Both the Aviator and GLC 350e have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Aviator has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The GLC 350e’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.
The Lincoln Aviator has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The GLC 350e doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.
The Aviator has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The GLC 350e doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Aviator (except Standard) offers an optional Reverse Brake Assist that use rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The GLC 350e doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Aviator’s optional Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The GLC 350e doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.
The Aviator’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLC 350e.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Aviator has a standard cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Cross-path warning costs extra on the GLC 350e.
Both the Aviator and the GLC 350e have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Lincoln Aviator is safer than the Mercedes GLC 350e:
|
Aviator |
GLC 350e |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Neck Stress |
167 lbs. |
177 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
26 lbs. |
87 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
230/210 lbs. |
378/445 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Chest Compression |
.4 inches |
.7 inches |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Lincoln Aviator is safer than the Mercedes GLC 350e:
|
Aviator |
GLC 350e |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
65 |
69 |
Chest Movement |
.9 inches |
.9 inches |
Hip Force |
224 lbs. |
409 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
86 |
134 |
Spine Acceleration |
38 G’s |
46 G’s |
Hip Force |
604 lbs. |
784 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
12 inches |
13 inches |
Spine Acceleration |
39 G’s |
40 G’s |
Hip Force |
573 lbs. |
787 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.