This week I had the 2025 Lincoln Aviator Reserve at my disposal, as the perfect vehicle to take on my mini road trip to Harrison.
Spring has sprung and a lot of the tulip festivals are welcoming locals and tourists to walk their fully blossomed fields; and we planned a stop at two.
To maximize the trip out we also decided to make a few stops along the way, as a great way to punctuate the over two hour drive from Burnaby to Harrison Valley.
Although the 2925 Aviator is equipped with three rows of seats, sitting six comfortably, including the driver, it was just me in the driver‘s seat. It did not handle like a sticky SUV, but instead was low to the ground, and agile on curves like a sportier sedan.
A mature look in its pale grey-blue paint job with shiny sliver grill and black accent that popped in contrast. It’s spoke luxury, but in a lowercase font.
Inside, the exterior was a mix of faux textured, black leather on the door and dash, and a rich cocoa brown leather with double stitching wrapping from centre console, on to each individual bucket seat.
The warm tones matched the wood grain of the centre control. It reminded me of a vintage radio with the single row of buttons, and the brand embossed stylish in metal above it.
Another row above is the gearshift options with push buttons stop and start. Single tap buttons made it feel like you were pressing play or rewind on a 90’s boom box.
This was a spacious cabin, especially for one. Had I any passengers they would have each gotten their own individual seat with plush leather and arm rests, heated and cooling seats, and an individual temperature control. Thus making it an excellent vehicle to travel with the host people within. I also appreciated the strength of the climate control, even at the lowest fan setting cabin was quick to adjust to my temperature changes
The cabin itself as well sealed, I avoided any scent of manure from the farmland. And the noise of the rolling road under tire was manageable. The excellent surroundsound speakers also helped to cut away background distortions.
Known for its ambiance lighting, and the ability to curate your desired vibe. However, this detailing in the Lincoln Aviator Reserve is subtle. Your choice of colour theme only highlights the car’s pockets and bins. No LED lights to outline the dash, or trim the lines, thus furthering its mature feel.
The touchscreen infotainment system is easy to navigate and easier to sync up with your smart phone. Large icons to identify home screen to media map to settings, ideal for multitasking. Just as easy to locate is the seat adjustment functionality on the door. It has the ability to fine tune for the head, shoulders, back, bottom cushio, and each individual thigh; with further lumbar differentiation. Thus making this a very comfortable, long distance sit.
The cushioned headrest especially, really supports and pillows, allowing you to stabilize your centre as you enjoy the massage function. The latter is easy to start with a button right above the seat controls that focus on either rolling or prodding motions. I was particularly impartial to the full recovery rolling that helped to lift and minimally rotate the hips. I appreciated this comfort, considering the extensive amount of driving I would be doing back-and-forth out of the Lower Mainland into the Fraser Valley over 300km.
I was impressed by the fuel economy two trips out, at over an hour and a half each way, and I was still left with a quarter of the tank. It just would have been nice to have an eco-mode to further conserve.
I enjoyed the bespoke little details of the Aviator, including the thumb push button release of the door handle. Thr projection branded logo light that broadcast at the base of the driver’s door before you enter. Only visible at night, this felt like a red carpet welcome. The panoramic moon roof allowed for the optimal enjoyment of warm sun and blue skies above. Ideal for taking in the rustic scenery of this quick jaunt into BC’s mountainous back country.
Our first stop was Hive, a donut shop that also does weekday brunch in the Langley-Aldergrove area. There, we tried a few of their donuts and even had one made into a burger, as the bun. Sadly, by the time we got to the food, it was cold and I did not enjoy dry and hard beef Pattie’s. More on that meal in its own post.
Stop number two was Lakeland flowers, known as being Abbotsford’s Tulip Festival, it is currently in full bloom and the fields are welcoming all guests to walk them and take photos to their heart’s content.
They also have food trucks, picnic tables, and portable toilets for those who want to make a day of it. We paused here for mini donuts dressed up like a lemon meringue pie.
Next, we stopped at the Chilliwack’s location of Fat Burger. Sadly, I did not get a chance to try any of the burgers, nor pack any to go to try later, as the picture taking took longer than expected and we had one more stop to go.
The last stop was the reason why we were driving out in the first place, so I didn’t want to be late for that. This was my first time visiting the Harrison Tulip Festival. The owners of the farm once ran the Chilliwack’s tulip festival, with the move they now own this property and have more acres to provide not only tulips for sale, but tulips for apprecaiting as well. More on the full experience in its own post.
And thus ended this 240km roadtrip back and forth of doughnuts, burgers, and tulips and the 2025 Lincoln Aviator Reserve made it all a lot more tolerable.
