Compare the2023 Lincoln AviatorVS 2023 Land Rover Discovery

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Lincoln Aviator 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.

The Lincoln Aviator 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 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 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 Aviator (except Standard) offers optional Reverse Brake Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Discovery doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

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

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 available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Aviator the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Discovery has not been tested, yet.

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Aviator 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 Aviator’s warranty.

The Lincoln Aviator’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the Discovery’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 Discovery 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 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 Aviator’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 produces 104 more horsepower (400 vs. 296) and 120 lbs.-ft. more torque (415 vs. 295) than the Discovery’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Aviator’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 45 more horsepower (400 vs. 355) and 46 lbs.-ft. more torque (415 vs. 369) than the Discovery P360’s optional 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid. The Aviator Grand Touring’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 139 more horsepower (494 vs. 355) and 261 lbs.-ft. more torque (630 vs. 369) than the Discovery P360’s optional 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Aviator turbo V6 is faster than the Discovery P360 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid:

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

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

The Aviator Grand Touring can travel with zero emissions for 21 miles. The Discovery 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 Discovery doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Lincoln Aviator uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Discovery requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Aviator 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 Aviator, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Discovery.

The Aviator stops shorter than the Discovery:

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Aviator’s wheelbase is 4 inches longer than on the Discovery (119.1 inches vs. 115.1 inches).

The Aviator Grand Touring AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the Discovery R-Dynamic S pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Aviator Grand Touring AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Discovery R-Dynamic S (26.5 seconds @ .72 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Aviator’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Discovery’s (39.2 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

The Aviator (except Standard) offers available 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 Aviator has 2.1 inches more front headroom, 3.9 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 1.6 inches more rear legroom, 2.6 inches more rear hip room, 1.8 inches more rear shoulder room and 6.9 inches more third row shoulder room than the Discovery.

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

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Aviator. The Discovery doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Aviator’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 Aviator the driver can close them all 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 Aviator’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 Aviator (except Standard) offers optional 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 Aviator has standard extendable sun visors. The Discovery doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Aviator to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Discovery doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Aviator 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 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 Discovery’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

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

The Lincoln Aviator outsold the Land Rover Discovery by over 16 to one during 2022.