Back before Lincoln set about to confuse everyone with its ludicrous, MK-whatever naming scheme, it sold an SUV called the Aviator. The Aviator nameplate sounded cool, it seemed appropriate for a vehicle that was junior to the high-profile Navigator, and it was affixed to what was effectively a gussied-up Ford Explorer. Although the Aviator was more convincingly gussied-up than most badge-engineered jobs—with a more powerful engine and unique suspension tuning—slow sales saw it grounded in 2005 after only three years. Now, however, comes word that Lincoln will give the Aviator its wings again.
According to a report in Automotive News, Lincoln will resurrect the Aviator nameplate, and it will once again be affixed to a Ford Explorer–based SUV. That would be the upcoming, redesigned Explorer, with the attendant Lincoln Aviator arriving, it is speculated, in early 2019. The new three-row is part of a plan to introduce or resurrect four new Ford or Lincoln SUV nameplates—including a Bronco—within four years.
“But wait,” you might say, “Lincoln already has an Explorer-based, three-row crossover: the MKT.” Well, grasshopper, in the great circle of life, when some new things fly, old things sometimes must die, and in this case that old thing is the MKT. Although we’re not sure how to break this news to Ezra Dyer, who is the only person we know who actually owns one.
The good news is that with the arrival this fall of the Continental (replacing the MKS) and the upcoming Aviator, Lincoln finally seems to be coming down from its MK-everything madness. Now can we get a Zephyr? Or a Cosmopolitan? Actually, a Cosmopolitan would be pretty good right about now.
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