Compare the2025 Lincoln AviatorVS 2024 Mercedes GLE

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages

Safety

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Both the Aviator and GLE 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 GLE’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.

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 Aviator are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The GLE doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 GLE doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Aviator has standard Reverse Brake Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The GLE doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

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 GLE.

Both the Aviator and the GLE 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, around view monitors, 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 Mercedes GLE:

	Aviator	GLE
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	167 lbs.	208 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/210 lbs.	301/184 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.4 inches
Neck Injury Risk	29.2%	31%
Leg Forces (l/r)	380/405 lbs.	401/438 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 Lincoln Aviator is safer than the Mercedes GLE:

	Aviator	GLE
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	224 lbs.	287 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	86	103
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	604 lbs.	677 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	573 lbs.	615 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 GLE:

	Aviator	GLE
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Force	134 lbs.	156 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.06 in	1.34 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
Head Injury Criterion	168	232
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	825 lbs.	1116 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

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

There are over 39 percent more Lincoln dealers than there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Aviator’s warranty.

Reliability

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

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lincoln 6 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

Engine

The Aviator’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 145 more horsepower (400 vs. 255) and 120 lbs.-ft. more torque (415 vs. 295) than the GLE 350’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The Aviator’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 38 more horsepower (400 vs. 362) and 46 lbs.-ft. more torque (415 vs. 369) than the GLE 450’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid. The Aviator’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 19 more horsepower (400 vs. 381) than the GLE 450e’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

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

	Aviator	GLE 350	GLE 450
Zero to 60 MPH	5.4 sec	7.6 sec	5.6 sec
Quarter Mile	14.1 sec	15.8 sec	14.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97.7 MPH	87.5 MPH	97.4 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Aviator gets better mileage than the GLE running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
Aviator
	RWD	3.0 turbo V6	18 city/25 hwy
	AWD	3.0 turbo V6	17 city/25 hwy
GLE
	AWD	4.0 turbo V8 Hybrid	15 city/20 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Lincoln Aviator uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The GLE requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Aviator has 3 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLE 450e’s standard fuel tank (20.2 vs. 17.2 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 GLE 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 a nine-speed automatic is available for the GLE.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Aviator	GLE
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	13 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13 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 standard on the GLE 350 are solid, not vented.

The Aviator stops shorter than the GLE:

	Aviator	GLE
60 to 0 MPH	124 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Aviator has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the GLE.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Aviator’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the GLE (119.1 inches vs. 117.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Aviator is 1.3 inches wider in the front and .5 inches wider in the rear than on the GLE.

The Aviator’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51% to 49%) than the GLE’s (53.5% to 46.5%). This gives the Aviator more stable handling and braking.

The Aviator AWD handles at .80 G’s, while the GLE 350 pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Aviator AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the GLE 350 (27.1 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Aviator has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GLE (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 GLE 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 GLE doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Aviator has 1 inch more front headroom, 2.7 inches more front legroom, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.8 inches more rear headroom and 3 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLE.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Aviator	GLE
Third Seat Folded	41.8 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	33.3 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	77.7 cubic feet	74.9 cubic feet

Both the Aviator and the GLE have standard second row automatic folding seats. The Aviator’s third row seats also fold up or down at the press of a button. The GLE doesn’t offer automatic folding third row seats.

Towing

Trailer Sway Control is standard on the Aviator, using the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the GLE.

Ergonomics

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 GLE 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 fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the GLE only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Aviator has standard front air conditioned seats and offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The GLE doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

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 costs extra on the GLE.

Model Availability

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

Economic Advantages

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Lincoln Aviator will be $6933 to $9975 less than for the Mercedes GLE.