Compare the2024 Buick EnclaveVS 2023 Lincoln Aviator

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the Buick Enclave’s 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 Enclave 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 Enclave 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 Enclave and the Aviator 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, 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 Buick Enclave is safer than the Lincoln Aviator:

	Enclave	Aviator
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	15.6%	26.3%
Leg Forces (l/r)	53/40 lbs.	230/210 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 Buick Enclave is safer than the Lincoln Aviator:

	Enclave	Aviator
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	161 lbs.	161 lbs.
Hip Force	204 lbs.	224 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	251	288
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	554 lbs.	573 lbs.

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

Warranty

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

There are almost 3 times as many Buick dealers as there are Lincoln dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Enclave’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 Enclave’s reliability 44 points higher than the Aviator.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Enclave second among midsize suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Aviator isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 46 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is ranked 28th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick second in reliability, above the industry average. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is ranked 13th.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Enclave AWD gets better fuel mileage than the Aviator 3.0 turbo V6 AWD running its gasoline engine (17 city/25 hwy vs. 17 city/24 hwy).

Both the Enclave and the Aviator have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Enclaves 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.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Buick Enclave uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Aviator requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Enclave 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 Enclave 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).

Brakes and Stopping

The Enclave stops shorter than the Aviator:

	Enclave	Aviator
60 to 0 MPH	130 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Buick Enclave’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 Enclave 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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Enclave’s wheelbase is 1.8 inches longer than on the Aviator (120.9 inches vs. 119.1 inches).

Chassis

The Buick Enclave may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 1000 pounds less than the Lincoln Aviator.

Passenger Space

The Enclave has 12.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Aviator (157.3 vs. 144.7).

The Enclave has 1.1 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front hip room, .7 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, .3 inches more rear shoulder room, .7 inches more third row headroom, 4.3 inches more third row legroom, 7.6 inches more third row hip room and 3.3 inches more third row shoulder room than the Aviator.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Enclave	Aviator
Behind Third Seat	23.6 cubic feet	18.3 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	57.7 cubic feet	41.8 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	97.4 cubic feet	77.7 cubic feet

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Buick service is better than Lincoln. J.D. Power ranks Buick fifth in service department satisfaction. With a 18% lower rating, Lincoln is ranked 12th.

Ergonomics

Consumer Reports rated the Enclave’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Aviator’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

When the Enclave Premium/Avenir 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.

The Enclave 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 Aviator.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Buick Enclave has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Aviator Reserve/Grand Touring/Black Label offers wireless charging.

Recommendations

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

The Buick Enclave outsold the Lincoln Aviator by 39% during 2022.