CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF

Talk about hot ... and not just the weather. Sales of the 2020 Lincoln Aviator are already taking off ahead of the all-new midsize luxury SUV landing on the North Florida Lincoln lot this summer.

In fact, the first preorders General Sales Manager Morris Jelks received were from two men who know cars well — Bill Buckingham, who spent 23 years at Mike Davidson Ford before the family-owned dealership was sold to the Asbury Automotive Group in 2015, and Malcolm Hogan, who has reviewed more than 1,000 vehicles during the past 12 years as publisher and founder of Automotive Addicts.

Both Buckingham and Hogan instantly fell in love with the three-row Aviator at the Jacksonville International Auto Show back in February. And, that's with the Aviator's doors locked throughout the three-day event at the Prime Osborn Convention Center.

"I'm really excited about it,'' said Buckingham, who along with Hogan, got to actually sit inside the Aviator on June 11 when it made a tour stop at the dealership for staff training. "I've been a SUV driver all my life — partial to Fords. This Lincoln model is just an upgrade on all the elements, all the feature comforts, the powertrain, sound system, interior. I was climbing all around inside and there's plenty of room.

"I'm glad that they're doing this event today — giving me a sneak peek and continuing to whet my appetite,'' said Buckingham, who served two terms as president of the Jacksonville Automobile Dealers Association when he was dealer operator at Mike Davidson (now Coggin Ford).

As for Hogan, "I thought I'd take a leap of faith and try something different — a different brand since I drive everything.''

The Aviator will replace his wife's Infiniti FX50.

Lincoln hopes the Aviator will attract a younger demographic to the brand. It's apparently working.

"I thought I'd never buy a Lincoln ... ever,'' admitted Hogan, who turns 40 in July. "It has some younger buyers in the showroom — that's unheard of. Things are changing, so they're recognizing the market and trying to attract a wider spectrum of buyers, a wider demographic.''

The Aviator is slotted between the full-size Navigator, Lincoln's flagship SUV, and the five-passenger Nautilus, introduced for the 2019 model year as the MKX replacement.

"Some folks love the Navigator ... 'but it's just too big,''' Jelks has heard. "And then with the Nautilus, 'It's just not big enough.' This satisfies that quest [for the perfect size].''

Built on Ford's all-new rear-wheel-drive unibody platform, the Aviator is loaded with convenience features and driver-assist/safety technology — quite an upgrade from the 2002-2005 Aviator that was basically a high-end Ford Explorer.

Powering the new Aviator will be a 400-horsepower 3-liter twin-turbo V-6 that delivers 400 pound-feet of torque. There's also a plug-in hybrid version (Grand Touring) that provides 450 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque.

Base prices range from $51,100 (Standard) to $87,800 (Black Label Grand Touring), excluding destination charges.

So, how excited is Jelks about his latest Lincoln? Silly question.

"Are you kiddin' me, man? Just look at this,'' Jelks said, pointing to the Silver Radiance Clearcoat Reserve model in the showroom being checked out by invited guests. "We're in a segment now that is very huge in the three-row luxury segment. And if you look at all the other different players out there, they've done very well in that segment.

"We'll compete very well with the technology and styling in this new Aviator,'' said Jelks, who'll be celebrating his 33rd year at the Southside Boulevard dealership next month.

"Lincoln has stepped up to the plate,'' Jelks said. "Lincoln has arrived. We're a household name, so when folks put luxury cars on their shopping list, Lincoln is up there.''

Having actor Matthew McConaughey involved with Lincoln's marketing since 2014 has made a major impact on how Lincoln is being perceived, says Jelks.

"Matthew has helped Lincoln get out there,'' Jelks said. "If you never thought about Lincoln and you see his commercial, you have to come in and look at the car. And then they'll say, 'Man, this is a nice car.' You get so much bang for the buck. So much bang.

"They did a great job just with the lines of this vehicle,'' said Jelks, running his fingers along the sides and top. "They use the term 'floating roof' — I love that look.''

Jelks anticipates his initial shipment of Aviators arriving in July or early August. As of Tuesday, had six on order (including the two for Buckingham and Hogan).

"Even at only six preorders, we have a lot of interest with this vehicle,'' Jelks said. "It's poised to be a bigger splash than the 2018 Navigator debut.''

While he waits for his Ice Mocha Reserve model with Sandstone interior, Buckingham will stay involved with the corporate side of the automotive market — "sought of the big picture, but not running them [dealerships] day-to-day. I'm involved in other community efforts, community foundations, serving on several boards, so I'm going for breadth rather than depth.''

He'll always be a dealership advocate, though.

"I love it and I miss it; it's certainly changed,'' Buckingham said about the business. "It was good to me; it was good to my family; and hopefully, we gave a lot back to the community. It was a great run [the dealership started as Lynch-Davidson Ford in 1934]. I hope people still remember the 'Good Guys' at Mike Davidson Ford.''

As for Hogan, who ordered a Flight Blue Black Label edition with "Flight'' interior trim, he'll have more reviews for automotiveaddicts.com. One on the Aviator, perhaps?

Joe DeSalvo: (904) 359-4366