2022 Lincoln Aviator Review
2022 Lincoln Aviator
3.0 Liter Twin Turbo V6 w/100 HP DC Motor
494 HP / 630 TQ
Base Price: $68,680
MPG: 18 as observed
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Guy who did stuff: Yousef Alvi
This is the 2022 Lincoln Aviator Plug in Hybrid. Let’s go ahead and break it down:
The Great
Interior
Styling
Power
Interior!
Who would’ve thought back in the early 2000s that nowadays, every Lincoln vehicle, has a class leading interior? Not me. Back then, Lincoln was known for it’s plastic fantastic interiors and Ford rebadging exteriors. Today though, there is a clear and distinct difference in the two brands and with this Aviator the interior piece is key. It’s switchgear has substance and heft, the material quality of the seats and dashboard and exquisite and it’s noise isolation is sublime. This Aviator proves American Automakers (when properly motivated) can build an interior that can rival the world’s best.
Styling
The Aviator’s styling is an exercise in subtlety and I love it for it. While every other luxury automaker design language tends to look like a LSD fueled rampage, this Aviator is sleek, modern and just damn good! It’s classically good looking. There are no gaping grills, odd angles, weird trim or anything else that is different for different sakes…just a pure, simple design that is timeless.
Power
Our tester is the hybrid unit so it’s pairing a 3.0 Liter Twin Turbo V6 along with a 76 kWh DC motor. Add those together you get 494 HP and 630 ft/lbs of torque but the way the 630 ft/lbs comes online is what makes this special. It’s explosive! Oh it ain’t seamless at all but when it all comes together the Aviator will explode forward in a way that nothing else in this segment can touch.
The Good
Gas Mileage
Gas Mileage
Another tremendous benefit of our tester’s hybrid system is, obviously, efficiency. We got 18 MPG in mixed driving, which for a bazillion pound 3 row crossover is borderline amazing. Add that to the fact that a third of those accumulated miles were on pure EV…adds to the wow factor to this Aviator
The Bad
Second Row Legroom
Second Row Legroom
The second row legroom is much tighter than you expect on this Aviator. Not sure how it’s possible because on the outside, it looks like this should have Q7 rivaling amount of interior space but the Aviator just feels tight in all rows of seating.
The Ugly
…Clunktastic
Clunknation
Seems to be a reoccurring theme in FoMoCo vehicles as of late but if you’re expecting an old school Towncar levels of wafting power delivery…then let’s reset your expectations. It’s not close. Juggling between EV and ICE modes is clumsy and when the ICE engine does comes on…it sounds like it is being fueled by gravel.
It’s rough, coarse and rather unrefined in low RPMs and startup. Start wringing out though and the gasser comes alive and actually sounds amazing!
Flooring the Aviator is a crash course in drivetrain logic behind the wheel. It takes so long for the ECU to figure out what to do, you can in real time, follow along with logic train!
IE: You floor the gas
ECU then goes:
Where should I send the power?
Which powerplant should I use? Should I use both? How much boost should I use?
Which gear should I be in?
What should I do about the traction control?
If it wasn’t so irritating it would be kinda fun in a very nerdy way.
Overall:
If you’re looking for a handsome, three row luxury crossover this 2022 Lincoln Aviator should be on the top of your list. Yes, even with it’s indecisive drivetrain, the Aviator’s overall demeanor cannot be matched.
