2025 Lincoln Aviator receives fresh look and tech

The current generation of the Lincoln Aviator mid-size luxury SUV has received its first major update since arriving on the market for the 2020 model year.

The updated version, revealed on Monday, reaches showrooms this summer as a 2025 model in the U.S. Pricing information will be announced closer to the market launch.

The 2025 Aviator can be identified by new styling up front, highlighted by a new grille and newly designed LED headlights with daytime running lights that stretch into the grille. The Lincoln logo is also illuminated for the first time thanks to an Illumination Package that’s standard on the Reserve and Black Label grades. The Black Label grade also features the new color options Cenote Green and Whisper Blue Metallic.

The Aviator’s three-row cabin also received various tweaks, mirroring changes made to the related Ford Explorer for 2025. These include a bigger 13.2-inch infotainment screen that now spans the width of the center stack, plus a 12.4-inch screen that serves as a digital gauge cluster.

Among the standard features are 20-inch wheels, adaptive suspension, a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, a wireless phone charger, a panoramic sunroof, and a wide array of electronic driver-assist technologies.

Those technologies include the latest version of Ford’s BlueCruise automated driver-assist feature for highways which includes support for hands-free lane changes. Aviator buyers receive four years complimentary access to the feature.

Also included is the new Lincoln Digital Experience which has built-in support for Google and Amazon digital features, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration. Handy features include Google and Amazon Alexa voice assistants, as well as Google Maps. Access to more apps is possible by downloading them from the Google Play store. Some popular options include Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and iHeartRadio, as well as embedded SiriusXM.

The sole powertrain on offer is a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 good for 400 hp. A previous plug-in hybrid option pairing the V-6 with an electric motor was dropped for the 2024 model year. The standard transmission is a 10-speed automatic, and buyers can choose between rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.

Production of the Aviator is handled at a Ford plant in Chicago.

Eventually, electric versions of the Aviator and its Explorer cousin will be launched. The electric SUVs will use a new dedicated EV platform Ford first announced in 2021, and are expected to arrive around the middle of the decade.