Summary: I love this! I need to cart myself, my two kids, my girl friend, and her three kids around. The 3rd seat is perfect for kids and I have had my entire department in this car and they were comfortable. I get a lot of looks with this car. The 302 Hp V8 is great! I can easily make a night on the town in luxury and then head off to the hills with popup in tow for a weekend in the hills! I love this car! The drive is smooth and it hadnles very well. It is so quiet! It is not so imposing like the Navigator or Suburban, but meets many of my hauling needs. The climate control and everything is great! The AC/Heated seats are great! The controls on the wheel make things real easy. The seats are easy to reconfigure and easily fold away for maximum carrying capacity. It is really easy to pack 5 kids into it, toss in a DVD and make a long haul trip without even a peep from them!
Strengths: Horse power. Passenger capacity. handling. Climate controls. Cargo space. Look and feel. Moon roof! DVD system. It is just great!
Weaknesses: Light colored interior hard to keep clean with kids. Gas milage (I would not be caught dead driving a Mini-Van so this was my only other option!)
Similar Products Used: 1999 Ford Explorer
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Summary: In general, the Aviator is an excellent vehicle. As an unattached person who is always carousing with my friends on the beach in Fort Lauderdale and Miami area, the Aviator has elegance, comfort and an exceptional performance. After 6 months with my 2004 Cadillac SRX, I traded it in for a new Aviator and I absolutely have no remorse. Personally, it’s the best midsize SUV and inexpensive for what it has to offer.
Summary: When looking for a car my priorities were:
1) legroom and comfort for the driver
2) price (either low cash price or low monthly lease payment)
3) four doors with lots of safety features
4) presented a good image (well appointed, 'p i m p ed out' but not too flashy)
5) I enjoyed driving the vehicle
As you can clearly see, the priorities I set forth were fairly broad and fit many vehicles from SUV's to sedans and crossover vehicles. However, I set out for Schaumburg, IL (suburb of Chicago)where there are many automobiles represented and wanted to drive as many that seemed to fit my bill.
To begin with, I test drove the fad cars. I drove the Scion xB (I know I know not exactly well appointed). Nice car, cheap, lots of bells and whistles but underpowered and I felt like a 16 year old driving a milk wagon. Then I drove the Honda Element. Again, lots of neat features but strange looking (my wife hated the car), not very comfortable for 4 adults (the suicide doors are interesting but they basically are like crew cab pickup doors that have to be opened in order to get someone in the back of the car).
Then I got serious and looked at the Cadillac Deville as they had some really good lease rates available. The Deville was very well appointed, comfortable to drive (although there wasn't much legroom for the driver as your right leg is kind of blocked by the lower dash). Rode like a couch on air. However, very stodgy and I felt like I was 60 in the car (I am 34). I also tested the Escalade and SRX which I found to be over priced for the amount of plastic inside. They rode well but they didn't seem like a bargain at all and did not excite me to drive or even occupy.
I looked at the Lexus LS430 and was very impressed by the attention to detail, appointment, stereo system and ride. This $58K vehicle had it all and I liked everything about it but the fact that it seemed to be a car built for older people and although I was impressed by the workmanship, I was bored by the car.
I then looked at the Chrysler 300C and loved the looks on the outside, did not like the interior as it was all plastic, couldn't stand the dealership (they priced these cars over invoice and would not let you drive the car unless you put money down on one - how strangely amusing).
As I drove on, I thought I would drive the Lincoln LS (as I was in sedan mode). I pulled into the lot and got out of my Mini to be greeted by a salesman who complimented my little car. I welcomed the compliment and let him know that I was looking for one with a little more room and comfort. It was nice to drive a go cart for a couple years but I was truly done with the novelty of it. Hany (the salesman) asked what I was looking for. I told him my priorities and said, "I guess I'll look at the LS or towncar". He asked me when I turned 50 and I laughed. Immediately, Hany said I have to look at the Aviator. "A young guy like you should have a car that says something." "Yeah but what." I said. "Get in."
We got in one of the well appointed Aviators and I was impressed with the layout of the dashboard. The tach, speedometer and fuel gauges were white on a black background. There was a cover over the stereo system (that was retractable) and the wooden accents were well placed throughout the cabin. I got into the driver's seat and melted into the leather. Hany turned on the air conditioned seats before I got in and started explaining the features. As the cool seat embraced my back side, I placed the car in drive and headed out of the lot. The car rode just as well as the cadillac deville and had more pickup off the line. It was also quiet, luxuriously appointed and fit my large frame well (I am 6'3"). The stereo was great (no mp3 playback on cd's but hookups for satellite / aux). Lots of bass response.
The back seat was not as big as our x5's but comparable. The third seat would work in a pinch but was otherwise useless. Some neat features were adjustable pedals, split hatchback (window opens or the whole gate lifts up), air conditioned seats, fully functional steering wheel (you can do just about anything from the wheel - volume, change stations/tracks, cruise control, fan speed, temperature, etc.), reclining rear seats, onboard computer (although you don't need to see that you are only getting 5 mph when accellerating).
All in all, I fell in love with the car the minute I drove it and had to take it home with me. I know many people read reviews like this (I did) and I found it very useful to narrow my field of interest. However, I strongly suggest driving as many cars that fit your priority list and only making a selection when you actually find 'the one'. As it turns out, I got a great deal (at least I was happy) and occasionally in the middle of the night I catch myself thinking about the ride in the morning...ahhh.
Strengths: Ride, luxuriously appointed, air conditioned seats, great stereo, visibility and has a great towing package that is hidden until you need it.
Weaknesses: third seat is useless, poor gas mileage
Similar Products Used: BMW x5, Cadillac SRX
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Summary: If you have read the other great reviews about this SUV, then this review is about the same, except...
The second rows leg row SUCKS!
I'm 6'0" and my friends are the same height. When I drive I have the seat all the way back. This leaves no room in the back, even for my 5'0 wife.
Here is a suggestion Lincoln, remove the third row seat(no one can use it), and move the second row back about 6-10 inches and have an optional V6 with about 245 hp.
One problem I did have was that 4 out of 5 NEW Aviators that I tested here in LV had some type of problem that had to serviced. Such as problems with the tires, squeaking and raddling noises.
But the varies dealers did correct all of the problems. It just started to give me a bad feeling about the SUV.
The tires were a problem because the cars sit on the lot for months in 100+ degree tempertures and then develope flat spots. The squeaks and other noises were because they cars were demos that were handled very badly.
Strengths: Smooth ride, lots of features, voice activated radio,cd and nav system, great sound system (get the THX system!), heat/cool seats, very upscaled interior
Weaknesses: 2nd row leg room! 2nd row leg room! 2nd row leg room! 2nd row leg room!
Similar Products Used: Toyota 4Runner
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