Compare the2023 Lincoln NavigatorVS 2023 Land Rover Discovery

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Lincoln Navigator are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Discovery doesn’t offer height-adjustable 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 Navigator are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Discovery doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Discovery 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 Discovery 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 Discovery 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 Navigator has standard Reverse Brake Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Discovery doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Navigator and the Discovery have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.

The Lincoln Navigator weighs 525 to 990 pounds more than the Land Rover Discovery. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Navigator 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Land Rover covers the Discovery. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Discovery ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 3 times as many Lincoln dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Navigator’s warranty.

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 Discovery 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 20 points higher than the Discovery.

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 Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln above average in initial quality. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover 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 Land Rover 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, Land Rover is rated below average.

The Navigator’s 3.5 turbo V6 produces 144 more horsepower (440 vs. 296) and 215 lbs.-ft. more torque (510 vs. 295) than the Discovery’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Navigator’s 3.5 turbo V6 produces 85 more horsepower (440 vs. 355) and 141 lbs.-ft. more torque (510 vs. 369) than the Discovery P360’s optional 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Lincoln Navigator is faster than the Discovery P360 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Lincoln Navigator uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Discovery requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Navigator has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Discovery doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Lincoln Navigator, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Discovery.

The Navigator stops shorter than the Discovery:

For better traction, the Navigator has larger standard tires than the Discovery (275/55R20 vs. 255/55R20).

The Lincoln Navigator’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Land Rover Discovery only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

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 Discovery doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Navigator’s wheelbase is 7.4 inches longer than on the Discovery (122.5 inches vs. 115.1 inches).

The Navigator Black Label 4WD handles at .77 G’s, while the Discovery R-Dynamic S pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Navigator’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Discovery’s (40 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

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

The Navigator offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Discovery can only carry 7.

The Navigator has 2.4 inches more front headroom, 4.8 inches more front legroom, 4.1 inches more front hip room, 4.8 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, 3.7 inches more rear legroom, 5.9 inches more rear hip room, 5.6 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.6 inches more third row legroom, 9.4 inches more third row hip room and 17.1 inches more third row shoulder room than the Discovery.

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

The Navigator’s cargo area provides more volume than the Discovery.

The Navigator’s cargo area is larger than the Discovery’s in almost every dimension:

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Navigator. The Discovery doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Navigator’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Discovery’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Navigator’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Discovery’s (6200 vs. 5925 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Land Rover Discovery is only 8200 pounds. The Navigator offers up to a 8700 lbs. towing capacity.

The Navigator 4WD with optional equipment can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Navigator can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Discovery can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Navigator’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. An easy entry system costs extra on the Discovery.

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 Discovery can only operate 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 Discovery doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its InControl 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 Discovery doesn’t offer cornering lights.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Navigator has standard extendable sun visors. The Discovery doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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 Discovery.

Both the Navigator and the Discovery 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 Discovery.

The Navigator has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Discovery doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Navigator’s Active Park Assist 2.0 can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Discovery’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

The Navigator is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Discovery doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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

The Lincoln Navigator outsold the Land Rover Discovery by almost five to one during the 2022 model year.