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2022 Lincoln Aviator Review | American luxury in the best way

In Lincoln's heyday, its cars were big, powerful and extravagant. They embodied the idea of American luxury in the best possible way. The 2022 Lincoln Aviator shows the brand has recaptured the essence of those good old days, while still pushing forward into the future with the latest tech offerings and an available plug-in hybrid powertrain that provides competitive all-electric range and a staggering amount of power. It's also a style leader, particularly inside, which was true of Lincoln's midcentury classics, but obviously missing for the better part of 30 years. Practically speaking, the Aviator is a fully competitive entry in the three-row luxury segment, capable to making a strong case for itself among (relative) lower-cost entries like the Acura MDX and Volvo XC90 as well as larger, upper-crust offerings like the Mercedes GLS and BMW X7. Its generous interior size and feature content has a lot to do with it, but so does the fact that Lincoln didn't mess around under the hood. Its base engine is more powerful than most of its competitors' engine upgrades, while that plug-in hybrid's 630 pound-feet of torque makes you wonder whether someone made a typo. They didn't. Basically, there's a lot to love about the Aviator, and crucially, a lot that makes sense. Interior & Technology  |  Passenger & Cargo Space  |  Performance & Fuel Economy What it's like to drive  |  Pricing & Features  |  Crash Ratings & Safety Features What's new for 2022? Changes are light for the 2022 Aviator. The Reserve trim picks up additional standard features: wireless charging, a head-up display and phone-as-key. There's also a new Monochromatic package that adds black wheels and replaces bright work with body-colored trim. It's very 2022. 2020 Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring Black Label View 34 Photos What's the Aviator interior and in-car technology like? No other company's interiors look anything like the midcentury-inspired palace of cool you get in the Aviator. All versions are available with distinctive color schemes (including the base model shown below right in Sandstone), but the Black Label trim level stands out the most with its three available "themes" of "Chalet," "Flight" and "Destination" (below left) that get special colors and trim types. The quality of some plastics and the fit-and-finish aren't up to Mercedes or BMW levels, but everything looks so special that it covers whatever deficit exists.

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

2015 Lincoln MKC aims to rejuvenate the brand... again

Ford is slowly but surely attempting to revitalize the Lincoln brand, with the new MKZ sedan pointing the way forward for the Blue Oval's struggling luxury division. Here at the LA Auto Show, Lincoln is showing the next new product that aims to give the brand new life, the 2015 MKC crossover.
The MKC is based on the trusty Ford Escape, but this is far more than just a rebadge job. Lincoln has used completely new sheetmetal here, with the brand's familiar split-wing grille front and center, and a classy, wraparound tailgate with super slim taillamps that span the width of the hatchback. It's one of the better applications of Lincoln's new design language we've seen thus far, and the end result is a taut-looking crossover that is at the same time both modern and luxurious-looking.
Further differentiating itself from the Escape, the MKC packs an all-new 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, good for 275 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. (On the base end, Ford's 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder with 240 hp and 270 lb-ft is available.) The MKC also uses a new Continuously Controlled Damping adaptive suspension, and is available with both front- and all-wheel drive.