About the Lincoln AviatorThe Lincoln Aviator is a mid-size, luxury SUV. It is a front-engine vehicle available in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. A four-door SUV, the Aviator is capable of seating six. It features front and second row bucket seats and a third row bench seat. Although cargo capacity is limited when the third row seating is not flipped forward, this improves significantly when the rear seats are folded. With ample passenger room and many safety features, the Aviator is an ideal vehicle for a large family.Built with a 4.6-liter V8 engine with 302 horsepower, the Aviator gets 13 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway for the front-wheel drive model. This decreases with the all-wheel drive model. The Aviator rides more like a truck than a car, and although this can be seen as a disadvantage in some circumstances, the towing capacity for the all-wheel drive model of 7100 lbs. is an impressive testament to the car's power. It comes standard with the five-speed automatic transmission and offers 78.3 cubic feet of storage when the rear seat is folded down,... View more though this decreases to 12.4 cubic feet when the rear seat is in place. Introduced by Ford Motor Company in 2003, the Lincoln Aviator was supposed to be Lincoln's answer to the popularity of mid-size SUV's. It was designed to compete against other midsize luxury SUV's, including the Cadillac SRX and the Lexus GX. It received several positive press reviews upon its debut, but a daunting sticker price and difficulty distinguishing the brand from the Ford Explorer, which shared many of its characteristics, resulted in generally poor sales. The Aviator was discontinued in 2005. During its three years in production, it was assembled exclusively at Ford's St. Louis assembly plant in Missouri. The Lincoln Aviator did not distinguish itself the way many of its competitors did in terms of luxury, but it still offered plenty of features. Rear parking distance sensors and radar are available, while dedicated rear climate control is standard. The steering wheel is fitted with wood and leather and the driver side door mirror and seat are equipped with memory adjustment technology. Wood or wood grain is fitted to the interior door panels, dashboard and gear knob. Roof rails are standard, so modification to accommodate surfboards, kayaks or travel tops is simple. Furthering its outdoor functionality, the Aviator comes standard with the trailer preparation tow hook already in place. Despite its short production run, the Lincoln Aviator received favorable reviews from the press. In a comparison test of mid-size SUV's undertaken by Car and Driver, the magazine noted that it was the car's price and lack of a few key luxury features that kept it from taking the top spot. The Lincoln Aviator is considered a high-quality vehicle View less | |||
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