Lincoln makes some solid vehicles, but here in the Great White North, the only time you really see them are when you’re ushering an airport limo. It’s unfortunate because the new stuff tends to be well-built, comfortable, roomy, and even subtly attractive. The 2025 Lincoln Aviator Reserve embodies all of these qualities and more—and I’m a little bummed that I don’t see more of them on the road.

Since 2020, Lincoln went all-in on crossovers and SUVs. The Aviator is their second largest model, slotting below the well-known Navigator and above the recently redesigned Nautilus. It does go back a bit—the Aviator was originally launched in 2003, but only stuck around for a handful of years before being discontinued. It returned for 2020 and continues in its predecessors footsteps by being a more luxurious version of the Ford Explorer.

What’s new with the 2025 Lincoln Aviator?

And yes, it’s technically a badge engineering job, but it’s the good kind. The reborn Nautilus continues to share the bones of the recently revised and already-very-good Ford Explorer, however Lincoln does a great job of differentiating itself from its more plebeian sibling. The Aviator wears a completely different front end with much more chrome accents and brightwork, giving it a higher-end look and feel without coming across as tacky. The updated-for-2025 headlights are slimmer than the outgoing model and now feature integrated DRLs slicing into the grille, which itself bears an illuminated Lincoln emblem front-and-centre. The rest of the body looks more smoothed-over compared the Explorer, and the rear end features tail lights connected via a light bar, more chrome accents, and quad exhaust tips. Machined-finish 22-inch wheels complete the premium look. Overall, this refreshed Aviator is handsome, but falls short of being a head-turner.

Minus the screens, the Aviator’s interior feels like a wholly different place compared to the Explorer. Like the Corsair, Lincoln ensured virtually all touch points look and feel premium. There are certainly some shared components if you look closely enough, but there’s enough differentiation inside for you to never feel like you’re driving just an Explorer in a tux. Small changes, like a console-mounted button shifter instead of Ford’s rotary dial, or Lincoln’s seemingly infinitely adjustable Perfect Position front seats with their adjustment controls on the door a la Mercedes-Benz, feel materially different and go a long way.

If I absolutely had to nitpick, the light grey interior is a little too old-school for my taste, but Lincoln offers other options including two variations of dark brown, both of which are more my style. I found the 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen and 12.4-inch digital gauge cluster sharp and responsive, but the gauge cluster lacks a deeper sense of customization you’d see in other luxury SUVs. Otherwise, that’s it for complaints. Interior space is a non-issue, with even the third row providing ample room for adults. The 28-speaker Revel Ultima 3D sound system also adds to the interior pizazz, both visually and audibly—the metal speaker grilles on the doors with tweeter cutouts look great, and the fact that it sounds wonderful is the icing on the cake.

Engine, performance, and driving impressions

What I’ve always appreciated about Lincoln is that they know who and what they are, so they don’t cosplay as something they’re not. The Aviator isn’t made to specifically compete with something athletic and sporty, like a BMW X5. Instead, it maintains a singular focus on being quiet, comfortable, and luxurious. On this front, it absolutely delivers.

Like the Explorer ST, power comes from a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6. It churns out a healthy 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque, and is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. And like the Explorer ST, the Aviator is no slouch, giving you robust and effortless acceleration no matter if you’re driving around town or passing on the highway. It remains muted in all but the most demanding tasks, which bodes well with the Aviator’s quiet cabin. It’s a rather serene experience overall, especially when you have BlueCruise going for completely hands-free driving on most highways. The interruption from your otherwise peaceful drive is an occasionally clunky shift from the transmission.

The Aviator lets you choose from a number of different drive modes, including Excite, which stands in for what most would typically label sport mode. To be honest, the Aviator felt properly balanced in its default drive mode, so I simply left it there. The steering and suspension are tuned to not bother you, providing little in the way of feedback, but also little in the way of effort. For Lincoln’s mission, this is perfectly acceptable. Even through some wicked snowstorms, the Aviator behaved flawlessly, offering loads of grip and confidence in deep snow thanks to its all-wheel-drive system.

Final thoughts

In a way, I think the fact that Lincoln sells a ton of vehicles for airport-limo duties should be a nod to their overall quality, reliability, and comfort, but they continue to be less popular than other makes, including domestic rival Cadillac. Pricing might have something to do with it, as our 2025 Lincoln Aviator Reserve tester rings in at $87,700 as-tested—putting it squarely in the realm of its more established European rivals. However, that kind of money also gets you into a base X5 or GLE. A loaded-to-the-teeth Aviator Reserve isn’t the first or obvious choice, but it’s a good one—especially if your kids treat you like a taxi driver, anyway.