Compare the2024 Audi Q7VS 2024 Lincoln Aviator

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Q7’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Aviator doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

With its standard Front Assist, the Audi Q7 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Lincoln Aviator, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Q7	Aviator
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-21 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-9 MPH
25 MPH Brights	-23 MPH	-20 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-9 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-18 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-4 MPH
37 MPH Brights	-36 MPH	-15 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	2 sec	1.4 sec
37 MPH Low beams	-31 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.9 sec	.4 sec

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q7. But it costs extra on the Aviator.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The Q7 has Car-to-X Services, a system that seemlesly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Aviator doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Q7 Prestige helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The Aviator doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Q7 and the Aviator have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

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 Audi Q7 is safer than the Lincoln Aviator:

	Q7	Aviator
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.8 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	128 lbs.	161 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	557 lbs.	573 lbs.

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

The Audi Q7 achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Aviator is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Warranty

The Q7’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Aviator’s (12 vs. 5 years).

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 Q7’s reliability 14 points higher than the Aviator.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 4 places higher in reliability than Lincoln.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Q7 gets better mileage than the Aviator:

			MPG
Q7
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/25 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	19 city/24 hwy
Aviator
	AWD	3.0 turbo V6	17 city/24 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Q7’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Aviator doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Q7 has 2.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Aviator (22.5 vs. 20.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Q7 has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Aviator. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Q7’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Aviator:

	Q7	Aviator
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	13.6 inches

The Q7 stops shorter than the Aviator:

	Q7	Aviator
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	124 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q7’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Aviator (285/45R20 vs. 275/40R22).

The Q7’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Aviator’s standard 60 series tires. The Q7 Prestige’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Aviator’s optional 40 series tires.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the Q7 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Aviator doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Q7 Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the Aviator AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q7 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Aviator AWD (26.4 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.1 seconds @ .69 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Q7 w/Air Suspension has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Aviator (9.7 vs. 8.7 inches), allowing the Q7 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Lincoln Aviator is limited to 5600 pounds. The Q7 offers up to a 7700 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Lincoln. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 11% lower rating, Lincoln is ranked 12th.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Aviator, the Q7 Prestige offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Q7’s standard Audi Advanced Key allows you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Intelligent Access standard on the Aviator doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Q7 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Aviator doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Laser headlights, optional on the Q7 Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the Aviator’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

Consumer Reports rated the Q7’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Aviator’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q7 Prestige offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Aviator doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the Q7 has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Aviator doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

A manual rear sunshade and rear side window sunshades are optional in the Q7 (except Premium) to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Aviator doesn’t offer a rear sunshade.

When the Q7 is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Aviator’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Q7 55 TFSI Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Aviator (except Premiere)’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi Q7, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Lincoln Aviator isn't recommended.

The Audi Q7/SQ7 outsold the Lincoln Aviator by 86% during 2023.