The Lincoln Aviator announced that the brand was back with a vengeance in 2018 with a bold, sleek, technically adept, new luxury 3-row SUV. For the 2020 model year, the Aviator is on the receiving end of a slew of upgrades and one of those is in the place where the driver and passengers spend 100% of their time. Part of the push from Lincoln in the next model year is in cutting edge design, and the seats are no exception.

The new 30-position seats are the result of a collaboration between Lincoln and Herman Miller, the company that started American Modernism, and then brought us the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. For people that appreciate a next-level office chair, it's also the same company that brought us the Aeron Chair. Unfortunately for those that appreciate an office but are forced to work in a cubicle, they also invented those as well.

But the new Aviator seats are something very special, unlike a cubicle. Barrons sat in an Aviator with John Aldrich, chief engineer for new product development at Miller, and asked about the new seats. According to Aldrich, the most noticeable place where we see the company's influence is in the bolsters. "They adjust- flatter when the car isn't moving for easy entry and egress, and more prominent on a country road when the driver and passenger need protection from side-to-side movement," he says.

While we've seen new vehicles with adjustable bolsters, the idea here is more to do with wear and tear. Those of us with older cars have seen how bolsters can suffer over time. That speaks to the thought and detail Herman Miller has put into the seats, and it goes further than the bolsters. Most premium and luxury companies do a decent job with lumbar support and adjustability, but Herman Miller has also considered thoracic adjustment, which takes into account how the human neck can suffer on a long journey.

Putting that much attention into wear and tear as well as comfort bodes well for Lincoln. The fact that Lincoln commissioned the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to record the chimes to remind people about their seatbelt and leaving the door ajar is even more of a sign Lincoln wants to build the next level of luxury vehicles.