Sure there will be some overlap, but the majority won't be fully loaded Aviators.

The Aviator is RWD based. It's most direct competitors the GLE and X5 are also built on RWD platforms. The XC90, MDX, RXL, XT6, QX60 I consider a side step down due to their FWD derived underpinnings.

 

Quite true, RWD vs FWD, but I think prospective owners will also care about how it is to live with the 3 row. The aviator interior is uber special, mini navigator. The XC90 is quite comparable even though its a FWD.

Off the bat, the MDX and QX60 win the cheapo award with interior quality (the MDX advance has some good open pore wood, but soo much plastic)
XT6 TBD

 

I believe Lincoln has positioned the 3 row MKT to compete with MDX, QX60, etc. I believe they want the Aviator to compete with Range Rover Sport and that level of vehicles. When I saw the profile of the Aviator on the Lincoln website, the RR Sport is the first vehicle that came to mind, and pricing is in the same ball park when you start loading out the Aviator.

 

Yes it's true the majority of people don't know or ask RWD vs FWD, which is why the RX often gets compared to the X5 a lot. Based on the 'midsize' principle.

But that's sort of stating the obvious. They didn't go the MKT route with the Aviator. They elevated it's status and what's available. The MKT was never available even with the upgraded EcoBoost with 400hp nor a more powerful PHEV version. The Nautilus while not three rows, will inherit some of what the MKT went after.

 

 

Love the GX, but I know that a 9 year old design doesn't really stand against these fresh faces The only other lumbering giant was the LR, and that too is better after the recent refresh.

 

GX is a different sort of vehicle, but this does compete with the GX as most buyers of the GX aren't looking for the sort of capability that makes the GX special.

I would buy an Aviator over a GX also for sure.

 

 

And of the handful of people I know with a GX, zero of them purchased due to those features that are unique in the class. We cross-shopped the GX, X5, and ultimately bought the Q7. Had the Aviator been available, it also would have been in the running.

Yes, the GX has some fundamental differences compared to other members of its class, but that doesn't mean it's in a different class.

 

From looks alone, this is a very sharp looking truck - both interior and exterior!

Lincoln has never been know for quality, though I would probably rely on them more than Range Rover for sure. It's an older company image brand to me, always has been until more recently when Lincoln hired McConaughey as their spokesperson to try and bring the brand's average age DOWN. Image is everything for many companies and this is something Corvette has been trying to change for as many years as I can remember.

We were in the market for a large 7-8 passenger SUV that can haul 9000+ and I did look at the Navigator at one point but just didn't do it for me. The Aviator is way too small for our intentions but if we were looking for a smaller 5-passenger SUV, it would most likely be a Mercedes or Lexus. I'm a huge BMW fan but let's face it BMW does not make great SUV's. Range Rover would not even be in the same breath.

P.S. we bought a Escalade ESV Platinum and could not be happier (who says Cadillac is not successful?). They know their market and both their coupes and SUV's are some of the best. If I wasn't such a diehard BMW M-car guy I would get a CTS-V wagon for sure!

 

 

Has been exactly my experience also.

 

FCA could probably have a credible RWD/4WD competitor if they upgraded their Dodge Durango and gave it a Chrysler (not Dodge)-grade interior. But, so far, there's no sign of that...or of a full-size SUV off of the Ram 1500.

 

Dodge Dakota? Did we go back in time?

FCA has the Jeep Grand Cherokee

 

I'm sorry......a typo, my bad. I meant the Durango (corrected)....I've mixed those two up before. It's not plush enough inside, in Dodge trim, to compete with the Aviator, but that's where he designers come in.


Nice, but again, not quite in the Aviator's class. But you may have a point.....it may be a little closer than the standard Durango.