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wheels ustouffviue suntribune thursday oct 9 2003 13 v jrriz whatcar page 20 an advertising section of the economist sun thursday october 9 2003 bmw page 15 1 2003 lincoln navigator new face on old idea byrobbhntema i expected performance i expect- edluxury r what i hadnt expected was the stares the pointing arid thumbs up reaction that i was getting while driving the 2003 lincoln aviator i mean its not likefwe havent seen this face of luxury before awwwits a baby navigator my wife gushed with a tone usually reserved for googling infants arid i lapjumping puppies 1 i she wasright in fact frorri a dis tance its difficult to tell a navigator from an aviator until you put the two of them side by sidetheri it looks like the aviator somehow got shrunk in the wash but i guess it makes sense that lincoln the luxury sedan division that sought unlikely salvation in sport utihiywith a ford expedition makeover would want to follow up on the navigators success with a baby brother based on the ford explorer make no mistake though this is a lincoln the chromed sigriature lincolri waterfall grille with dark argent vanes is bracketed by highintensity discharge hid headlamps and circular fog lamps built into the front bumper fascia standard run- riing boards trim the side of the aviator and large heated power- adjustable side mirrors feature ari excellent fear view along with a memory system integrated turn signal repeaters arid approach lamps in backtail lairips are integrated into a split hatch with flip up rear glass mat provides a shopping-cart- height liftbver for grocery bags and other srrialistuff aviator may be smauer than iamgbixt ituvqfferss respectable space advantages oyer the competition inside front seat headroom and legroom are ranked as bestinclass and no other midsize luxury suv offers a choice of bucket or bench seats in the second row the second row is roomy arid corrifortable and the optional 402040 splitbench seat com bined with the standard thirdrow seat offers seating for up to seven adult passerigers thirdrow legroom is also 127 mm 5 inches better than the next closest com petitor headroom is almost 762 mm 3 inches greater the luggage space behind the third row looks kind of diriky to me thanks to the added third row only 351 uttes 124 cuft but the fold flat third bench together with the second row flopped forward maxs oufoverau space to 2180 litres 77 cubic feet xthe aviator tes interior luxury- to another level the dashboard gauge cluster and mstrurnent panel are especially handsome laid but with a cpmbinatiori of white light- emitting diode mstrument iuumi- nation satin nickel grey arid silver textures set against creamy leather and american burl walnut accents its beautiful as good as any interi or lincoln or ford for thatmatter hrjnev in canada the lincoln aviator comes only in the topnotch premium trim level powered by an allwheel drive platform and as you would expect the aviator comes loaded with all the goodies forexample dualzone electronic climate con trol and an auxiliary climate control system for secpridaridmifd row passengers v the safety canopy sidecurtain airbag system which provides enhanced occupant protection in side impacte and rollovers heated and cooled front seats jwith 5setting temperature controlr standard poweradjustable brake and accelerator pedals and the rear park assist system mat triggers in- cabiri audio warnings if an obstacle is detected when reversing six- way poweradjustable driver and frontpassenger seats with power lumbar support and two memory settings for the drivers seat side mirrors brake and accel erator pedals 1 amfm audiophile sound system with sixdisc indash compact disc player and secondary controls mounted on the steering wheel options include a power moon- roof dvd rear seat entertainment system a dvd based navigation system chromewheels a tire pries sure monitoring system and class ei towing package lincoln has been boasting a new driving dna a series of dynamic arid performarice attributes com- mori to the 2003 navigator town car and ls under the hood ari all- duminum 46litre v8 erigiriethkt vuses dual overhead cariis four valves per cylinder arid variable lerigm iritake runners produces 302 horsepower and 300 fopt pounds of torque through a five- speed automatic transmission i that prodigious power creates a maximum towing capacity of 331 1 kg 7300 lbs 46 per cent better than the v8 powered mercedes benziml500 and 22 per cent better than me bmwx5 44i aviator can ceyenouttdw some fullsize luxury suymcluding the lexus lx470 wwcri is ratecufbr a maximum of 2948 kg 6500 pounds more about towing in the wf apup okay ive sung enough praises aboutthis pqushedperforinenbut we should riote that the aviators strengths are also its weaknesses first theres a penalty for all that power the aviators gas mileage runs as bad as the big boys t aver aged a thirsty 18 l 100km enough to encourage me to fill up with reg ular gas instead of the recommend1 ed premium octane fuel v and despite definite ride improvements due to the four- wheel independent suspension with coil springs and moriotube dampers 17inch wheels and tires and speed sensitive variable assist zf servotroriic e rackandpiriion steering this is still a truck a very nice a very fancy truck but still a truck yes it cruises and carves comers with surprising aplomb for a fully loaded middleweight but jar ir across a harsh set of potholes or over a railway erasing and the back end still skitters and skates out side- ways which according to my daughter makes watching movies on me jiggling dvd screen rather challenging essentially the aviator is a new face on an old idea there are newer carbased luxury sport utes on the market for per- fqrrnariceoriented drivers looking for luxury and occasional all- iweather ability but the 2003 aviator follows the old formula for those who actually need a truck and are willing to pay for the luxuries that add a ultimate civility to the packagethat formula fs take a solidtruck tough plat- form and load it- to lincoln limits with ultimate levels df perform ance technology arid luxurious fea tures boasting flexible seating and the roomiest cabin and best towing capability in its class its not revolutionary but itll sell which is just about what i expected 1 inr mmmxmmcmwmmmm factoryto dealer credltsori bran o evs ew s003 wind star sport br1n d new 2003 f150 xlt supergab upto60mos f b nl c l e a b am ce liimbm brandnew2004 iv15d4x4supercabxlf mencfmates6sri6alumvtadpedacomgrou5ssp 4flv8xihappeafanrepgetedranfcsham15spokealunvwtees dohcchaifs mth for 48 mths term 4lv8 fully loaded stock 4f50022 aii cash prices aro plus freight taxes licence and foes rebates applied to cash prices and an not cbmblnable with finance offers effective cash purchase price on thunderbird lease at 0 interest oac based on 9995 down 12 payments of 995 balance of 24060 duo 1 004 plus freight taxes admin fees call for complete details j with 2995 down plus taxesjshhbell 905 350