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Lincoln Aviator
[[File:LincolnAviator|frameless|upright=1.25|alt=]]
Manufacturer Ford Motor Company
Production 2003–2005
Assembly Hazelwood, Missouri, USA
Successor Lincoln MKX
Class Mid-size sport utility vehicle
Body style(s) 4-door SUV
Layout Front engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Platform Ford U platform
Engine(s) 4.6 L DOHC Modular V8
Transmission(s) 5-speed automatic
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
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. 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 US$39,940 for the base RWD model to US$ 42,890 for the AWD 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 in many ways such as towing and seating capacity, the MKX doesn't properly replace the Aviator. The Aviator was also sold alongside the Mercury Mountaineer, another clone of the Explorer which offered an identical equipment list to the Aviator.

Sales[]

Calendar Year American sales
2002[3] 1,856
2003 29,517
2004[4] 23,644
2005 15,873
2006[5] 1,711

References[]

Smallwikipedialogo This page uses some content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Lincoln Aviator. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons by Attribution License and/or GNU Free Documentation License. Please check page history for when the original article was copied to Wikia


  1. "Lincoln's derailed gravy train hitches to another car." Car and Driver, December 2002.
  2. "The Bradsher Bunch", Car and Driver, January 2003.
  3. "Ford's F-Series Truck Caps 22nd Year in a Row as America's Best-Selling Vehicle With a December Sales Record". Theautochannel.com (2004-11-17). Retrieved on 2009-04-28.
  4. "Ford Achieves First Car Sales Increase Since 1999". Theautochannel.com (2004-11-17). Retrieved on 2009-04-28.
  5. "Ford Motor Company 2007 sales" (January 3, 2008).

External links[]

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