 

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1 hour ago, Tl99cobra said:

From what I have read, if you drive in "preserve ev" mode, the engine will keep your battery at the level that it is at and maybe add a smidge more. It is difficult for the engine alone to charge these lithium batteries. Your engine will certainly  never be able to match a 220v outlet, maybe get halfway to 3/4 toward a 110v outlet. If you think about it that it takes 11 hours to charge the battery to full from empty  on 110v outlet, it would take longer than that for the engine to do it on its own.  People have driven over an hour on the highway and only added on like 1 mile of range. Now, regenerative braking probably adds more, but highway driving won't help you much. You really need to capitalize on the plug in, to get the most out of the GT.

 

 

I've found the PreserveEV mode (at least on my Aviator GT) is definitely not practical to charge the battery after it's fully depleted.  I've tried using PreserveEV several times when driving on long trips from Toronto to my cottage up north on Georgian Bay.  After running out of initial EV range I switched to PreserveEV mode and even after driving on the highway at a steady speed of 120km/h (74mph) for over an hour it only recharged 8km of electric range to the battery which is pathetic, plus it does hurt your fuel economy numbers because the engine is running constantly even while decelerating or braking whereas driving in normal or conserve modes the engine will generally always turn off and switch to either EV or regen braking anytime you are not actively pushing the accelerator pedal which allows recharge by regen braking.  The PreserveEV works much better if the battery is already either fully or partially charged and it will keep it at that level for later use in EV mode. 

 

The best way to charge the battery is to just plug in the normal way.  For recharge while driving I get much better results with regen braking.  In fact a few weeks ago on a trip up north I hit a major traffic jam on the highway and had to detour on some back roads to get around it which led to driving on some really hilly areas.  I was able to go long stretches with the engine not coming on so I allowed it to coast down the hills with the regen braking kicking in.  The end result is I almost doubled the normal EV range which is normally 34km (21mi) and after getting to my destination my actual distance traveled in EV was 64.3km (40mi).  My actual fuel economy for the trip was 6.3L/100km (37.3mpg).  (see photo below)

 

Personally I get much better results extending the EV range with regen braking vs. using PreserveEV mode so I've given up using it.

IMG_3555.JPG

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31 minutes ago, rampagex7 said:

 

I've found the PreserveEV mode (at least on my Aviator GT) is definitely not practical to charge the battery after it's fully depleted.  I've tried using PreserveEV several times when driving on long trips from Toronto to my cottage up north on Georgian Bay.  After running out of initial EV range I switched to PreserveEV mode and even after driving on the highway at a steady speed of 120km/h (74mph) for over an hour it only recharged 8km of electric range to the battery which is pathetic, plus it does hurt your fuel economy numbers because the engine is running constantly even while decelerating or braking whereas driving in normal or conserve modes the engine will generally always turn off and switch to either EV or regen braking anytime you are not actively pushing the accelerator pedal which allows recharge by regen braking.  The PreserveEV works much better if the battery is already either fully or partially charged and it will keep it at that level for later use in EV mode. 

 

The best way to charge the battery is to just plug in the normal way.  For recharge while driving I get much better results with regen braking.  In fact a few weeks ago on a trip up north I hit a major traffic jam on the highway and had to detour on some back roads to get around it which led to driving on some really hilly areas.  I was able to go long stretches with the engine not coming on so I allowed it to coast down the hills with the regen braking kicking in.  The end result is I almost doubled the normal EV range which is normally 34km (21mi) and after getting to my destination my actual distance traveled in EV was 64.3km (40mi).  My actual fuel economy for the trip was 6.3L/100km (37.3mpg).  (see photo below)

 

Personally I get much better results extending the EV range with regen braking vs. using PreserveEV mode so I've given up using it.

IMG_3555.JPG


Thanks for all of the info. Reading your post and @mustangchief has me excited to see what the hybrid will yield for fuel economy. 
 

I already have a 220V outlet in my garage. So I am not worried about charging it at home. But is the regen braking sufficient to keep it charged on longer trips? I live in Florida, but I normally take a couple weeks off each year and go to Idaho/Montana and work my way up into Banff. I am sure the range will vary based on how you drive, but I just don’t know what to expect for my longer trips. Or would you recommend using a different vehicle for a cross country trip? 
 

Also, since your in Toronto, have you noticed much of a difference on the EV range when it is cold vs hot outside? 

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Just now, DrBabbitt said:


Thanks for all of the info. Reading your post and @mustangchief has me excited to see what the hybrid will yield for fuel economy. 
 

