Going Handsfree in the 2025 Lincoln Aviator
After testing out the fully loaded and uber-luxurious 2025 Lincoln Aviator around town, Michael and I popped over to Vancouver Island to visit the Sea Cider, whom I work for, have some lunch, catch up with my co-workers and taste some of the new formulations of our extremely delicious non-alcoholic ciders, the Temperance Series. I then took a holiday the following day, and we had a couple of excellent meals; I did some reading and briefly relaxed. We overnighted in Victoria one night and Brentwood Bay the other, with time to drive the highways in between to test the Aviator’s features.
The journey was so comfortable in the spacious Lincoln Aviator, and the ride was super smooth and powerful. This is a luxury midsize SUV with a 400-hp twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 Engine powering a smooth-shifting 10-speed automatic transmission, that makes acceleration seem effortless. It has all the bells and whistles. Just the seats blew my mind, as the vehicle has 10-way power-adjustable driver seats and passenger seats with 8-way power adjustment. The seats also have a massage option and even thigh extenders for taller people, or if that’s just how you like your seat for comfort. I need to return to this Aviator to learn more about these options and all the ins and outs of Lincoln’s newest vehicles.
The Lincoln Aviator has updates for 2025 that you’ll want to note. In terms of styling, the front has a redesigned mesh grille and headlights, and lighting strips that flash when you walk towards and away from the vehicle are part of the Lincoln Embrace technology. When you open the door, the welcome mat illuminates the ground below the front doors, and inside, there are welcoming light waves throughout the cabin. It feels a bit like a spaceship!
Ambient lighting colour and brightness changes are also right at your fingertips, and there’s a generous 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen and a 12.4-inch digital gauge. This is important as I need to see dials clearly when I am driving, as my eyesight for close-up objects is a little less than 100%. The vehicle is very user-friendly, meaning that switches are where you expect them, and things like turning on the windshield wipers when you think it’s the turning signal are rare when operating the SUV.
Lincoln BlueCruise Technology sets these vehicles apart. While keeping your eyes on the road ahead, you can change lanes, cruise along hands-free, and drive in stop-and-start traffic, all hands-free, on 97% of controlled-access highways across North America. This takes a bit of getting used to, and Michael wasn’t as game to keep it going as he could have been. We should have got the footage of me the next day, as I was changing lanes and letting the car take over for a good stretch, but I don’t travel with a film crew at this stage in my “creator career”! 
. The Aviator also offers the Lincoln Digital experience, which includes advanced mapping with real-time data and voice commands powered by Google Assistant. I guarantee we did not get lost!
Onto the journey! Off to BC Ferries, we made sure we had time to stop into Sweet Thea Bakery at the ferry terminal for a breakfast sandwich made with housemade sausage, croissants, and gingerbread for snacking later. Divine baking here, and super fresh.
On the ferry, I shimmied into the back seat and made myself a little office. The Lincoln Aviator has so much room in the second row, and you can order the configuration for this row as either a Bench seat, the standard second-row that can seat seven people or the Captain’s chairs, the configuration that we had that includes a center console that was useful for my paperwork. I had no problem spreading out and worked comfortably on my computer for the ferry ride. I felt like a queen in this tricked-out mobile.
We ventured up the road to Sea Cider on the Saanich Peninsula, just past Sidney on the way into Victoria, for lunch and a tasting of some of the newest blends of the Sea Cider Temperance (non-alcoholic) series. As mentioned, I am employed by Sea Cider (discloser), and I’m super proud of the ciders and hospitality that come out of this Vancouver-Island Ciderhouse. Let me know if you are visiting the Island or want to know where to get some cider around town, and follow my Instagram account (which you are, of course, already, right?) to see where I am sampling and the festivals Sea Cider is pouring at.
Instagram – GOODLIFEVANCOUVER
A little about Sea Cider
Sea Cider is a farm-based cidery on the Saanich Peninsula just minutes from Victoria, on Vancouver Island. The cidery has a ten-acre farm home to over 1,300 apple trees and over 50 varieties of heirloom apples. Sea Cider opened its farm gate for business in 2007 when owner Kristen Needham purchased the property to create an organic farm and orchard and produce traditional fermented artisan ciders. Since then, the cidery has grown to an annual cider production of over 16,000 cases. Sea Cider crafts traditionally fermented ciders from organically grown apples, and the award-winning cider is now available throughout Western North America.
SEA CIDER’S NON-ALCOHOL BOTTLES
Cherie – Apple with Cherry
Eden – Apple
Ava – Apple with Elderflower
Bonnie – Apple with Blackberry and lavender mint tea
Overnight at the comfortable Hilton Double Tree where you are great with warm cookies!
Dinner at The Courtney Room. There are moe details in the Instagram Post if you’d like to know more. It’s divine!
Don’t miss Crust Bakery! I love them so much I have the cookbook. The Bakery is known for its variety of French-inspired pastries, breads, cakes, and sandwiches. Their main location is 730 Fort Street, Victoria, BC V8W 1H2, and they also have a kiosk at Uptown Mall, 3535 Uptown Blvd, Victoria, BC V8Z 0B9. Both locations are open daily from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, or until they sell out.
My next stop was overnight oceanside at Brentwood Bay Resort, which has 33 rooms right on picturesque Brentwood Bay. Like all rooms, our room had a private patio overlooking the bay and a jetted jacuzzi tub, where I took a bubble bath in the morning, looking right through the room toward the ocean. There’s a spa, an outdoor heated pool and hot tub, and a fitness center, too, but we spent the time relaxing and enjoying the views and took advantage of the onsite restaurant, The Arbutus Room.
Dinner at The Arubtus Room and again, there are moe details in the Instagram Post if you’d like to know more. Delicious!
In the morning we were back on the ferry and homeward bound. Better jump in before Michael leaves without me.
