Compare the2024 Lincoln AviatorVS 2023 Mercedes GLC Coupe

Both the Aviator and GLC Coupe have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Aviator has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The GLC Coupe’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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 GLC Coupe doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Aviator’s optional Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The GLC Coupe doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Aviator’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLC Coupe.

Both the Aviator and the GLC Coupe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Lincoln Aviator weighs 777 to 894 pounds more than the Mercedes GLC Coupe. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 163 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLC Coupe has not been tested, yet.

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

There are over 78 percent more Lincoln dealers than there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Aviator’s warranty.

The Lincoln Aviator’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the GLC Coupe’s engine uses 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 GLC Coupe 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 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes 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, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lincoln 14 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The Aviator’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 145 more horsepower (400 vs. 255) and 142 lbs.-ft. more torque (415 vs. 273) than the GLC Coupe’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Aviator is faster than the Mercedes GLC Coupe:

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

The Aviator has 2.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLC Coupe (20.2 vs. 17.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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 GLC Coupe 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 a nine-speed automatic is available for the GLC Coupe.

The Aviator stops much shorter than the GLC Coupe:

For better traction, the Aviator has larger standard tires than the GLC Coupe (255/60R19 vs. 235/55R19). The Aviator’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GLC Coupe (275/40R22 vs. 255/45R20).

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 GLC Coupe’s optional 45 series front tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Aviator offers optional 22-inch wheels. The GLC Coupe’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The Aviator offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The GLC Coupe’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Aviator has a standard automatic load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The GLC Coupe doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Aviator’s wheelbase is 6 inches longer than on the GLC Coupe (119.1 inches vs. 113.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Aviator is 3 inches wider in the front and 3.2 inches wider in the rear than on the GLC Coupe.

The Aviator AWD handles at .80 G’s, while the GLC 300 Coupe pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Aviator AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the GLC 300 Coupe (27.1 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

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 GLC Coupe doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Aviator (except Premiere) offers available computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The GLC Coupe doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Aviator has standard seating for 7 passengers; the GLC Coupe can only carry 5.

The Aviator has 2.6 inches more front headroom, 2.2 inches more front legroom, 4.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear headroom, 1.8 inches more rear legroom and 4.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLC Coupe.

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

The Aviator’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the GLC Coupe’s (5600 vs. 3500 pounds).

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 GLC Coupe doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Mercedes-Benz Emergency Call can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Aviator has a standard rear wiper. The GLC Coupe doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Optional air conditioned front and second row seats keep the Aviator’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The GLC Coupe doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The Aviator (except Premiere) offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the GLC Coupe.

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