Compare the2023 Lincoln AviatorVS 2023 Acura MDX

Both the Aviator and MDX 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 MDX’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 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 MDX 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.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Aviator’s optional Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The MDX doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Aviator and the MDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

There are almost 3 times as many Lincoln dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Aviator’s warranty.

The Lincoln Aviator’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the MDX’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

The Aviator has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The MDX doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln above average in initial quality. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln above average in long-term dependability. With 12 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Acura is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lincoln 2 places higher in reliability than Acura.

The Aviator’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 produces 110 more horsepower (400 vs. 290) and 148 lbs.-ft. more torque (415 vs. 267) than the MDX’s standard 3.5 SOHC V6. The Aviator’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 45 more horsepower (400 vs. 355) and 61 lbs.-ft. more torque (415 vs. 354) than the MDX Type S’ standard 3.0 turbo V6. The Aviator Grand Touring’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 139 more horsepower (494 vs. 355) and 276 lbs.-ft. more torque (630 vs. 354) than the MDX Type S’ standard 3.0 turbo V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Aviator turbo V6 is faster than the Acura MDX V6:

On the EPA test cycle the Aviator running on electricity gets better mileage than the MDX:

On the EPA test cycle the Aviator running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the MDX:

The Aviator Grand Touring can travel with zero emissions for 21 miles. The MDX can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Aviator Grand Touring’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The MDX doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Aviator’s standard fuel tank has 1.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the MDX (20.2 vs. 18.5 gallons).

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

The Aviator stops much shorter than the MDX:

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Aviator offers optional 22-inch wheels. The MDX’s largest wheels are only 21-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Aviator’s wheelbase is 5.3 inches longer than on the MDX (119.1 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

The Aviator’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51% to 49%) than the MDX’s (58% to 42%). This gives the Aviator more stable handling and braking.

The Aviator Grand Touring AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the MDX SH-AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Aviator Grand Touring AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the MDX SH-AWD (26.5 seconds @ .72 average G’s vs. 27.2 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Aviator’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the MDX’s (39.2 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Aviator has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the MDX (8.7 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the Aviator to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Aviator uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The MDX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Aviator has 5.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the MDX (144.7 vs. 139.1).

The Aviator has 3 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more rear headroom, .5 inches more rear legroom, .5 inches more rear hip room, 1 inch more rear shoulder room, .7 inches more third row headroom, .1 inches more third row legroom and .3 inches more third row hip room than the MDX.

The Aviator’s cargo area provides more volume than the MDX.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Aviator’s second row seats and pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The MDX doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Aviator’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the MDX’s (5600 vs. 3500 pounds).

The engine in the Aviator is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the MDX. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

The power windows standard on both the Aviator and the MDX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Aviator is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The MDX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Aviator’s exterior PIN entry system. The MDX doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its AcuraLink can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Aviator’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The MDX’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Aviator (except Standard) offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The MDX doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Aviator’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The MDX has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Optional air conditioned front and second row seats keep the Aviator’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The MDX doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Aviator (except Standard)’s optional Active Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The MDX doesn’t offer an automated parking system.