2003 Lincoln Aviator

Surely, there has to be a gas station, a grocery store, something on this winding stretch of desolate road, I thought. I was hopelessly lost looking for a school I’d never heard of way out town. It was my son’s first middle-school baseball game, and I wasn’t going to miss it. After driving for two hours, passing school buses from three different counties and asking directions twice, I finally reached my destination in time to see the last few innings. The moral to this story: Beware of directions obtained over the Internet.

The bright side of my unexpected afternoon journey was it gave me ample time to get well acquainted with the Aviator, Lincoln’s brand spanking new mid-sized SUV. From an initial long stretch of interstate to pot-holed rural highways, winding back roads and countless U-turns, bat-turns and oh-I-missed-the-turns, this Aviator and I covered all the bases in those two hours. I was grateful for its good company.

The Good News
It’s no secret the Aviator springs from the Explorer, Ford’s best-selling SUV. But this is no call-it-a-Lincoln-and-charge-a-fortune routine. Ford has endowed the Aviator with much that distinguishes it from the Explorer and the Mercury Mountaineer, another upscale take on the Explorer.

In fact, it’s the Mountaineer that seems most at risk here with the Aviator’s introduction, since it has been considered the midsize luxury rig in Ford’s lineup. The Aviator takes all that to new levels of ritz, performance and, of course, price.

The Aviator mimics the full-size Navigator’s styling inside and out. That’s good news if you want to look exactly like your popular big brother, bad news if you hoped for a little identity of your own.

Where this copycat approach works best, I think, is inside. The fine leather, burled wood and brushed stainless interior goes a long way towards overcoming any lingering notions this is an Explorer. The full complement of luxury accessories includes heated and air conditioned seats, power lumbar support, eight separate controls on the steering wheel for audio, climate and cruise, great sound system and more. It’s tres, tres uptown.

But what impresses me most about this Aviator is its performance confidence. Beneath the hood is a retuned version of the aluminum 4.6-liter twin cam 32-valve V-8 available in Ford’s Mustang Mach 1. Here it produces 302 horses at 5,750 rpm and 300 lb-ft torque at 3250 rpm. That’s 63 more horses than the Mountaineer and even a couple beyond the Navigator.

But the Aviator doesn’t come off as rushed. Instead, in the capable hands of the standard five-speed automatic transmission, acceleration continually responds much better than you think it will, especially at highway speed.

Making this all the more rewarding is new engineering that gives this Aviator ride and handling unlike any Explorer I’ve ever driven. Speed-sensitive steering that adjusts perceptibly and feels more precise overall, shocks and springs unique to the Aviator that enhance ride and handling, fully independent suspension, a marked absence of the jogging and floating sensation often associated with sport utilities: All of these work in concert to create a first-class experience for driver and passenger.

Speaking of passengers, the Aviator accommodates either six or seven, depending on whether you get a second-row bench or dual buckets separated by a big console like the Navigator. All Aviators come with a third row for two passengers that can be folded flat, along with the second row (either buckets or bench) for 77 cubic feet of cargo. The third row is actually designed for full-grown people with legs, although they probably wouldn’t have been too happy to be along for my afternoon wanderings.

Four-wheel-drive is optional on the Aviator. Mine was equipped with the full-time all-wheel-drive setup whereby torque is split 35/65 front to rear unless slippage occurs, at which point power transfers to the axle with more grip. There is no low-range transfer case.

The Aviator will eventually add AdvanceTrac, another torque-on-demand system that sends 100 percent of torque to the rear in normal driving conditions and can automatically shift all that to the front if the rear slips. It can move if only one wheel has traction without locking differentials that add weight, according to Ford.

The Bad News
Having just driven the new midsize Lexus GX470, two things stood out about this Aviator. One is air bags: The Aviator offers no side airbags and its side curtain airbag (i.e. rollover head protection) only covers the first and second rows.

The second is headroom. Although the Aviator boasts its front-seat headroom and legroom are “best in class,” my 6’1” husband’s scalp scraped the ceiling. He really felt confined. That wasn’t the case with the Lexus, and both had sunroofs that typically cut into headroom.

In general, the Aviator has a more closed-in feeling than the GX470, even though legroom is exceptionally good. But this intimacy can also be an asset because it makes the Aviator seem smaller and more manageable. I think it’s one of the things people like about the Explorer.

I was also disappointed to find the Navigator/Expedition’s fabulous electronic tailgate open/close and folding third-row seat aren’t available on the Aviator. But folding the Aviator’s third seat manually is very easy.

Gas mileage
EPA rated at 13 mpg city/18 highway

Price
Manufacturer’s base, $45,125;
Price as tested, $50,935

Is it worth it?
As shocking as these prices are for a mid-sized sport utility, there are not out of line with the luxury competition. The big exception is the Acura MDX, which compares favorably in features and performance and leads the class in things like cargo room, but costs under $40,000. The MDX is based on a minivan versus the Aviator’s truck underpinnings, but the likelihood of either spending much time off-road is slim to none.

That said, I think Ford has done a commendable job crafting this Aviator. It is definitely a big leap up the luxury ladder from either the Explorer or Mountaineer, so there won’t be any unfortunate blurring of lines there. That’s important not only from the standpoint of justifying the price, but also so people willing to shell out this kind of cabbage can rest assured no one will think they’re driving a Ford.

Nor will they feel like they are. The Aviator is in every way a Lincoln and gives this luxury line a viable midsize contender in a formidable class.

Beth Stein is a life-long car buff and free-lance journalist living in Nashville. She has reviewed new vehicles in print for 12 years as a weekly columnist for Nashville's daily newspapers and on television for Road Test Magazine and Motor Trend Television. Currently, her reviews appear nationally on Car And Driver Television.