{"id":3400,"date":"2026-02-15T13:00:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T18:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/?p=3400"},"modified":"2026-02-24T11:51:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T16:51:13","slug":"review-2026-lincoln-aviator-last-years-model","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/review-2026-lincoln-aviator-last-years-model\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Is the 2026 Lincoln Aviator actually last year’s model?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 Lincoln Aviator is traditionally the middle child of the lineup. Not as expensive, large, or extravagant as the flagship Navigator, but arguably a step up from the entry level Corsair and often slightly odd, outlying, Nautilus.<\/p>\n

But now the Corsair is dead, the Nautilus is the \u201clittle\u201d one, and there\u2019s potentially more focus on the \u201cmiddle child.\u201d To make matters worse, everyone else in the family has recently gotten a pretty significant makeover, while Lincoln has left the Aviator out so far.<\/p>\n

So is the 2026 model still good value? Or is it a bit of a relic at this point after getting a bit ignored by Lincoln? After a week of testing, here\u2019s what I think.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an elephant in the room with the 2026 Lincoln Aviator<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Dave McQuilling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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While the Aviator is still a solid luxury SUV, there\u2019s something about it you can\u2019t really ignore. Its siblings (well, the surviving ones) have all received a major<\/em> upgrade over the past few years. That upgrade incorporates things like \u201cdigital scents,\u201d a deeply relaxing \u201cLincoln Rejuvenate\u201d mode, and most importantly: a very nice full-dash display.<\/p>\n

None of these upgrades are vital for a vehicle to function, and aside from the display you won\u2019t even be missing out that much. But there will be a sense you\u2019ll have splashed out for less than you would have received if you waited a few months. Especially as central touch screens in general may be seen as archaic in the near future<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t work for Lincoln, so I can\u2019t say for certain when or even if the Aviator will get a refresh that brings it up to date with the rest of the lineup. But logically, it will be happening this year and rolled out with the 2027 models. So if you can cling on until fall, you may get a more modern vehicle for a similar price.<\/p>\n

The quality of the Lincoln Aviator\u2019s interior is very high<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Dave McQuilling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Go back 15 to 20 years, and you\u2019ll find yourself in a bad era for luxury cars. The interior of something like a Lincoln was a showcase of corner cutting. Instead of actual chrome fittings you\u2019d get plastic with a foil coating. Instead of leather and wood, you\u2019d get an excessive amount of cheap feeling plastic.<\/p>\n

This is no longer the case. In recent years, Lincolns have had stunning interiors. The Aviator is no exception. Expect plenty of leather and metal, with any plastic that is involved being of high quality. In terms of differences between the Lincoln and other \u201cluxury\u201d models, there isn\u2019t a ton of wood. This does, in a way, give it a more modern feel. But a bit of walnut, oak, or ash is a solid indicator you\u2019re in a \u201cluxury\u201d car, and I do wonder if its absence may affect people\u2019s perceptions on a sub-conscious level.<\/p>\n

Other interior features include heated and ventilated seats, a 28-speaker Revel Ultima 3D Audio System, and a massage function. Though the 28-speaker system was a pricy extra on the trim I tested, coming as part of an $8,000 optional package that adds things like an illuminated star and auto-air refresh. It\u2019s only included as standard with the \u201cBlack Label\u201d trim, and lesser trims default to a 14 or 10-speaker system.<\/p>\n

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Credit: Dave McQuilling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The massage seats are some of the best in the business. Is it the same as giving someone $200 to punch you in the spine at a spa? Obviously not. But both front seats have a heavily adjustable massage system and it is pretty relaxing. Contrast that with something like the Cadillac Lyriq, which may as well have just not bothered, or the Genesis GV80 which has a brilliant massage seat, but only for the driver outside of the top trims.<\/p>\n

The audio system is also superb. Couple it with parent company Ford\u2019s Android Auto\/Apple Car Play-friendly infotainment system and you can blast out your Spotify playlist within seconds of starting the vehicle. My ears started to hurt with the volume hovering around a third of maximum, so if you do like cranking it until your orifices start bleeding you probably have that capability in an Aviator.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t want to rely on your phone from infotainment, you’re better off in an Aviator than most. It features the relatively recent \u201cLincoln Digital Experience\u201d which adds a lot of capability to the in-built interface. You are missing out on some of the “Digital Experience\u201d as it was designed to work with the 47-inch panoramic display. And, if that hasn\u2019t made clear enough, the 2026 Aviator hasn\u2019t got one of those.<\/p>\n

The 2026 Lincoln Aviator has received one major upgrade<\/h2>\n
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Image Credit: Dave McQuilling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is one<\/em> major difference between the 2026 Lincoln Aviator and the 2025 model. BlueCruise 1.5. Ford\u2019s BlueCruise is one of the best Level 2 self-driving systems around, but it did lack one major capability. Drivers had to tell it when to overtake on a highway, which they didn\u2019t have to do with GM\u2019s SuperCruise. The 1.5 update fixed that, and now the Aviator can overtake on its own if the car in front of it is going a little too slow and an opportunity is available. The shift to 1.5 required new hardware, which is why you\u2019ll only see on newer models.<\/p>\n