I already have a 220V outlet in my garage. So I am not worried about charging it at home. But is the regen braking sufficient to keep it charged on longer trips? I live in Florida, but I normally take a couple weeks off each year and go to Idaho/Montana and work my way up into Banff. I am sure the range will vary based on how you drive, but I just don’t know what to expect for my longer trips. Or would you recommend using a different vehicle for a cross country trip? 
 

Also, since your in Toronto, have you noticed much of a difference on the EV range when it is cold vs hot outside? 

 

For regular charging yes a 240V outlet (need at least 20A circuit) will work fine.  The max current it can be charged at is about 16A at 240V.  The vehicle comes with a combination charging cord that has a standard 120V plug and a 240V plug (NEMA 6-20R).  I have a dedicated Juicebox EV charging station in my garage which I like not just for charging the vehicle but because of the app that gives you live data while charging (voltage and current usage) and also statistics of your all your charge sessions (charge time, KwH used, etc.). 

 

I took a screenshot of my fuel economy stats from the Lincoln app if you want some historical data. (see below)  That's based on being driven for 8 months and just under 12,000km on it to date.

 

I wouldn't worry about long trips and trying to charge the battery while driving, just drive it normally as you would a regular gas vehicle and fill your gas tank as needed.  Once your battery is depleted the engine will take over and it will drive in hybrid mode with the engine providing drive power most of the time.  The engine will turn off and switch to either EV or regen braking anytime you take your foot of the gas pedal and decelerate or if you press the brake.  Depending on your speed it may even turn the engine off while you're driving and switch to EV for short periods.  The transition from engine to EV and vice versa is so seamless you cannot even tell!  It is so quiet that most of the time if I'm not actively looking at the power flow screen or the tachometer I can't even tell whether it is running with the engine on or in EV.  The Aviator has a Series-Parallel hybrid configuration, so it doesn't need for the battery to be fully recharged while driving because it can power itself with the just the engine, just the electric motor, or any combination of the two.  Series hybrids (eg. Chevy Volt, BMW i3) only provide drive power to the wheels by the electric motor so the gas engine acts solely as a generator to recharge the battery and provide electricity to the motor, in these cases the battery does need to be kept charged to certain threshold while driving to provide constant power to the motor.

 

Regarding the temperature extremes I've found the EV range is much more affected by extreme cold than heat.  We've had a really hot and humid summer in Toronto this year and I used the A/C all the time and barely noticed any impact on the range at all, I had no problem getting between 35-40km of range on a full charge.  However this past winter I did notice about a 25-30% drop in EV range especially on really cold days.  Li-Ion batteries are not as efficient in the cold so I'm sure that also has an impact on the range.  The A/C system is fully electric and powered off the high voltage battery so it has no problem keeping the cabin cool on hot days.  For heating it can heat the cabin electrically if it is not too cold outside but on really cold days the engine will come on for a few minutes when you first start to provide heat or will come on if you turn on defrost or fan speed on high.  A nice trick I learned from the OM is to leave the vehicle plugged into the charger overnight and then remote start while still plugged in and it will either preheat or cool the cabin electrically and will do so using the house power instead of draining the battery.  You can even use the Lincoln app to program auto start times to so that it will preheat/cool before you leave in the morning which is nice feature.

IMG_3589.PNG

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On 10/20/2020 at 5:44 PM, mustangchief said:

I also drive a 500HP Mustang, Audi Q5, BMW X3 rarely now.  I planned to keep the miles low on the Aviator to trade up in a few years.  It is so much fun and comfortable to drive I ditched that idea.  I rarely drive any of our other cars.

You can trust mustangchief on this, he is NOT exaggerating... the Aviator GT is that good!!!  Plus the $6,534 tax credit is icing on the cake!

Edited by CoolScoop
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@rampagex7 Thanks for the info! This is exactly what I was looking for. Lol I have looked at nearly every Aviator YouTube videos and web articles that I could find, but no on gave the explanation that you just gave. So I greatly appreciate it! Lots of good information on this thread. 

 

 

23 hours ago, rampagex7 said:

"Once your battery is depleted the engine will take over and it will drive in hybrid mode with the engine providing drive power most of the time.  The engine will turn off and switch to either EV or regen braking anytime you take your foot of the gas pedal and decelerate or if you press the brake.  Depending on your speed it may even turn the engine off while you're driving and switch to EV for short periods.  The transition from engine to EV and vice versa is so seamless you cannot even tell!"

