Compare the2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee LVS 2026 Lincoln Aviator

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Jeep Grand Cherokee L are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Lincoln Aviator doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

The Grand Cherokee L has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Aviator doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

With its standard Full Speed Forward Collision Warning Plus, the Jeep Grand Cherokee L is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Lincoln Aviator, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Grand Cherokee L	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 Brights	AVOIDED	-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	-33 MPH	-15 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	2 sec	1.4 sec
37 MPH Low beams	-28 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.6 sec	.4 sec

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Grand Cherokee L Limited Reserve/Summit 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.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee L offers an optional 360-degree camera and it also offers an optional rear camera washer to make backing always safe, regardless of road dirt or grime, while the Lincoln Aviator doesn’t offer a camera washer, requiring manual cleaning.

Both the Grand Cherokee L and the Aviator have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee 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, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive, around view monitors 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 Jeep Grand Cherokee L is safer than the Lincoln Aviator:

	Grand Cherokee L	Aviator
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	129	131
Neck Injury Risk	21%	29.4%
Neck Stress	152 lbs.	275 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	137	236
Neck Injury Risk	28%	41.4%
Neck Stress	125 lbs.	156 lbs.
Neck Compression	41 lbs.	118 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 Jeep Grand Cherokee L is safer than the Lincoln Aviator:

	Grand Cherokee L	Aviator
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.8 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	147 lbs.	161 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	375 lbs.	604 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	432 lbs.	573 lbs.

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

Warranty

There are over 5 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Lincoln dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Grand Cherokee L’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep above average in initial quality. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is rated below average.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Grand Cherokee L gets better mileage than the Aviator:

			MPG
Grand Cherokee L
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/25 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/25 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 Jeep Grand Cherokee L uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Aviator requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Grand Cherokee L has 2.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Aviator (23 vs. 20.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

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

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Grand Cherokee L	Aviator
Front Rotors	13.9 inches	13.6 inches

The Grand Cherokee L stops shorter than the Aviator:

	Grand Cherokee L	Aviator
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	124 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Grand Cherokee L has larger standard tires than the Aviator (265/60R18 vs. 255/55R20).

The Grand Cherokee L 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.

The Grand Cherokee L offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Aviator; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which has mileage and speed limitations, or roadside assistance and a tow-truck.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Grand Cherokee L’s wheelbase is 2.6 inches longer than on the Aviator (121.7 inches vs. 119.1 inches).

The Grand Cherokee L 4x4 handles at .82 G’s, while the Aviator AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Grand Cherokee L Overland/Summit has a 2.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Aviator (10.9 vs. 8.7 inches), allowing the Grand Cherokee L to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Jeep Grand Cherokee L may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 200 pounds less than the Lincoln Aviator.

Passenger Space

The Grand Cherokee L has 18.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Aviator (159.1 vs. 140.6).

The Grand Cherokee L has .2 inches more rear headroom, .4 inches more rear legroom, .4 inches more third row headroom, 1.1 inches more third row legroom and 2.1 inches more third row hip room than the Aviator.

Cargo Capacity

The Grand Cherokee L’s cargo area provides more volume than the Aviator.

	Grand Cherokee L	Aviator
Behind Third Seat	17.2 cubic feet	16.5 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	46.9 cubic feet	39.9 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	84.6 cubic feet	75.9 cubic feet

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Lincoln Aviator is limited to 5000 pounds. The Grand Cherokee L offers up to a 6200 lbs. towing capacity.

The Grand Cherokee L Summit can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Grand Cherokee L can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Aviator can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Aviator, the Grand Cherokee L Summit has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position (with optional power wheel adjuster), outside mirror angle and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Grand Cherokee L’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.

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

When the Grand Cherokee L Summit is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Aviator’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee L stands out above the Lincoln Aviator by offering not one, but two Qi-compatible phone chargers. This convenience helps travelers with multiple devices to keep powered up on-the-go. Wireless charging eliminates lost or cluttered charging cables and one of them provide more flexibility.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee L retains 53.18% of its original value after 5 years, significantly more than the 45.62% resale value of the 2026 Lincoln Aviator after five years, which can save the Jeep’s owner up to $13170 in depreciation.

Recommendations

The Jeep Grand Cherokee outsold the Lincoln Aviator by almost 9 to one during 2025.

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