The 2020 Aviator is far from being the first production vehicle to
feature an adaptive suspension that scans the road up ahead to preset
the vehicle, but it is the first Lincoln to use this clever tech aiming
to maximize comfort on all surfaces. Hot on the heels of last week’s predictive suspension launch for the Audi A8 fullsize sedan, Ford’s luxury SUV also utilizes a similar system.
How does it work? There are literally a dozen sensors permanently
monitoring everything from the body’s movement to the vehicle’s motion
while also keeping a close eye on whenever the Aviator
accelerates or slows down. The highly advanced sensors can read the
parameters 500 times per second and work together with a front-mounted
camera that scans the road surface almost 50 feet (15.2 meters) ahead.
Officially
known as the Adaptive Suspension with Road Preview, the system can
detect a variety of height deviations that are 2 to 8 inches (5.1 to
20.3 centimeters) high. Whenever it sees a height deviation such as a
speed bump or a frost heave, the SUV’s
clever computers pre-adjust the suspension to ensure a ride as smooth
as possible even on uneven surfaces. The built-in sensors and the front
camera can work together to enable automatic suspension adjustments up
to 100 times per second.
Lincoln’s
vehicle dynamics technical specialist, David Russell, mentions the
sensors are so fast that they trigger suspension adjustments faster than
the blink of an eye with more than 23,000 inputs of data per second.
The high-tech system is also good for detecting whenever an individual
wheel is falling in a severe dip, and when that happens, the shock
absorber is automatically stiffened to reduce the amount of drop.
As you may recall, the 2020 Aviator is optionally available with an
Air Glide Suspension for greater comfort by replacing the standard hard
coil springs with air springs. As it is the case with the aforementioned
Audi A8, the suspension lowers itself automatically when you’re about
to enter the vehicle or use the trunk. It also incorporates an Aero
Height suspension preset maximizing efficiency and performance when
going over 70 mph (113 kph) by lowering the ride height, while the Deep
Conditions presets jacks up the suspension to the maximum for better
ground clearance.
Lincoln’s shiny new three-row luxury SUV goes on sale this summer from $52,195 including fees, but go crazy with the configurator and you’ll hit $91,145 for the fully loaded Aviator Black Label Grand Touring hybrid.
