Compare the2023 Audi e-tron SportbackVS 2023 Lincoln Aviator

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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The e-tron Sportback’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Aviator doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The e-tron Sportback’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Aviator doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the e-tron Sportback. But it costs extra on the Aviator.

An active infrared night vision system optional on the e-tron Sportback helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera and near-infrared lights to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The Aviator doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the e-tron Sportback and the Aviator have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

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 Audi e-tron Sportback is safer than the Lincoln Aviator:

	e-tron Sportback	Aviator
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	44	65
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	117 lbs.	161 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	579 lbs.	604 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	8 inches	12 inches
HIC	279	288

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the e-tron Sportback, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 5.5% to 5.9% less likely to roll over than the Aviator, which received a four-star rating.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the e-tron Sportback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 89 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Aviator is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

Warranty

The e-tron Sportback’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Aviator’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 12 places higher in reliability than Lincoln.

Engine

The e-tron Sportback’s standard electric motors produces 2 more horsepower (402 vs. 400) and 75 lbs.-ft. more torque (490 vs. 415) than the Aviator’s standard 3.0 turbo V6. The e-tron Sportback S’ standard electric motors produces 2 more horsepower (496 vs. 494) and 87 lbs.-ft. more torque (717 vs. 630) than the Aviator Grand Touring’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the e-tron Sportback gets better mileage than the Aviator running on electricity:

			MPGe
e-tron Sportback
	AWD	Electric Motors	77 city/80 hwy
		S Electric Motors	73 city/77 hwy
Aviator
	AWD	Grand Touring Electric Motor	54 city/58 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the e-tron Sportback gets better mileage than the Aviator running its gasoline engine:

			MPGe
e-tron Sportback
	AWD	Electric Motors	77 city/80 hwy
		S Electric Motors	73 city/77 hwy
Aviator
			MPG
	AWD	3.0 turbo V6	18 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.0 turbo V6	17 city/24 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	22 city/25 hwy

The e-tron Sportback can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 212 to 225 miles. The Aviator Grand Touring has to start its internal combustion engine after only 21 miles.

Regardless of its engine, regenerative brakes improve the e-tron Sportback’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. Lincoln only offers a regenerative brake system on the Aviator Grand Touring.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi e-tron Sportback higher (10 out of 10) than the Lincoln Aviator (5 to 7). This means the e-tron Sportback produces up to 19.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Aviator every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The e-tron Sportback’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Aviator doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the e-tron Sportback’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Aviator:

	e-tron Sportback	Aviator
Front Rotors	15.7 inches	13.6 inches

Tires and Wheels

The e-tron Sportback’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Aviator’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the e-tron Sportback has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Aviator.

Suspension and Handling

The front and rear suspension of the e-tron Sportback uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Aviator, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

Chassis

The e-tron Sportback is 6.3 inches shorter than the Aviator, making the e-tron Sportback easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Cargo Capacity

The e-tron Sportback has a much larger cargo volume than the Aviator with its rear seat up (27.2 vs. 18.3 cubic feet).

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Lincoln. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 11% lower rating, Lincoln is ranked 12th.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Aviator, the e-tron Sportback Prestige has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

When the e-tron Sportback is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Aviator’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The e-tron Sportback has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Aviator.

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