Lincoln first offered the Aviator nameplate on a large three-row SUV back in the early 2000s, but the model's lack of success saw it being taken out of production after less than four years on the market. More than a decade later, Lincoln realized that it's so infatuated with the Aviator moniker that it developed a brand new SUV to wear it once more. Just like its predecessor, the all-new Aviator is a mid-sized three-row SUV that sits right under the Navigator in the Lincoln modern SUV lineup.

Ford decided to try its luck in the mid-size segment of the premium SUVs and launched the Lincoln Aviator in 2002 as a 2003 model year, based on the same platform as the Ford Explorer.