2024 Lincoln Aviator Review: The Bold And The Beautiful

When it comes to midsize luxury SUVs, it is often hard to beat what the Europeans are offering, but the 2024 Lincoln Aviator makes a strong case to buy American. It offers three rows of rather spacious seating and comes outfitted with a capable twin-turbocharged V6 engine that makes 400 horsepower for up to all four wheels. It may lack the driving dynamics of the BMW X5, and it may not be quite as high-value as the Genesis GV80, but it is arguably just as good, if not better, than the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne in key areas. This should earn it a spot on any buyer's shortlist, although some may opt to wait for the rumored electric variant due in 2025.

New for 2024

The changes to the new Lincoln Aviator SUV are minimal, but, importantly, the hybrid powertrain isn't being offered for 2024. Less noteworthy is that the base trim we've known as the Standard trim has been renamed to Premiere.

2024 Lincoln Aviator Price: Which One to Buy

A quick look at the price of the 2024 Lincoln Aviator leaves no doubt in the mind that this is a luxury car. The base-level Premiere will cost you $53,340, while the Reserve carries a $59,005 price tag. At the upper echelons, the MSRP of the Black Label is set at $80,725. These prices do not include the mandatory $1,395 destination fee, taxes, or registration.

While the Black Label is far outside the reach of many, the Reserve is only slightly more expensive than the Premiere, comparatively speaking. It gets you some nice upgrades, too, such as quad-zone climate control, a panoramic vista roof, a wireless camera, and a 14-speaker Revel sound system.

Interior and Features

The expansive cabin combines minimalist styling with a tech-laden console to maximize the space and give a sense of driver agency.

There are definite minimalist elements around the interior, with only a few physical buttons and slim, inobtrusive air vents, but the enormous touchscreen mounted to the top of the dashboard and a broad center console hit at a more tech-savvy approach. Things are presented quite cleanly, but you wouldn't mistake this for a European luxury car. On the plus side, it offers plenty of space and a good amount of cargo space for a three-row SUV, and the build quality is far from shoddy.

Space

The Aviator boasts more interior space than almost any competitor, although the way that is divided over three rows of seats may be questionable. Those located in the back may question rather loudly, as 29.2 inches of legroom is very little. You'd want to reserve these positions for kids or young teens. The second and third rows are far more generous and headroom is never bad. From the Reserve up, the bench in the middle is swapped out for captain's chairs, reducing capacity to six, but making it easier to access the third row. That aside, getting inside is generally quite easy, and the driver will appreciate the power-adjustable seat.

Cargo

The cabin of the Aviator is spacious, so it makes sense that there is still a decent amount of room left behind the rear-most seats - 18.3 cubic feet, to be exact. That's great for a seven-seater, but if you need more, you can fold down those back seats to free up 41.8 cu-ft. For maximum hailing capability, all but the front row can be folded down to allow for 77.7 cubes.

For smaller items, the cabin offers a spacious glove compartment, ample pockets in each door, and a very sizeable central cubby under the armrest. The front cupholders are hidden beneath a sliding cover, while those in the back are located in the fold-down armrest.

Materials and Colors

The standard upholstery for most premium cars is leatherette, and that is the case here. The materials are quite high quality, but interior colors are limited to Ebony and Sandstone. Upgrading to the Reserve gets you leather and adds Ebony Roast to the palette. It also swaps out the brushed aluminum trim for wood. Rather than simple upholstery colors, the Black Label comes with one of three distinct themes: Chalet (light gray), Flight (tan), and Destination (dark brown). They get Silverwood, Darker Full Engine, and Mahogany Khaya appliques, respectively.

Features and Infotainment

From the base level, a ten-way power driver's seat and eight-way passenger seat are standard, along with tri-zone climate control, heated front seats, intelligent access with push-button start, remote engine start, a 10.1-inch central touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, onboard Wi-Fi, SiriusXM, and nine speakers. A few extra comforts come with the Reserve, such as quad-zone climate control, a power steering wheel with memory, a panoramic vista roof, and a wireless charging pad. It also gets a premium 14-speaker Revel sound system, HD Radio, and SiriusXM Traffic. The Black Label is all about opulence and boasts 30-way power front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front and second-row seats, a head-up display, and a 28-speaker Revel Ultima audio setup.

