Behind the Wheel

The updated 2025 Aviator still handles well, with accurate steering, an eagerness to corner rare in American SUVs, and a silky-smooth personality. Still, a few minor quibbles keep it from holistic excellence. We’d prefer, for example, a mode between Normal and Excite that controls body roll a little better than the former without the heavy steering of the latter. An Individual mode would hit the spot, but you'd still have to select it every time you start the SUV, as the Aviator doesn’t retain mode selections across ignition cycles.

All Aviators feature Ford’s excellent BlueCruise hands-free driving assist, which works on pre-mapped highways and interstates. In our Aviator test vehicle, it was quite good at staying within its lane, and we appreciate that it can execute lane changes, although not automatically. You must first tap the turn signal stalk to prompt the system to look for an opening.

Pricing is about right on the money for this segment, as well. The Aviator opens at about 60 grand, and our Reserve II model—about as loaded as you can get without stepping up to the ultrafancy Black Label—cost $81,875 as tested. That included Lincoln’s Co-Pilot360 active and passive safety equipment, BlueCruise, the Jet blackout trim package, 22-inch wheels, the Dynamic Handling package with air suspension, and the Luxury package. The latter added 30-way power front seats, glorious 28-speaker Revel audio, and a pile of advanced exterior lighting features. Suffice it to say there wasn’t a whole lot more we wished our Aviator had (except that big screen).

The 2025 Aviator’s biggest problems aren't with itself—they're the Nautilus and Navigator. When customers stroll into a Lincoln showroom and see those SUVs’ stunning interior reinventions with 48 inches of digital space atop their dashboards, the Aviator may look unimpressive by comparison. But that’s simply the surface; go deeper and live with and drive the Aviator, and you find an impressive alternative to the usual German luxury SUVs with a personality and look all its own. It may not have taken the giant leap forward of its showroom mates, but the improvements made to what was already a fine SUV make it a welcome part of Lincoln’s ongoing renaissance.

2025 Lincoln Aviator (AWD) Specifications
BASE PRICE	$63,025
PRICE AS TESTED	$83,070
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, AWD, 6-pass, 4-door SUV
ENGINE	3.0L Twin-turbo direct-injected DOHC 24-valve 60-degree V-6
POWER (SAE NET)	400 hp @ 5,500 rpm
TORQUE (SAE NET)	415 lb-ft @ 3,000 rpm
TRANSMISSION	10-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	5,142 lb (51/49%)
WHEELBASE	119.1 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	199.3 x 79.6 x 69.6 in
0-60 MPH	5.6 sec
QUARTER MILE	14.2 sec @ 97.7 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	118 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.82 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	27.2 sec @ 0.67 g (avg)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	17/25/20 mpg
EPA RANGE, COMB	404 miles
ON SALE	Now