The first appearance of the Aviator nameplate on a Lincoln production vehicle was on the mid-size luxury SUV slotting below the Navigator that went on sale in 2002 as a 2003 model, offering both RWD and 4WD configurations. Performance was relatively solid as it shared the same 4.6 liter DOHC modular V8 as the Ford Mustang Mach 1 and the Mercury Marauder sports sedan, in which 302 horsepower, 2 more than that time's Navigator, was produced. As part of Lincoln's shift away from 3-letter model names (e.g., MKX), the nameplate of this SUV is scheduled to return in 2019 to replace the MKT.
Image date: September 2017