Page 60 - Motor Trend (February 2020)
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COMPARISON
above a nice version of a normal car— seating. Also, both rows of seating fold Lincoln shares its bones with Ford, in this
exactly the way a luxury interior should. completely flat in the Caddy. The Aviator case the Lincoln is the better execution of
Cadillac earns a narrow victory in the has more cargo space with everything platform sharing.
third row. Neither car has exceptional folded up, but with the seats folded down, With a new rear-drive-based platform,
way-back seating, and they’re similar in the second row sticks up an inch or two. the Aviator offers slightly better weight
terms of head- and legroom, but the floor balance and, more important for a large
in the Lincoln’s third row is a few inches SUV, a huge advantage in towing. The
higher. Unless you’re hoping to closely Both of our testers are equipped with XT6 is limited to a crossoverlike 4,000-
study your own knees, the Cadillac is AWD systems, but there’s an important pound towing capacity; the Aviator is
a slightly better choice for third-row difference between the bones of the more likely to be able to replace the
Aviator and the XT6. The XT6 is based on family tow rig. With our tester’s optional
a front-drive platform—it’s effectively a $500 tow package, the three-row Lincoln
stretched Cadillac XT5. can tug up to 6,700 pounds.
The Aviator’s only platform-mate is These vehicles are almost exactly
the new Ford Explorer. For the past few the same size (within an inch of each
decades, Lincolns have been little more
than Fords with better leather seats. But
this is a new Lincoln brand we’re talking
about. Differentiation is its watchword. I
defy you to find any semblance of down-
market content inside or outside the
Aviator. So while Cadillac shares its bones
with another (smaller) Cadillac, and
60 MOTORTREND.COM FEBRUARY 2020
