Compare the2026 Lincoln AviatorVS 2025 Lexus LX

Both the Aviator and LX 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 LX’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.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Aviator uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The LX uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Aviator and the LX 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.

There are almost 2 times as many Lincoln dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Aviator’s warranty.

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

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Aviator is faster than the LX 700h 3.4 turbo V6 hybrid:

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

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

The Aviator has 2.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the LX 700h’s standard fuel tank (20.2 vs. 17.9 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 LX doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Lincoln Aviator higher (5 out of 10) than the Lexus LX (4). This means the Aviator produces up to 5.2 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the LX every 15,000 miles.

The Aviator stops much shorter than the LX:

For better traction, the Aviator’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the LX (275/40R22 vs. 265/55R20).

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 LX 700h Overtrail’s standard 70 series tires. The Aviator’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the LX’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 LX 700h Overtrail.

For superior ride and handling, the Lincoln Aviator has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Lexus LX has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Aviator has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Aviator flat and controlled during cornering. The LX base model’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

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 LX doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Aviator’s wheelbase is 6.9 inches longer than on the LX (119.1 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

The Aviator’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51% to 49%) than the LX’s (52.5% to 47.5%). This gives the Aviator more stable handling and braking.

The Aviator Reserve AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the LX 700h Overtrail pulls only .68 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Aviator AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.3 seconds quicker than the LX 700h Overtrail (27.1 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 29.4 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Aviator has a greater minimum ground clearance than the LX Premium (8.7 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Aviator to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Aviator’s minimum ground clearance is .4 inch higher than on the LX Luxury/Ultra Luxury/F Sport (8.7 vs. 8.3 inches).

The Lincoln Aviator may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 900 to 1100 pounds less than the Lexus LX.

Unibody construction lowers the Aviator’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The LX doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

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 LX 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 LX doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

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

The Aviator’s available rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The LX Ultra Luxury doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

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 LX doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The LX’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Aviator (except Premiere)’s optional adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

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

The Lincoln Aviator outsold the Lexus LX by almost four to one during 2024.