Hard to believe the Lincoln Aviator is several years old. Unfortunately, this luxury SUV will be refreshed mid-cycle and we’re treated to an early look in this collection of spy photos.
Of course, camouflage covers the area where changes are taking place but some details are still visible. As always, our attention was centered on the front where a larger grille outline shows through the lid. It’s hard to say whether the grille on this test vehicle was wider, but it sure is deeper. It dived lower, approaching the lower fascia in a similar fashion to Lincoln’s smaller brother, the Corsair.
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On either side are a set of redesigned headlamps which are perhaps slightly smaller than the eyes on the current Aviator. The heavier camouflage cover does a great job of obscuring the outline of the headlights, and that goes for the design changes to the lower fascia. There’s no heavy cover on the rear, and while the camouflage wrap covers the entire rear, we believe little changes have taken place around the taillights. We can see the lens and reflector pieces in the same location as the current model. The exhaust outlet on the bumper is also the same.
This photo set doesn’t offer a clear look inside, but our sources say the revised mid-stack is part of a mid-cycle refresh. We could barely see the dash cover through the side mirror of this test vehicle, indicating that some interior changes are in the cards. That likely means a tech update is also planned.
As for potential powertrain changes, that’s completely unknown at this time. When the Aviator debuted in 2020, it launched with a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 engine that put out 400 horsepower (298 kilowatts) to all four wheels. On the Aviator Grand Touring trim, the engine is connected to a plug-in hybrid system that currently produces a combined 494 hp (368 kW). There’s no reason to expect significant changes to these settings, though a small power increase is always a possibility.
The 2023 Lincoln Aviator is already available to order, so we expect the new version to debut next year as a 2024 model.
