2011 Lincoln Mkx Base on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2020 Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring First Drive | It's the plug-in hybrid one

NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — While we've already declared that the 2020 Lincoln Aviator is the real deal, that earlier first drive only covered the gas-only base version. Not that a 400-horsepower anything is typically considered "base," but it certainly becomes that when there's another version available, the Aviator Grand Touring, that's good for a cool 494 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque.  Frankly, it seems a little odd to fixate on output figures when the Aviator goes out of its way to push its accelerative capability into the background and instead focus on an altogether luxurious and effortless driving experience. But 630 pound-feet is a whole heap of torque that fully eclipses even the mighty BMW X7 M50i. The BMW has a twin-turbo V8 engine fettled by M Division, however. The 2020 Aviator Grand Touring is a plug-in hybrid. Unlike other gasoline-electric variants, this version does not take a smaller engine and add electricity. Rather, it starts with the regular Aviator's whole hog 400-horsepower twin-turbo V6 and sandwiches a 75-kW electric motor between it and the 10-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is standard, but it's a traditional system rather than one created by a rear-axle electric motor. With this approach, Lincoln is trying to create a range-topping model, not necessarily an eco-oriented one. The Grand Touring is the V12-powered Mercedes S600 to the regular Aviator's S500. It's best to think of it in those historic luxury terms, because despite the eye-popping output, this is still not a sport-tuned vehicle. Indeed, it's very possible that it's not actually that much quicker off the line than the regular version. Black Label - Chalet 3 View 30 Photos Lincoln didn't provide a 0-60 time, but the Grand Touring weighs 781 pounds more than a gas-only all-wheel-drive Aviator. Stuffing 96 lithium-ion battery cells under the second-row seat tends to do that. As a result, the hybrid's added electric wallop does in fact make it feel more powerful, but it's not the sort of face-flattening experience you might expect with that torque number. It's not that different. Well, in terms of acceleration, at least. There are actually some drivability issues. The throttle is difficult to modulate smoothly from a start, at least when driving in hybrid mode with the plug-in battery portion fully drained.

Mustang parts under the new Lincoln Aviator mean good things for Ford

NEW YORK — As we mentioned last night, underneath the new Lincoln Aviator "concept" there appears to be an independent rear suspension lifted right from the Ford Mustang parts bin. And while it's pretty cool on its face that Mustang rear-drive platform bits are being reused in the broader Ford universe, what this means for the next Explorer could be really cool. A quick caveat: The Aviator here in New York is very close to the production version, but it's not technically a production car. It looks hand-built, with temporary exhaust and some show-car touches. The suspension underneath looks exactly like a Mustang's, but the actual production Aviator will almost certainly use beefier components with the same basic design and geometry, since the Aviator will be much heavier than the smaller Mustang. That being said, we're fairly confident that even at this early stage, the Mustang-derived suspension seen in New York is a preview of what'll be under the production Aviator. Furthermore, Ford won't say it, but based on what we're seeing on Aviator, it's a safe bet that Ford will utilize the Aviator platform for the next Explorer. That would enable the economies of scale necessary to produce a brand new rear-drive-based SUV platform in the first place. It also means that the Explorer should be available without AWD — and given the stable of powerful EcoBoost engines, and the competent 10-speed automatic in the parts bin, a rear-drive Explorer has a shot at being a decent driver. Aviator wouldn't go rear-drive-based if driving dynamics weren't important; Explorer should inherit these priorities. More evidence: The Explorer spy shots we saw back in February sure share the Aviator's general proportions. Even back then, before Aviator was revealed, we were hypothesizing that an EcoBoost 3.5-liter-powered version could boast as much as 400 horsepower, if the Expedition's tune were adopted. Suddenly, the Explorer seems very interesting. So, an EcoBoost, rear-drive Explorer sure sounds like something Ford Performance would be interested in, right? We knew an Explorer ST is coming, but with 365-400 horsepower potential and a chassis designed with dynamics in mind, it doesn't seem like as much of a stretch as the Edge ST. And a performance-oriented AWD system is a possibility, too. That's an area where Ford has been gathering experience at a rapid pace. What do we not expect from a new Explorer? A V8.

2017 North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year entries announced

Over 40 vehicles will compete for the 2017 North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year awards. If that name looks a little strange, it's because the competition added a third category. In years past, pickup trucks, crossovers, SUVs, commercial vans, and minivans competed for the same award. That's why there were occasionally weird comparisons, like last year's competition between the Volvo XC90 and Nissan Titan XD. The new format separates pickups and commercial vans into the truck contest and CUVs, SUVs, and minivans into the utility competition. A complete list of eligible vehicles is below, but here are a few highlights. For one, the entire list of entries has a luxurious lean. Of the 43 vehicles, nearly half of them are from premium brands. There are two eligible Bentleys – the Bentayga and Mulsanne – the Rolls-Royce Dawn, Jaguar F-Pace, Audi Q7, and the Mercedes-Benz GLS-, E-, and S-Class Maybach. The performance ranks are lofty, too, with the Audi R8, Acura NSX, Alfa Romeo Giulia, Mercedes SL- and SLC-Class, Porsche 718, and F-150 Raptor. The mainstream entries are just as comprehensive. From the Chrysler Pacifica to the Chevrolet Cruze to the Fiat 124 Spider to the Mitsubishi Mirage, NACTOY has covered an enormous price range with this year's contestants. Of course, these are only the eligible vehicles. They'll need to run through three rounds of judging, starting in September at NACTOY's traditional Hell, MI, test drive. The Canadian and American journalists involved in the judging will announce this year's nine finalists – three in each category – on December 6. Cars Acura NSX Alfa Romeo Giulia Audi A4 Audi R8 Bentley Mulsanne Buick Cascada Buick LaCrosse Cadillac CT6 Chevrolet Bolt Chevrolet Cruze Fiat 124 Genesis G90 Hyundai Elantra Infiniti Q60 Jaguar XE Kia Cadenza Lincoln Continental Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan Mercedes-Benz S550 Maybach Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Mercedes-Benz SLC-Class Mini Clubman Mitsubishi Mirage/G4 Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman Rolls-Royce Dawn Toyota Prius Prime Volvo S90 SUVs Audi Q7 Bentley Bentayga Buick Envision Cadillac XT5 Chrysler Pacifica GMC Acadia Infiniti QX30 Kia Sportage Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class Jaguar F-Pace Mazda CX-9 Nissan Armada Trucks Ford F-Series Super Duty pickups Ford F-150 Raptor Honda Ridgeline Nissan Titan half-ton Related Video: Featured Gallery Bentley Bentayga View 23 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub.