Compare the2018 GMC AcadiaVS 2018 Lincoln MKX

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 Lincoln MKX doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the GMC Acadia’s middle seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Lincoln MKX doesn’t offer comfort guides on its middle seat belts.

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 Lincoln MKX 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 Lincoln MKX doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Acadia SLE/SLT’s optional Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Lincoln MKX doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

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

The Acadia’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Lincoln MKX’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 MKX.

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.

The Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 7 more horsepower (310 vs. 303) than the Lincoln MKX’s standard 3.7 DOHC V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the GMC Acadia V6 is faster than the Lincoln MKX twin turbo V6:

On the EPA test cycle the Acadia gets better fuel mileage than the Lincoln MKX:

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Acadia 4 cyl.’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) The Lincoln MKX doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the GMC Acadia uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Lincoln MKX with the 2.7 turbo V6 engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Acadia FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Lincoln MKX (19.4 vs. 18 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Acadia AWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Lincoln MKX (21.7 vs. 18 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 Lincoln MKX are solid, not vented.

The Acadia stops much shorter than the Lincoln MKX:

The GMC Acadia’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Lincoln MKX 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 Lincoln MKX doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Acadia’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56.5% to 43.5%) than the Lincoln MKX’s (58.3% to 41.7%). This gives the Acadia more stable handling and braking.

The Acadia Denali AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Lincoln MKX Reserve AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The GMC Acadia may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 250 pounds less than the Lincoln MKX.

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

The Acadia has 35.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Lincoln MKX (143.8 vs. 108.3).

The Acadia has .4 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom and .1 inches more rear legroom than the Lincoln MKX.

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

The Acadia’s cargo area is larger than the Lincoln MKX’s in almost every dimension:

Maximum trailer towing in the Lincoln MKX is limited to 3500 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 Lincoln MKX’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 Lincoln MKX only retains 39.62% to 41.89%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Acadia is less expensive to operate than the Lincoln MKX because typical repairs cost less on the Acadia than the Lincoln MKX, including $24 less for a water pump, $82 less for a muffler and $71 less for front struts.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the GMC Acadia will be $8303 to $10687 less than for the Lincoln MKX.

The GMC Acadia outsold the Lincoln MKX by almost four to one during 2017.