Compare the2018 GMC AcadiaVS 2017 Lincoln MKC

The Acadia Denali’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The MKC doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Acadia are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The MKC doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Acadia has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The MKC doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Acadia (except SL/SLE) offers optional Forward Automatic Braking, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The MKC offers an available collision warning system without the automated brake feature that would prevent or reduce the collision if the driver fails to react.

The Acadia Denali offers an optional Surround Vision System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The MKC only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Acadia and the MKC have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Acadia the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 110 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The MKC has not been fully tested, yet, but doesn’t qualify for 2017 “Top Pick.”

The Acadia’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the MKC’s (6 vs. 5 years).

GMC pays for scheduled maintenance on the Acadia for 2 years and 24,000 miles. GMC will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance (up to 2 oil changes). Lincoln only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the MKC.

There are almost 2 times as many GMC dealers as there are Lincoln dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Acadia’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2016 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC fifth in reliability, above the industry average. With 12 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is ranked 10th.

The Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 25 more horsepower (310 vs. 285) than the MKC’s optional 2.3 turbo 4 cyl.

As tested in Car and Driver the GMC Acadia V6 is faster than the Lincoln MKC 2.3 turbo 4 cyl.:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the GMC Acadia uses regular unleaded gasoline. The MKC with the 2.0 turbo 4 cyl. engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Acadia FWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the MKC (19.4 vs. 16.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Acadia AWD’s standard fuel tank has 5.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the MKC (21.7 vs. 16.2 gallons).

The Acadia’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the MKC are solid, not vented.

The GMC Acadia’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Lincoln MKC only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Acadia has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The MKC doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Acadia’s wheelbase is 6.6 inches longer than on the MKC (112.5 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Acadia is 2.1 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than on the MKC.

The Acadia Denali AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the MKC AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Acadia SLT AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the MKC AWD (26.9 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Acadia Denali AWD is quieter than the MKC AWD (41 vs. 43 dB).

The Acadia has standard seating for 7 passengers; the MKC can only carry 5.

The Acadia has 45.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the MKC (143.8 vs. 97.9).

The Acadia has .7 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, 3.4 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 2.9 inches more rear legroom, .5 inches more rear hip room and 3.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the MKC.

The Acadia’s cargo area provides more volume than the MKC.

The Acadia’s cargo area is larger than the MKC’s in every dimension:

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Acadia’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The MKC doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Maximum trailer towing in the Lincoln MKC is limited to 3000 pounds. The Acadia offers up to a 4000 lbs. towing capacity.

When the Acadia with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The MKC’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Acadia will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Acadia will retain 46.28% to 52.71% of its original price after five years, while the MKC only retains 43.48% to 44.66%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Acadia is less expensive to operate than the MKC because typical repairs cost much less on the Acadia than the MKC, including $421 less for a water pump, $38 less for a starter, $12 less for front struts and $461 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the GMC Acadia will be $1241 to $2723 less than for the Lincoln MKC.

The GMC Acadia outsold the Lincoln MKC by over three to one during the 2016 model year.