Compare the2026 GMC AcadiaVS 2026 Lincoln Aviator

The Acadia has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Aviator doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

With its standard Front Pedestrian Braking, the GMC Acadia is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Lincoln Aviator, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Acadia	Aviator
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-9 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	-22 MPH	-9 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	-22 MPH	-18 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	-16 MPH	-4 MPH
37 MPH Brights	-16 MPH	-15 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	1.9 sec	1.4 sec
37 MPH Low beams	-16 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.4 sec	.4 sec

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the GMC Acadia achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Lincoln Aviator has not been tested.

The GMC Acadia’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Lincoln Aviator does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

Both the Acadia 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, plastic fuel tanks, 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, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive, front parking sensors and driver alert monitors.

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

	Acadia	Aviator
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	20.1%	29.4%
Neck Stress	178 lbs.	275 lbs.
Neck Compression	2 lbs.	13 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	32/13 lbs.	196/188 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, results indicate that the GMC Acadia is safer than the Lincoln Aviator:

	Acadia	Aviator
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	64	65
Chest Movement	.6 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	73 lbs.	161 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	518 lbs.	604 lbs.

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

The GMC Acadia achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Aviator is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

The Acadia’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Aviator’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are almost 4 times as many GMC dealers as there are Lincoln dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Acadia’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. With 7 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks GMC higher than Lincoln.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC above average in long-term dependability. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Lincoln is rated below average.

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

			MPG
Acadia
	FWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/23 hwy
Aviator
	RWD	3.0 turbo V6	18 city/25 hwy
	AWD	3.0 turbo V6	17 city/25 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the GMC Acadia uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Aviator requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Acadia AWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Aviator (21.7 vs. 20.2 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the GMC Acadia higher (6 out of 10) than the Lincoln Aviator (5). This means the Acadia produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Aviator every 15,000 miles.

The Acadia stops much shorter than the Aviator:

	Acadia	Aviator
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	124 feet	Motor Trend

The GMC Acadia’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Lincoln Aviator only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Acadia has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Aviator doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Acadia’s wheelbase is 1.8 inches longer than on the Aviator (120.9 inches vs. 119.1 inches).

The Acadia Denali AWD handles at .81 G’s, while the Aviator AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The GMC Acadia may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 150 to 250 pounds less than the Lincoln Aviator.

The Acadia offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Aviator can only carry up to 7.

The Acadia has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 2.5 inches more rear legroom, .1 inches more rear hip room, .7 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.3 inches more third row headroom, 2.9 inches more third row legroom, 7.8 inches more third row hip room and 3.9 inches more third row shoulder room than the Aviator.

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

	Acadia	Aviator
Behind Third Seat	23 cubic feet	16.5 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	57.3 cubic feet	39.9 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	97.5 cubic feet	75.9 cubic feet

The Acadia’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Aviator does not have an oil pressure gauge.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the GMC Acadia has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Aviator.

According to iSeeCars.com the 2026 GMC Acadia retains 46.9% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 45.62% resale value of the 2026 Lincoln Aviator after five years, which can save the GMC’s owner up to $8615 in depreciation.

The GMC Acadia outsold the Lincoln Aviator by over two to one during 2025.