 

 

So I am a little confused on your explanation here. I thought the Aviator would be in hybrid mode anytime that one is not in pure electric mode? That is to say, Excite, Normal, Conserve, Slippery, and Deep condition modes are all in hybrid mode? You make it seem that hybrid mode only comes on once the battery is depleted. So are you talking about once you can no longer drive in pure electric mode, the vehicle will switch back to hybrid mode?  

 

Maybe I have a misunderstanding of the Aviator Series-Hybrid system, but if you cannot drive the vehicle in pure electric mode because the battery is depleted, then you do not have 494 hp and 630 lb tq available correct? 

 

 

Quote

 

Regarding the temperature extremes I've found the EV range is much more affected by extreme cold than heat.  We've had a really hot and humid summer in Toronto this year and I used the A/C all the time and barely noticed any impact on the range at all, I had no problem getting between 35-40km of range on a full charge.  However this past winter I did notice about a 25-30% drop in EV range especially on really cold days.  Li-Ion batteries are not as efficient in the cold so I'm sure that also has an impact on the range.  The A/C system is fully electric and powered off the high voltage battery so it has no problem keeping the cabin cool on hot days.  For heating it can heat the cabin electrically if it is not too cold outside but on really cold days the engine will come on for a few minutes when you first start to provide heat or will come on if you turn on defrost or fan speed on high.  A nice trick I learned from the OM is to leave the vehicle plugged into the charger overnight and then remote start while still plugged in and it will either preheat or cool the cabin electrically and will do so using the house power instead of draining the battery.  You can even use the Lincoln app to program auto start times to so that it will preheat/cool before you leave in the morning which is nice feature.

 

 

Really good info and insight. 

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1 hour ago, CoolScoop said:

You can trust mustangchief on this, he is NOT exaggerating... the Aviator GT is that good!!!  Plus the $6,534 tax credit is icing on the cake!

 

The only negative that I see on these Aviators is the depreciation. A 2020 Grand Touring BL with 20k miles on it is only worth about $65k on trade in—that's $20k depreciation in a year, which is a lot. Within 3 years of ownership, it could be worth less than $50k. 

 

This is my fourth Raptor that I have owned since the Gen 1 V8 Raptors have came out. And all of them have had their value exceptionally well—better than any other mass produced vehicle that I have seen. I can trade in my 2020 Raptor and make about $7k more than what I paid for it since the Gen 2 Raptors are discontinued until the new Gen 3s comes out. So with that and the tax credit, it helps minimize some of the first year depreciation. I could probably put 50k miles on my truck before I see $20k worth of depreciation. 

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I think the early depreciation you see could be attributed to the crappy roll out.  But pretty most all luxury cars outside limited exotics depreciate quick.  Raptors are part of Ford Performance and not mainstream, so just like Shelby's they will do better.  One thing I did not mention is the acceleration, it can get you into trouble.  My second week I was tootling along at 70 trying to get around a car, my cruise was set at 80.  I got the opportunity to pass and very slowly (I thought) went around him on the right.  I had an on ramp coming up on my right and looked down the hill only to see a state trooper coming and noticed the big 95 in my windshield (and it wasn't I95)  He started to tail me so I knew he was running the plate, so I pulled over to save him some trouble.  We had a nice chat, about the Aviator and he let me off with a warning to carefully modulate the throttle in the future.  

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1 hour ago, mustangchief said:

I think the early depreciation you see could be attributed to the crappy roll out.  But pretty most all luxury cars outside limited exotics depreciate quick.  Raptors are part of Ford Performance and not mainstream, so just like Shelby's they will do better.  One thing I did not mention is the acceleration, it can get you into trouble.  My second week I was tootling along at 70 trying to get around a car, my cruise was set at 80.  I got the opportunity to pass and very slowly (I thought) went around him on the right.  I had an on ramp coming up on my right and looked down the hill only to see a state trooper coming and noticed the big 95 in my windshield (and it wasn't I95)  He started to tail me so I knew he was running the plate, so I pulled over to save him some trouble.  We had a nice chat, about the Aviator and he let me off with a warning to carefully modulate the throttle in the future.  

 

I haven't seen a lot of Aviators on the road. So I am curious what the production numbers will be once we get back to normal—if we ever do. Ford produces around 20-25K Raptors per year, which is still quite a lot for them to hold their value so good. 

