2014 Lincoln Navigator L on 2040-cars

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2020 Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring plug-in hybrid range, fuel economy revealed

The range-topping 2020 Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring plug-in hybrid luxury crossover finally has official fuel economy ratings. The electric range is 21 miles, and when the battery is exhausted, gas-only combined fuel economy is 23 mpg. The EPA's combined electric and gas test loop yielded 56 mpg-e. These numbers make the Aviator Grand Touring the most frugal version of the three-row luxury crossover, with the next most efficient one being the rear-drive non-hybrid model at 21 mpg combined. When going by gas-only fuel economy, though, the Aviator Grand Touring's non-plug-in cousin, the Ford Explorer Hybrid, returns up to 28 mpg combined with rear-wheel drive, and 25 mpg with all-wheel drive. It has much less power at 318 horsepower and 322 pound-feet of torque, compared to the Aviator Grand Touring's 494 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque. The luxury plug-in hybrid crossover segment is quite small right now. The closest competitor to the Aviator Grand Touring is probably the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid. It has a shorter electric range of 13 miles, and its gas-only fuel economy is a slightly worse at 22 mpg. The Porsche is less powerful with 455 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, and its base price of $82,450 exceeds the Lincoln's $69,895 price. The Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e splits the difference on efficiency with a worse 10-mile electric range, but a better gasoline fuel economy of 25 mpg combined. This could improve for 2020, as the updated model will have a larger battery. It's cheaper, too, at $51,645, but it's also a full size smaller than the Lincoln.

Lincoln putting perfume on its sales

Lincoln has a scent. But unlike those from Mustang, Lamborghini or even Shark by Tara, you can't buy it and you have to visit a Lincoln dealership to inhale its notes of jasmine hedione, mate tea leaves and tonka beans. Essence of Lincoln - that's what it's called - is being piped through the ventilation systems at some showrooms to help "create an emotional connection between the luxury brand and its customers," and olfactorily promote the idea of "luxury and warmth." Where it's not run through the ducts, visitors can sample it on scent cards.
Master perfumer Rene Morgenthaler worked with aroma house SensoryMax to design Essence of Lincoln. Also including traces of Earl Grey bergamot and green tea, whenever you encounter it you're meant to enjoy "a feeling of belonging to an exclusive, forward-thinking group that values style and success." And then buy an MKC. There's a press release below with details and an image to explain more, if you're still having a little trouble smelling the orange blossoms.

Art students explore what a Lincoln might look like in 2040

Lincoln gave students at the ArtCenter College of Design an unusual challenge. It asked them to sketch their idea of what its cars will look like in the year 2040, and it instructed them to team up with students specializing in other fields (including film and illustration) to create a short movie that depicts their concept, the environment it operates in, and the folks who drive it. Over a year in the making, the final submissions have been presented to the public. "More than just the vehicles themselves, we were looking for that great narrative development, that rich storytelling. It's so important to understand the future ecosystem in which a concept vehicle will live," explained Jordan Meadows, the global strategic design specialist for Lincoln, in a statement.  Four teams of students participated in the project, which Lincoln called Quiet Flight 2040. Students received a basic set of guidelines that helped them create what the Ford-owned firm referred to as "the ultimate beautiful gliding human sanctuary," a term that's intentionally open to interpretation. Four body styles were chosen: a two-passenger car, a four-passenger vehicle, a different four-passenger model with a higher, SUV-like ride height and a six-seater. Participants created the concepts from scratch and showcased them in short films. The design studies are crammed with futuristic features, including autonomous driving systems, a technology that displays images on the dashboard, touchscreens embedded into the door windows, and a lounge-like interior that wouldn't look out of place at the Consume Electronics Show (CES). One is a crossover with a fastback-like roof line, another is a stately sedan, a third is an elegant coupe and the last is a van-like vehicle that looks like nothing Lincoln has ever built before. Nothing suggests these concepts will be built, let alone approved for production. What's certain is that, from a student's perspective, Lincoln's future looks a lot different than Polestar's. Volvo's upmarket offshoot held a similar contest in late 2020, and the finalists returned with a sci-fi blimp, an electric yacht and an autonomous pod. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2020 Lincoln Aviator Back Seat Review | Autoblog