Compare the2025 Lincoln AviatorVS 2025 Hyundai Palisade

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Lincoln Aviator have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Palisade doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row 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 Palisade doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

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 Palisade 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.

Both the Aviator and the Palisade have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 and available all wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Lincoln Aviator is safer than the Hyundai Palisade:

	Aviator	Palisade
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	125	160
Neck Compression	26 lbs.	42 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	318	333
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	29.2%	35%

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 Lincoln Aviator is safer than the Hyundai Palisade:

	Aviator	Palisade
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	224 lbs.	303 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	86	189
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	45 G’s
Hip Force	573 lbs.	724 lbs.

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Lincoln Aviator is safer than the Palisade:

	Aviator	Palisade
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Force	134 lbs.	156 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.06 in	1.18 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	6 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	982 lbs.	1026 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.46 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Reliability

The Lincoln Aviator’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Palisade’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 Palisade doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

Engine

The Aviator’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 109 more horsepower (400 vs. 291) and 153 lbs.-ft. more torque (415 vs. 262) than the Palisade’s 3.8 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Aviator is faster than the Hyundai Palisade:

	Aviator	Palisade
Zero to 60 MPH	5.4 sec	7.1 sec
Quarter Mile	14.1 sec	15.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97.7 MPH	89.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Aviator has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Palisade (20.2 vs. 18.8 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 Palisade doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

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 Palisade.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Aviator	Palisade
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	13.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	12 inches

The Aviator’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Palisade are solid, not vented.

The Aviator stops shorter than the Palisade:

	Aviator	Palisade
60 to 0 MPH	124 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Aviator has larger standard tires than the Palisade (255/55R20 vs. 245/60R18). The Aviator’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Palisade (275/40R22 vs. 245/60R18).

The Aviator’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 Palisade’s standard 60 series tires. The Aviator’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Palisade’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Aviator has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Palisade. The Aviator’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Palisade.

Suspension and Handling

The Aviator has a standard 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 Palisade’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Aviator has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Palisade doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Aviator’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Palisade doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Aviator’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Palisade (119.1 inches vs. 114.2 inches).

The Aviator’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51% to 49%) than the Palisade’s (56% to 44%). This gives the Aviator more stable handling and braking.

The Aviator AWD handles at .80 G’s, while the Palisade Limited HTRAC pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Aviator AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Palisade Limited HTRAC (27.1 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Aviator has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Palisade (8.7 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Aviator to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

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 Palisade doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Aviator Reserve/Black Label uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Palisade doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Aviator has .8 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear hip room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Palisade.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Aviator	Palisade
Behind Third Seat	18.3 cubic feet	18 cubic feet

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

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Aviator is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Palisade. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Aviator’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Palisade’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

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 Palisade 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 Palisade doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Bluelink can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Aviator’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Palisade SE/SEL/XRT’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Aviator has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Palisade doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Aviator also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Aviator 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 is only available on the Palisade SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy/Night.

The Lincoln Aviator has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the driver’s visor. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Hyundai charges extra for Homelink® on the Palisade.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Lincoln Aviator has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Night offers wireless charging.