Used 2021 Lincoln Aviator Plug-in Hybrid
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2021 Lincoln Aviator Review
byBrent Romans
Senior Manager, Written Content
Brent Romans has worked in the automotive industry since 1996. He has written or edited thousands of expert car reviews and road-tested hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Brent is a senior manager of written content at Edmunds and previously contributed to publications such as Super Street and Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road. His personal car is a 2019 BMW M2 Competition, which he bought for its ideal combination of performance, style and practicality.
Pros
- Upscale design inside and out
- Surprising acceleration
- Lots of advanced features
- Supremely quiet inside
Cons
- Doesn't have an abundance of headroom
- Overly soft handling saps driver confidence
- Subpar visibility to the front and rear
- Clunky transition from electric to gas power
What's new
- Minor changes to option and appearance packages
- Part of the second Aviator generation introduced for 2020
Overview
The Lincoln Aviator is a three-row midsize luxury SUV based on the Ford Explorer. This new generation debuted just last year and takes its place between the bigger Navigator and the smaller MKC. It's priced competitively against its European rivals, though alternatives from Acura and Infiniti are more affordable.
The second-generation Aviator comes standard with a strong 400-horsepower turbocharged V6 engine. There's also a plug-in hybrid powertrain that Lincoln fits to the Grand Touring trim level. It increases output to 494 hp and delivers an estimated 21 miles of electric-only propulsion. Overall, we like the Aviator, though it has a few flaws that keeps it from being our top-ranked midsize luxury SUV. Check out our Expert Rating to get our in-depth take on the 2021 Aviator.
Edmunds Expert Rating
good
7.8/10
Edmunds Rating
Our VerdictThe Edmunds Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.
There's a lot to like about the all-new Lincoln Aviator. The top-notch interior, the modern tech and the excellent ride quality are all great. But the plug-in hybrid version is a bit of an odd duck. It has a useful electric range and impressive straight-line speed, and it offers better fuel economy than the standard Aviator. But it's also only exclusively available as a top-level Touring trim and that will cost you quite a bit of extra money.
Rated for you by America's best test team.
Which Aviator does Edmunds recommend?
The standard Grand Touring has a wealth of features and will be enough for most people. Just make sure to get a model with the Lincoln Co-Pilot360 Plus package for its advanced driver safety aids.
2021 Lincoln Aviator models
The Aviator is a three-row SUV that comes in five trim levels: Standard, Reserve, Black Label, Grand Touring and Grand Touring Black Label. The first three are powered by a turbocharged V6 engine, while the latter two are equipped with the more powerful hybrid version. Rear-wheel drive is standard with optional all-wheel drive on the first two trims — all others are AWD-only. A 10-speed automatic transmission is standard across the board.