 

I am going to try and drive one this weekend. What's interesting is that the Aviator weighs about the same as the Raptor given how much all the electric technology weighs. With my Cobb tune on the Raptor, the power numbers are about 525 hp and about 600 lbs tq, so the numbers are similar to the Aviator except the engine size. The Raptor pulls and accelerates extremely quick for its size and having 35" tires. Lol like you, I passed a vehicle on the highway in my Raptor during the summer and got nailed going 20 over—my officer wasn't as cool as yours though. 

 

Edited by DrBabbitt
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21 hours ago, DrBabbitt said:

This is my fourth Raptor that I have owned since the Gen 1 V8 Raptors have came out.

Just curious... are you into serious offroading with your Raptor or are you more into how it looks and the resale value?  In addition to being part of Ford Performance, I think another reason Raptors hold their value so well is its uniqueness.  But that may change with competition from the Ram TRX.

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2 hours ago, CoolScoop said:

Just curious... are you into serious offroading with your Raptor or are you more into how it looks and the resale value?  In addition to being part of Ford Performance, I think another reason Raptors hold their value so well is its uniqueness.  But that may change with competition from the Ram TRX.


I had a 13 Acura MDX Advance package that I loved, but it required premium and I was only getting 15-16 mpg. Back then gas was nearly $5 a gallon, so I said screw it and bought a Raptor because the gas mileage was about the same. I had always loved the look of them on the road. At the time I was also looking at the Lexus LX570, but you could nearly buy two Raptors for the price of one LX570 and the Raptor is SO much more comfortable and sporty to drive compared to the Lexus. People don’t realize how comfortable Raptors are on the road. The off-road suspension and big tires make the truck drive like a dream. No one really knew that the Raptors would hold their value so well, so I just got lucky buying when I did. Moreover, I had very little knowledge in off-roading, but have became an avid off-roader throughout the years and made great friends within the Raptor community. I have traveled all across North America in a Raptor: from the Arctic Circle in Alaska and Western Canada to Cabo in Baja California. Once I found out how well they held their value, it made sense just to trade them in for a new one rather than spending the money to replace the shocks, tires, and so on every couple of years. 
 

The big reason I want to sell my Raptor is because I can’t use it the way I would like to being stuck in Florida. I use to live out West, but I will be here for at least another year and a half. And the Southeast does not have the same type of off-roading that you have out West. So the Aviator checks all the boxes as far as what I would want if I were to get rid of my Raptor. 

Competition is great for the consumer. But I don’t see the TRX affecting the Raptors value. Fiat SRT products depreciate horribly—that doesn’t happen with Raptors. Also, the current Raptor was built/designed in 15-16. So the TRX is 4-5 years newer and the only definite thing it is better at is in HP and TQ. We’ll have to wait and see what Ford does with the Gen 3 Raptor. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by DrBabbitt
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On 10/21/2020 at 10:09 PM, DrBabbitt said:

Thanks for the info! This is exactly what I was looking for. Lol I have looked at nearly every Aviator YouTube videos and web articles that I could find, but no on gave the explanation that you just gave. So I greatly appreciate it! Lots of good information on this thread. 

 

My pleasure!  Having been in your shoes hunting for info before a big purchase I definitely know the feeling of being unsatisfied at all the reviews out there.  Maybe I will start my own Youtube channel one day and post my own reviews.

 

On 10/21/2020 at 10:09 PM, DrBabbitt said:

So I am a little confused on your explanation here. I thought the Aviator would be in hybrid mode anytime that one is not in pure electric mode? That is to say, Excite, Normal, Conserve, Slippery, and Deep condition modes are all in hybrid mode? You make it seem that hybrid mode only comes on once the battery is depleted. So are you talking about once you can no longer drive in pure electric mode, the vehicle will switch back to hybrid mode?  

 

Maybe I have a misunderstanding of the Aviator Series-Hybrid system, but if you cannot drive the vehicle in pure electric mode because the battery is depleted, then you do not have 494 hp and 630 lb tq available correct?

 

Let me clarify: 

 

Whenever you start the vehicle, by default, the drive mode reverts to "Normal" mode (regardless of whatever mode you had it in before as this resets every ignition cycle).  When in Normal mode, IF the battery is charged (either partially or fully) it will generally try to operate on only electric power (EV) only to maximize efficiency and will stay in EV until the battery is depleted then it will switch to hybrid.  There are a couple of exceptions I've noted: 1. if you push the accelerator hard/quickly or floor it, the engine will come on immediately to give you a performance boost;  2. If it is really cold outside and it can't meet the demand for cabin heat on just electric alone (or you turn on max defrost) the engine will come on for several minutes to warm up the engine coolant and provide additional cabin heat.  Once the battery is depleted it will operate in hybrid mode, but understand that battery is never fully depleted it always keeps a certain "reserve charge" and does charge the battery while you're driving in hybrid mode both using the engine and regenerative braking.  Theoretically you could never plug in the vehicle to charge up the battery and it will operate like any other regular hybrid vehicle and as long as you have gas in the tank it will run just fine. 

