Compare the2023 Lincoln NavigatorVS 2023 GMC Yukon

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

Safety

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The Lincoln Navigator 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 Yukon doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The middle row seatbelts optional on the Navigator Reserve/Black Label inflate when a collision is detected, helping to spread crash forces over a much larger area of the body and limiting head and neck movement. This can help prevent spinal and internal injuries. The Yukon doesn’t offer inflatable seatbelts.

The Navigator 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 Yukon 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.

The Navigator has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Yukon’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Navigator has a standard rear 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. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Yukon.

The Navigator’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Yukon doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Navigator and the Yukon have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Lincoln Navigator is safer than the GMC Yukon:

	Navigator	Yukon
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Leg Forces (l/r)	23/39 lbs.	152/161 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	35%	47%
Neck Stress	155 lbs.	272 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	271/178 lbs.	333/811 lbs.

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 Navigator is safer than the GMC Yukon:

	Navigator	Yukon
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	23	25
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	108 lbs.	111 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	61	88
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
HIC	134	239
Hip Force	569 lbs.	764 lbs.

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 Navigator is .4% to 2.6% less likely to roll over than the Yukon.

Warranty

The Navigator comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Yukon’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Navigator 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than GMC covers the Yukon. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Yukon ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Navigator’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Yukon’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Navigator has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of some of the engines in the Yukon.

The Navigator 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 reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Yukon doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

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 Navigator’s reliability 43 points higher than the Yukon.

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 GMC 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, GMC is rated lower.

Engine

The Navigator’s 3.5 turbo V6 produces 85 more horsepower (440 vs. 355) and 127 lbs.-ft. more torque (510 vs. 383) than the Yukon’s standard 5.3 V8. The Navigator’s 3.5 turbo V6 produces 20 more horsepower (440 vs. 420) and 50 lbs.-ft. more torque (510 vs. 460) than the Yukon’s optional 6.2 V8.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Navigator is faster than the GMC Yukon 5.3 V8:

	Navigator	Yukon
Zero to 60 MPH	5.9 sec	7.2 sec
Quarter Mile	14.5 sec	15.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	95.8 MPH	90.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Navigator gets better mileage than the Yukon:

			MPG
Navigator
	RWD	3.5 turbo V6	17 city/23 hwy
	AWD	3.5 turbo V6	16 city/22 hwy
Yukon
	RWD	5.3 OHV V8	15 city/20 hwy
		6.2 OHV V8	14 city/20 hwy
	AWD	5.3 OHV V8	15 city/20 hwy
		6.2 OHV V8	14 city/18 hwy

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Lincoln Navigator higher (6 out of 10) than the GMC Yukon (3 to 6). This means the Navigator produces up to 23.4 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Yukon every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Navigator’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Yukon:

	Navigator	Yukon
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	13.5 inches

The Navigator stops shorter than the Yukon:

	Navigator	Yukon
70 to 0 MPH	182 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Navigator has larger standard tires than the Yukon (275/55R20 vs. 265/65R18). The Navigator’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Yukon (285/45R22 vs. 275/60R20).

The Navigator Standard’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Yukon SLE’s standard 65 series tires. The Navigator’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Yukon’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Navigator Standard has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Yukon SLE.

Suspension and Handling

The Navigator’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Yukon doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Navigator’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Yukon (122.5 inches vs. 120.9 inches).

The Navigator Black Label 4WD handles at .76 G’s, while the Yukon Denali 4x4 pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Navigator Black Label 4WD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.8 seconds quicker than the Yukon AT4 4x4 (27.8 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 30.6 seconds @ .51 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Navigator has a 1.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Yukon (9.6 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Navigator to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Navigator uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Yukon doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Navigator has 3.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Yukon (172 vs. 168.3).

The Navigator has .4 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, .3 inches more rear hip room, .3 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.2 inches more third row legroom, 2 inches more third row hip room and 1.5 inches more third row shoulder room than the Yukon.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Navigator’s middle and third row seats recline. The Yukon’s third row seats don’t recline.

The front step up height for the Navigator is 2.2 inches lower than the Yukon (21” vs. 23.2”). The Navigator’s rear step up height is .5 inches lower than the Yukon’s (23” vs. 23.5”).

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Navigator easier. The Navigator’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29 inches, while the Yukon’s liftover is 37 inches.

The Navigator has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Yukon doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the GMC Yukon is limited to 8400 pounds. The Navigator offers up to a 8700 lbs. towing capacity.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Yukon SLT/AT4/Denali, the Navigator Reserve/Black Label has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, foot pedal distance, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Navigator’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Yukon’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Navigator the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Yukon can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Navigator has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Yukon doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Standard air conditioned seats in the front and second seat rows keep the Navigator’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Yukon doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Navigator 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 Yukon.

Both the Navigator and the Yukon offer available massaging front seats. The Navigator also offers optional massaging second row seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging second row seats aren’t available in the Yukon.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Lincoln Navigator has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Yukon SLT/AT4/Denali offers wireless charging.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Navigator is less expensive to operate than the Yukon because it costs $155 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Navigator than the Yukon, including $239 less for a water pump, $626 less for a muffler, $44 less for front brake pads, $135 less for a starter, $142 less for fuel injection, $268 less for a fuel pump and $305 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Navigator as the 2018 North American Truck of the Year. The Yukon has never been chosen.

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