Compare the2023 GMC AcadiaVS 2023 Lincoln Aviator

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Aviator doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the GMC Acadia are height-adjustable, and the 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 Aviator 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 Aviator 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 Aviator doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Acadia and the Aviator have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, 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 GMC Acadia is safer than the Lincoln Aviator:

	Acadia	Aviator
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	26.3%

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 GMC Acadia is safer than the Lincoln Aviator:

	Acadia	Aviator
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	156 lbs.	161 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	39 G’s

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

Warranty

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

There are over 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.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Acadia’s reliability 40 points higher than the Aviator.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Acadia third among upper midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Aviator isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks GMC 10 places higher in reliability than Lincoln.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Acadia
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/27 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
Aviator
	RWD	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

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Acadia’s fuel efficiency. The Aviator doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Both the Acadia and the Aviator have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Acadias have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The Aviator Grand Touring doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

The Acadia FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Aviator Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (19.4 vs. 18 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Acadia AWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Aviator’s standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 20.2 gallons).

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the GMC Acadia higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Lincoln Aviator (5 to 7). This means the Acadia produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Aviator every 15,000 miles.

Tires and Wheels

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

Suspension and Handling

The Acadia SLT AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Aviator AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Chassis

The GMC Acadia may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 to 1150 pounds less than the Lincoln Aviator.

The Acadia is 5.9 inches shorter than the Aviator, making the Acadia easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Acadia has .7 inches more rear legroom, .3 inches more third row headroom, .5 inches more third row legroom, 2 inches more third row hip room and .3 inches more third row shoulder room than the Aviator.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Acadia	Aviator
Second Seat Folded	79 cubic feet	77.7 cubic feet

Ergonomics

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 Aviator’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Acadia owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Acadia will cost $1565 to $8275 less than the Aviator over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the GMC Acadia will be $14039 to $33784 less than for the Lincoln Aviator.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the GMC Acadia, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Lincoln Aviator isn't recommended.

The GMC Acadia outsold the Lincoln Aviator by over three to one during the 2021 model year.