What’s Better: Cheaper 2025 Ford Explorer ST or Luxurious Lincoln Aviator Black Label?

Not long ago, we cheered for the arrival (for ordering) of the all-new S650 seventh-generation 2024 Ford Mustang across the big pond – aka the Atlantic Ocean – in places like the Old Continent and the British Isles. We were pretty happy to report that FoMoCo skipped the 315-hp EcoBoost turbo inline-four mill and went straight to the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 top by only bringing the Mustang GT and Dark Horse versions.Unfortunately, both cost an arm and a leg compared to their equivalent US counterparts because of various fees (and corporate greed). Additionally, the sad news continued with the reveal that both featured reduced power setups due to the more stringent emissions control. Well, at least we get to hear the V8 rumble one more time before the EV lady sings its novel tune. Anyway, we thought that Ford would be dormant for a while after that, as it’s still winter in the northern hemisphere, and the big Detroit Three bears usually tend to hibernate a little longer than usual.

Well, color us impressed because the Blue Oval revealed this week a couple of impressive refreshes for two of their most important mid-size crossover SUVs – the facelifted 2025 Ford Explorer and the upgraded 2025 Lincoln Aviator. You can already order both, and the Explorer comes out to play from nationwide dealerships starting with the second quarter of the year sporting a new face with a bigger radiator grille (which changes its design based on trim selection), new headlights, and taillights, plus a significant overhaul of the cabin’s arrangement.

From now on, the Explorer’s cockpit has a revamped dashboard that frees more cabin space and a redesigned 12.3-inch instrument cluster plus a 13.2-inch infotainment screen for the all-new Ford Digital Experience, which continues to integrate Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, among many other smart features, unlike their rivals from General Motors. There’s also BlueCruise for carefree driving on selected highways. The trim family tree is simpler now – Active, ST-Line, ST, and Platinum.

On the premium side, the 2025 Lincoln Aviator also comes with a fresh situation up front while the sides and rear are kept unchanged. The ritzier sibling also produced on the Ford CD6 platform, boasts a similar revamp of the interior. This time around, funny enough, the center display is up to 13.2 inches, but the instrument cluster is marginally larger at 12.4 inches instead of 12.3 inches for Explorer. I’m already thinking that it’s going to be a party at Chicago Assembly when someone messes up and puts the Explorer’s cluster into an Aviator and vice versa.

Anyway, we all know that Ford is the automaker with the most recalls so that it wouldn’t be a surprise. Just like with the justice system, let us give them the benefit of the doubt until something messy happens. Instead, let us see which is better for a family of up to seven if they don’t want to buy a VW Atlas, Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Jeep Grand Cherokee L, Mazda CX-90, Hyundai Santa Fe, or Palisade, Chevrolet Traverse, Kia Sorento or Telluride, and they absolutely have to have a new 2025 Explorer or Aviator. Of course, if we want to compare them, it’s best to stick with the Explorer ST or Platinum, as these two feature the same powertrain as the Aviator – the 400-hp 3.0-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6.

As such, let us discard the Explorer Active and ST-Line because those are too cheap, anyway – starting from $39,625 and $44,385, respectively. Instead, the Explorer Platinum comes out to play from $51,525, and the Explorer ST from $55,205, effectively making it the current flagship of the series. Still, that’s way less than a 2025 Aviator, which is offered from $58,495 for the Premiere trim – in turn, it’s more than $5k costlier than a 2024MY. Of course, Ford and Lincoln will tell us they have many upgrades to warrant the sticker price changes. If you ask me, an Explorer ST is the better choice because it’s always cool to see the looks on people’s faces when you tell them it’s a sporty CUV instead of an elegant behemoth.

Strictly practically speaking, I wouldn’t go for a $67,495 Reserve, let alone the $87k Black Label – it’s easier to invest part of the difference into an Explorer Platinum if you want something ritzy and add perks like the $795 Star White Metallic Tri-Coat paintjob, switch to the 3.0-liter EcoBoost for $4,615 and AWD, a black-painted roof for almost $5k, and BlueCruise for $700, and still come out paying an estimated net price of $61,230, which is more than $7k cheaper than an Aviator Reserve, for example. Of course, if we suppose money is no object of concern, and you don’t need seven seats but want the sportiness bundled with luxury. In that case, I suggest keeping an eye out for the newly introduced Audi RS 6 Avant GT special edition, of which just 660 examples will be produced.

The company hasn’t said anything about bringing it over to America, but it did hint that it’s a worldwide affair – so there’s still hope. Of course, you also need to mentally prepare to pony up in excess of $200k for this collectible… Alas, it’s such a great-looking estate, has space for five people and luggage, and can take them to the track or on some canyon carving adventures to the tune of its 621-hp V8!