Why the Lincoln Aviator flew the coop

Today’s vehicle is one that could be counted as a sales failure, but it’s actually a decent vehicle.  For whatever reason (probably the price and its mini-me looks that take after its big sibling) it just didn’t take off with buyers the way it should have.  I bring you the Lincoln Aviator.  Like Howard Hughes, about whom there was a movie made called The Aviator (starring Leonardo DiCaprio), the Lincoln Aviator is a bit of an odd duck, but this contraption is definitely no Spruce Goose

Without any context for scale in the photographs, you might think you’re looking at a first generation Navigator.  The Navigator shares its platform with Ford’s Expedition, whereas the Aviator shares its platform with Ford’s Explorer.  The Explorer was a great success for Ford, and the Navigator went over well with Lincoln shoppers, so a combination of the two ought to have been a home run for Lincoln.  That was not the case.

This isn’t the first flop that Lincoln had.  In fact, just prior to bringing the Aviator to the public, Lincoln made fewer than 3,000 units of a pimped-out truck called the Blackwood.  Those trucks had a starting price of over $50,000 and were so preciously detailed and so ornate that they more or less negated their truck-ness.  They were gorgeous, though ridiculous, technically functional, but so elaborately ostentatious and so over-wrought that you’d feel like a real scumbag if you actually tried to use one to muscle through any hard work.  - I tell you this now; the Blackwood (a pristine or well preserved example) will prove to be a good investment some day if bought well now, due to its rarity and the elaborate detail they featured…  But the Blackwood isn’t today’s featured vehicle.

The Aviator wasn’t quite the sales flop that the Blackwood was, but it didn’t sell like expected.  Production ran from 2002-2005, and after the 2006 model year (made in 05), it was replaced by one of those dreaded alphabetical designation names, the MKX which was Lincoln’s version of the Ford Edge, and no longer used the Explorer platform -Why!!!!  Aviator is a perfectly good name, just like Zephyr was.  It wasn’t the name that flopped, it was a combination of other things like price point and not carving out its own significant niche.

The Lincoln Aviator is probably not going to be the future gem that I predict the Blackwood will be.  However, these are decent and solid rigs with lots of nice options that can be had for small sums of money at present.  The one we’re looking at today was sitting in the fresh trade row at a Ford dealership a couple weeks ago.  I suspect that the age (2005) and mileage (unknown) made this particular Aviator destined for the auto auction, where it will be snapped up by some used car lot and priced probably around $12,500 or more (depending on what that mileage was).  Prices I found online varied between around $7,000 on up to around $15,000 depending on mileage and whether or not the rig is RWD or AWD.

The Aviator’s AWD system was able to split the power it sent to the wheels, with 65% directed to the rear and 35% to the front.  I’m a big fan of AWD for its ability to get things going in the winter as well as its capability to claw through road ruts of snow along the streets that could otherwise rail-skid you into a curb or worse.  The sure-footedness of an AWD system is something that a lot of people will scoff at, saying that with proper snow tires and RWD you can do just fine.  Well, I drive a RWD car with some pretty nice winter tires through Minnesota winters, and even I’ll say that AWD beats the pants off my car when the weather gets crappy.  Couple the system with some winter tires, and nothing short of completely bottoming out in deep snow will stop you from clawing your way through snow, sleet, mud or loose roadways.  

Beyond being a downsized Navigator on an Explorer platform, the Aviator featured the heart of the Mustang of its day: a 4.6L DOHC V8 that was good for 302 HP and 300 lb-ft of torque.  A vehicle that is comprised of goodies from the Navigator, the Explorer AND the Mustang?  How on earth did it fail to strike a chord with buyers?  Perhaps it just looked too much like the Navigator, and why settle for the baby Nav when you can get the big one for a bit more?  At the price point, a potential Aviator buyer could get a well-loaded Ford Expedition and have a bigger rig with more capability.  Yes, the Aviator and the Navigator were nice looking SUVs, and the Aviator had a great interior, too.  But it needed to strike out on its own instead of hanging out in its big brother’s shadow.  Too late now, though.  The Aviator has flown off into the sunset.