 

Conserve mode:  Works exactly same as Normal, if there is charge in the battery it will operate in EV until depleted and then switch to hybrid.  The only difference with conserve is it will limit the acceleration a bit and adjust the transmission shifting slightly to supposedly give you a bit better gas mileage.  (I haven't noticed any measurable difference myself)

 

Slippery & Deep Conditions modes:  Engine comes on and stays on, it operates in hybrid regardless of the battery's state of charge.  In Deep conditions mode it will also raise the air suspension a few inches to give you more ground clearance. 

 

PureEV:  This mode is only available if the battery has some charge and your EV range is greater than 0 km/0mi DTE.  It basically will keep it operating in EV until your EV range drops to 0km/0mi then it switches to Normal mode and will operate as hybrid (PureEV mode actually disappears from the screen after).  The difference between PureEV and Normal is that when in PureEV it will not engage the engine right away if you accelerate hard (see exception #1 above) instead a message will pop up in the gauge cluster saying "Please press OK to enable engine".  Exception 2 will still apply for extreme cold, it will turn on the engine automatically to supplement the cabin heat and then a message pops up saying: "Engine enabled for system performance" and the power flow screen will say: Engine On due to: Engine Cold, Climate Setting. 

 

PreserveEV:  In this mode the engine is always on (it doesn't even turn off during decelerating or braking) and only the engine is providing drive power to the wheels because the electric motor is now acting as a generator to recharge the battery.

 

Excite Mode:  Engine comes on and stays on, it will operate in hybrid regardless of the battery's state of charge.  This is where you are guaranteed to get your full 494HP and 630lb/ft of torque as it will always give you the combined drive power of both the engine and electric motor at the same time.  Believe me you feel it.  Accelerator response is much more rapid and it will upshift at higher rpms to give you the sporty performance.  Ironically I noticed that while Excite mode is worse for gas mileage, it is much better at recharging the battery than PerserveEV mode, especially if you downshift manually with the paddle shifters while decelerating and keep the engine rpm higher.  I guess it's because the higher the engine rpm the faster the electric motor spins in sync to regenerate more power.

 

Let me assure you that regardless of whether it is driving on EV only or in hybrid there is always plenty of power, you will not be disappointed.  The electric motor is powerful and because it's situated in tandem with the engine right in front of the torque converter you get the same mechanical advantage of the 10 speed transmission with just the electric motor.  (see my previous posts I put up photos of the cutaway of the 2020 Explorer from the 2019 Toronto Auto show showing the hybrid powertrain or PM me and I can send them to you.)  I have no complaints about the EV performance, it accelerates just fine (although at bit slower than in hybrid) and I can get up to 130km/h (80mph) on the highway no problem in EV mode.   There is a really nice screen available on the center touchscreen called "Power Flow" that has an animation of the vehicle, engine, and battery which shows you exactly what is happening at all times: whether the engine is on or not (and why!), where the drive power is coming from, whether the AWD is powering all 4 wheels or just the rear wheels, etc.

 

Edited by rampagex7
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On 10/22/2020 at 6:44 PM, mustangchief said:

One thing I did not mention is the acceleration, it can get you into trouble.  My second week I was tootling along at 70 trying to get around a car, my cruise was set at 80.  I got the opportunity to pass and very slowly (I thought) went around him on the right.  I had an on ramp coming up on my right and looked down the hill only to see a state trooper coming and noticed the big 95 in my windshield (and it wasn't I95)  He started to tail me so I knew he was running the plate, so I pulled over to save him some trouble.  We had a nice chat, about the Aviator and he let me off with a warning to carefully modulate the throttle in the future.  

 

This is so true!  I find that it is so smooth and quiet you can't tell you're speeding it feels like you're standing still no matter how fast you're going.  And they just brought in photo radar this year on select streets in Toronto so now you don't even have to have a cop tailing you to get nailed with a ticket.  I also don't think the photo radar camera wants to have a discussion about how nice the Aviator is to let you out of a ticket.

 

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