2020 Lincoln Aviator First Drive: Fashionably Late

Quebec City, QC - “Sanctuary”. It’s one of those words that you always know what it means; there’s no confusion when it comes to “sanctuary”. It’s relaxation, it’s piece-of-mind, it’s where you go when you need to shut off for awhile, regroup, and clear your head.

It’s such a wonderful, pleasing word that Lincoln has used it as one of the main pillars of its brand, exemplified by their latest release, the Aviator three-row luxury SUV. It’s a segment that has been growing lately, and Lincoln is one of the last to arrive on the scene. They’ve done so in a big way, however.

Inside
There are a number of ways you can achieve a feeling of sanctuary, and for the Aviator, one of the big ones was actually simplifying it inside and aiming for an airier, more pleasurable cabin. It was achieved to great success with the latest Navigator, and it’s on the Aviator to be the next step in Lincoln’s plan to reinvent the brand.

From the shape of the steering wheel (crafted so it offers the most unobstructed view possible of the digital gauge cluster) and how many buttons crowd its spokes, to the ultra-adjustable “Perfect Position” seats, to the massive full-length moonroof, this is an SUV that aims to stay out of your way as much as possible as you make your way to the cabin or ski hill.

So focused was Lincoln on simplifying things that even the voice activation button that usually appears on the steering wheel spokes has been moved to the wheel’s 11 o’clock position, within perfect reach of your left thumb. I was worried that I’d be inadvertently pressing it throughout my drive, but that didn’t happen, not once. Keeping with the theme are the cruise control buttons, most of which only appear once you’ve first activated cruise control itself.

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