Compare the2023 Lincoln AviatorVS 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

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 Range Rover Sport 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 Range Rover Sport 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 Range Rover Sport 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 Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

Both the Aviator and the Range Rover Sport 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 Range Rover Sport has not been tested, yet.

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Aviator 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Land Rover covers the Range Rover Sport. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Range Rover Sport 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 Range Rover Sport’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 Range Rover Sport 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 has more powerful engines than the Range Rover Sport:

On the EPA test cycle the Aviator running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Range Rover Sport running its gasoline engine:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Lincoln Aviator uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Range Rover Sport 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 Range Rover Sport 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 Range Rover Sport.

The Aviator’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Range Rover Sport’s optional 45 series tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Aviator’s wheelbase is 1.1 inches longer than on the Range Rover Sport (119.1 inches vs. 118 inches).

The Lincoln Aviator may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 250 pounds less than the Land Rover Range Rover Sport.

The Aviator is 7.1 inches narrower than the Range Rover Sport, making the Aviator easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The front grille of the Aviator uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Aviator has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Range Rover Sport can only carry 5.

The Aviator has 39.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Range Rover Sport (144.7 vs. 105).

The Aviator has 2.2 inches more front headroom, 2.7 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more rear headroom and 1.2 inches more rear legroom than the Range Rover Sport.

The Aviator’s cargo area provides more volume than the Range Rover Sport.

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

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 Range Rover Sport 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 Aviator’s exterior PIN entry system. The Range Rover Sport 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 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 Range Rover Sport 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 Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

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

The Lincoln Aviator outsold the Land Rover Range Rover Sport by almost three to one during 2022.