I find that the Lincoln Aviator’s overtakes are a little smoother and more considered than you find with SuperCruise. During testing, the Aviator was also very keen to move to a slower lane if someone was tailgating it quite hard. This is a big plus for me, as I hate the idea of holding up traffic and I have encountered self driving systems that will just hang around in the \u201cfast lane\u201d even when it\u2019s quite inconsiderate to do so.<\/p>\n

The best part is, this isn\u2019t an \u201coptional extra\u201d and it doesn\u2019t require a subscription. At least not initially. All new Lincolns get four years of BlueCruise included.<\/p>\n

Fuel economy may be a sticking point for the Aviator, its powertrain is another area that could arguably use an upgrade. As mentioned, it\u2019s essentially a Ford Explorer and that means a somewhat thirsty V6 is pulling it along. While it does have a lot of punch, and the sound is pretty nice, you will get less than 20 mpg in the city and around 26 mpg on the highway with it. On the one hand, gas is cheap and people will burn this country to the ground before it hits $5 a gallon.<\/p>\n

So this may not be a red line for everyone. On the other hand, direct rivals like the Volvo XC90 have hybrid systems that essentially offer double the Aviator\u2019s fuel economy \u2014 which could save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars per year.<\/p>\n

But how does the Aviator drive, Dave?<\/h2>\n
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Image Credit: Dave McQuilling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Underneath the nice leather and shiny paint job, a Lincoln Aviator is essentially a Ford Explorer. Same platform, same powertrain, same cramped third row. And they essentially drive the same too. The Explorer is basically the iPhone of the SUV world. It doesn\u2019t really change much year to year. So if you\u2019ve driven an Aviator or an Explorer in the past few years, you won\u2019t be in for any surprises when you get behind the wheel of a 2026 Aviator.<\/p>\n

Ford often bigs up the performance aspect of the Explorer, having thrown the phrase \u201cFastest SUV under $60,000\u201d around a few times. That level of performance carries over to the Aviator. If you get your foot down, it moves. A 0-60 time of 5.6 seconds isn\u2019t bad at all for a mid-size ICE SUV. The 400-horsepower 3.0L twin-turbocharged V6 under the hood certainly does its job well.<\/p>\n

The handling is also pretty solid. It isn\u2019t quite as firm, or \u201csporty,\u201d as the Explorer, but does feel significantly smoother. Overall, the vehicle seems almost agile compared to some other SUVs of a similar size. The particular model I tested had air suspension fitted (another optional extra) which made the ride particularly smooth. The pothole-strewn roads of Upstate New York are a great test for this kind of thing, and the (upgraded) Aviator is up there with the best of them.<\/p>\n

Practicality could be what makes the Aviator stand out<\/h2>\n
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Image Credit: David MQuilling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Practicality is a bit of a weird one with luxury SUVs. On the one hand, you would think people are buying them for the luxury feel, the driving experience, and as a kind of status symbol. And Lincoln does tick these boxes. But an SUV is inherently a practical vehicle, and it\u2019s easy to argue that a luxury SUV should still be able to roll its sleeves up when a job needs doing.<\/p>\n

This is where the Aviator stands out. Like its less affluent brother, the Explorer, it is immensely practical. You get 16.5 cubic feet of space with all of the seats up, and that expands to a shade under 40 cubic feet with the third row down. Drop the second row as well, and you get just under 76 cubic feet of space. This means you can shift everything from a heavy weekly grocery shop, to small items of furniture. Just be careful you don\u2019t scuff the leather trim.<\/p>\n

A boat is also a status symbol, and with a 5,000 pound towing capacity the Aviator lets you pull a pretty large one. It has the same V6 you\u2019ll find in the Ranger Raptor, which is more performance-focused than anything else but can still haul a hefty amount.<\/p>\n

You should see the infotainment difference as an upgrade you can\u2019t have<\/h2>\n
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Image Credit: David McQuilling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, should you buy a 2026 Aviator when a noticeably improved model is just around the corner? It depends on how much you like the look of the new infotainment system. Vehicles come with a lot of optional extras these days, but these extras aren\u2019t always an option.Sometimes a vehicle with a particular feature you want requires a special order, so they\u2019ll have to build that vehicle just for you and ship it out. A car on the lot doesn\u2019t have that, and you could drive it home today, or you could wait six months for the one you want to arrive.<\/p>\n

Sometimes upgrades aren\u2019t worth the money too. If your local dealership has a great deal on 2026 Lincolns, how much more are you prepared to pay for a 2027? Especially if the infotainment upgrade and \u201cDigital Scent\u201d are the only real changes. $2,000? $3,000? $5,000?<\/p>\n

The 2026 Lincoln Aviator is not a bad vehicle. It\u2019s a very good luxury SUV, available at \u201clower end of luxury\u201d price point, and a reasonable price point overall by modern standards.<\/a> But it has reached the stage where things are a little stale. It has essentially been the same vehicle for a few years now, and if you don’t use cruise control much anyway a 2024 or 2025 model at a far cheaper price may seem like the sensible choice. So you will want that little bit extra on the table before you pull the trigger on a 2026 Lincoln Aviator.<\/p>\n

Exact specs and trim of vehicle reviewed:<\/h3>\n