We haven't had many sightings of facelifted Lincoln Aviator prototypes, but with spy photos like these, we don't need many. Caught here in public without any camouflage, this is essentially an exterior debut for what should be the 2024 model-year Aviator. Of course, it's unofficial at this point. But as you can see, there isn't much left to reveal.
This sighting is a stark contrast to our previous look at the refreshed Aviator, which also happens to be our only other encounter with a test vehicle. At the time, we speculated the heavy covers hid a larger grille with smaller headlights, and that's now confirmed. The grille doesn't look wider but it's definitely deeper, reaching well into a new lower fascia with vertically-oriented vents at the corners.
Gallery: 2024 Lincoln Aviator Spy Photos
At the top, new headlights flank the grille and they reach all the way over to meet it. The lenses aren't razor-thin as we see on many new vehicles, but they are thinner compared to the current Aviator. The crescent-moon-shaped marker light at the base of the headlamps is now gone, creating a straight line for the LED strip to run seamlessly into the grille. Speaking of which, if there's any camouflage to be mentioned here, it might be the blacked-out Lincoln badge in the center of the grille. But that's not exactly hiding anything.
Curiously, we can't identify any changes at the rear. Our first prototype sighting showed a vehicle with a thick camouflage wrap on the back, hiding details on the quarter panels, fascia, and obscuring the taillights. This uncovered Aviator uses the same horizontally oriented clear taillights connected with a center strip. As with the grille, there's a distinct lack of chrome and that could be either a special trim package or a shift in design language for 2024, moving away from chrome.
While the camera captures clear photos of the exterior, changes inside remain a mystery. Our sources believe an updated center stack is coming, possibly drawing inspiration from the Nautilus with a tablet screen mounted a bit lower. Whether that also includes a new dash with a massive digital display spanning its width is unclear, though such a change seems unlikely. We also don't have information regarding powertrains, but we suspect the current options (twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 or the V6 plug-in hybrid) will carry over.
Considering this Aviator was caught in public without any camouflage, an official debut from Lincoln could be just weeks away.