Performance

With 400 horsepower front a twin-turbo V6, the Aviator is hard to beat in a straight line, though it struggles a little with corners.

Lincoln is all about business on the surface and excitement under the hood, which is why the Aviator gets an impressive 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine that develops 400 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque. These outputs even put the BMW X5 to shame. A rear-wheel drivetrain is standard on all but the Black Label, which gets the optional AWD right from the get-go. A ten-speed automatic transmission smoothly shifts the gears for you, though paddle shifters allow you to take control when you want. The Lincoln Aviator takes around 5.4 seconds to go from 0-60 mph, although heavier models with more equipment and AWD can take a little longer, according to independent tests. Top speed is listed as 145 mph.

Unfortunately, as refined as the Aviator has become, it still can't compete with its German rivals in terms of handling. It accelerates quickly in a straight line, but when you throw some curves at it, the heavy SUV loses its confidence. This is a potent beast designed for effortless city cruising, as evidenced by its cushy suspension that just laughs are bumps in the road. Considering it was designed for moving large families in luxury, the lack of handling feedback is hardly a huge concern.

Fuel Efficiency

Though not particularly efficient, the Aviator gets amicable gas mileage for such a high-powered vehicle. In standard RWD guise, the Lincoln Aviator gets 18/26/21 mpg across the city/highway/combined. The AWD models are heavier, but there is an optional stop-start function to help offset this, so they still manage 17/24/20 mpg. A fuel capacity of 20.2 gallons sees the Lincoln SUV cover between 404 and 424 miles, depending on drivetrain.

Safety

Few rivals can match the Lincoln Aviator's near-perfect safety ratings, though the IIHS's stricter updated tests don't see it qualify for a Top Safety Pick award anymore.

Regarded as one of the safer SUVs in the USA, the Lincoln Aviator earned top scores of Good from the IIHS in every category, although the headlights on lower trims didn't get much praise. The NHTSA gave it five stars in every category save for rollover crashes, which got four stars.

Standard safety features include eight airbags, ABS, EBD, traction and stability control, a rearview camera, pre-collision warning with automatic braking, pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, and automatic LED headlights. The upper trims add lane keep assist, a surround-view camera, traffic jam assist, traffic sign recognition, and Active Park Assist 2.0.

US NHTSA Crash Test Result

Reliability

Some homegrown SUVs suffer from poor reliability records, and while the Avaitor's score of 79 out of 100 may seem good enough, the car was recalled five times in 2023 and eight times in 2022. Reasons included no rearview camera image, loose bolts in the transmission, and seat belt warning system malfunctions. So far, 2024 is recall-free, but it's still early days.

The warranty for the 2024 Lincoln Aviator is quite good, with basic repairs covered for four years/50,000 miles, and the powertrain maintained for six years/70,000 miles.

Warranty

Design

Lincoln maintains its understated styling for another year, though we expect to see this change soon. For now, you get a rather small grille and hard-to-remember LED headlights. There are somewhat non-descript LED light bars just under the headlamps. The styling at the back is bolder with twin strips for the brakes and reverse lights running the total width of the vehicle. The tailgate is power-operated as standard, and the quad exhausts are split between two outlets at either end of the bumper. Upper trims get fog lights and a panoramic vista roof, and the Black Label has soft-close doors. Starting with 19-inch alloys, the Aviator upgrades to 20-inchers and ultimately 22s on the top trim.

Verdict: Is The 2024 Lincoln Aviator A Good SUV?

Lincoln has done an excellent job of bringing the 2024 Aviator up to par with what the Europeans are offering in the segment, but it still manages to maintain its key strengths. These include a potent powertrain, loads of interior space, and a good list of standard features. Its weaknesses also aren't serious concerns of buyers in the segment, such as a high price tag and poor fuel economy, but the unengaging handling might deter some. For a car that comes with three rows and stellar safety ratings, it is the ideal luxury family hauler, but there are some good alternatives out there, like the GV80.