By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(April 2, 2018) The return of the Aviator name to the Lincoln stable isn’t the big news. That is reserved for the new rear-drive/all-wheel drive platform (a.k.a. D6 inside Ford) that it will share with the next-generation Ford Explorer. The Aviator will stand beside the Navigator at the top of the Lincoln lineup, with the transverse-engine Nautilus and MKC acting as the entry-level and mid-level crossovers.

D6 may even spawn some interesting new specialty vehicles for Lincoln, including a Continental crossover.

As you would expect from a concept touted as a “teaser” for the production Aviator, there’s not much technical information available. Lincoln will admit that: 1) it’s a rear-drive platform, 2) unlike the original Explorer-based Aviator it’s a monocoque and not a body-on-frame platform, and 3) it has a twin-turbocharged engine mated to a plug-in hybrid system.

Because it has two turbos, we can surmise that the production Aviator will share the 2.7-liter V6 hybrid system being developed for the F-150, and not the Mustang’s performance hybrid drive unit developed around the 2.3-liter, single-turbo four-cylinder motor. Like both those hybrid units, the Aviator will use Ford’s new 10-speed automatic transmission.

Because it will not be used under a pickup or other cargo-carrying vehicle, the D6 platform will have four-wheel independent suspension. The rear suspension will be a multi-link design, and there will be room in the floorpan to mount a sizable battery pack as the D6 also will be the platform on which the all-electric “Mach 1” crossover will be built. Unlike the next-generation Explorer hybrid, which will use mechanically driven front and rear axles, Lincoln may appropriate the Mach 1’s electric front axle for its hybrid.

With a full battery charge, this design would default to electric drive, using the electric front axle to pull it around. As battery reserves drain, it would then switch to become a rear-drive hybrid, using a combination of the twin-turbo V6, and electric motor sandwiched between the engine and transmission. When all-wheel drive is needed, the battery pack would power the front axle, with the electric motor acting as a generator as the battery level drops below a predetermined level. To preserve battery capacity, the driver would have the opportunity to lock out electric drive, preserving it for later, or set the system to recharge the battery pack while driving.

This would guarantee the maximum available electric power is available for areas like central cities and other areas with a combustion engine ban.

Of greater interest are rumors that the Aviator’s D6 platform may be used to create a Continental-style crossover, complete with suicide rear doors. It would be smaller than the full-size Navigator, but have similarly stratospheric pricing and be available in hybrid and full-electric models. And its platform could be used to create a Continental sedan as part of an exclusive sub-brand for Lincoln. Look for that to happen well after the Aviator’s 2019 launch.

The Virtual Driver