Compare the2025 Audi Q5VS 2025 Lincoln Aviator

The Q5’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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q5. But it costs extra on the Aviator.

Both the Q5 and the Aviator have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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, driver alert monitors and available 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 Audi Q5 is safer than the Lincoln Aviator:

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 Audi Q5 is safer than the Lincoln Aviator:

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

The Q5’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Aviator’s (12 vs. 5 years).

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.

On the EPA test cycle the Q5 running on electricity gets better mileage than the Aviator:

On the EPA test cycle the Q5 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Aviator:

The Q5 55 TFSI e can travel with zero emissions for 23 miles. The Aviator can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Q5’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Aviator doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Q5 has a standard locking fuel door and a locking charge port which lock and unlock with the power locks. The Aviator doesn’t offer a locking fuel filler door. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank and a locking charge port prevents tampering and damage.

The Q5 offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Aviator doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Q5’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Aviator doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Q5 55 TFSI e’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Aviator:

The Q5 stops shorter than the Aviator:

The Audi Q5 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 650 pounds less than the Lincoln Aviator.

The Q5 is 1 foot, 3 inches shorter than the Aviator, making the Q5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Q5 is 5.1 inches narrower than the Aviator, making the Q5 easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The Q5 has a much larger cargo volume than the Aviator with its rear seat up (25.9 vs. 18.3 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Q5’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Aviator doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Q5’s standard Audi Advanced Key allows you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the vehicle, 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 Q5 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.

Consumer Reports rated the Q5’s headlight performance “Fair,” 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 Q5 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Aviator doesn’t offer headlight washers.

When the Q5 with available tilt-down mirrors 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.

Insurance will cost less for the Q5 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Q5 will cost $1935 less than the Aviator over a five-year period.

The Audi Q5/SQ5 outsold the Lincoln Aviator by almost five to one during 2023.