2024 Chrysler Pacifica vs 2025 Lincoln Aviator

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica maintained its contemporary appeal despite not undergoing frequent redesigns. Its smooth exterior styling, featuring a modest grille, offered a refreshing alternative to the flashier designs of competitors like the Toyota Sienna. Chrysler's decision to avoid dressing the Pacifica like an SUV, unlike the Kia Carnival, resulted in a clean look, with sliding-door tracks cleverly hidden above and below the door frame. The Pacifica was available in various trims, including the base Touring, Touring L, Limited, and Pinnacle, with options for LED lighting and different wheel sizes. The interior of the Pacifica was equally distinctive, with a minimalist dashboard design that integrated controls seamlessly. The Pinnacle trim, in particular, boasted luxurious features like brown Nappa leather upholstery and quilted contrast stitching, although some elements still felt less premium due to the use of plastic materials.

In contrast, the 2025 Lincoln Aviator, built on a rear-wheel-drive platform shared with the Ford Explorer, showcased classic design proportions. Its blunt nose, short front overhang, and tapered roofline contributed to an alluring silhouette, although the 2025 styling appeared less elegant with the optional Jet Appearance Package. Inside, the Aviator exuded a classic architectural sensibility, avoiding an overload of screens while still offering advanced technology. However, the remote keyless entry fob felt cheap, contrasting with the luxury image. The Aviator was available in Premiere and Reserve trims, with the Reserve trim offering features like upgraded exterior lighting, 30-way-adjustable front seats with massage, and a 28-speaker Revel Ultima audio system. Despite its appealing design, the Aviator's interior had some drawbacks, such as the third-row seat's limited comfort and legroom.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica was powered by a 3.6-litre V6 engine, producing 287 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive was standard, with all-wheel drive available on certain trims. The Pacifica's V6 engine, known as the Pentastar, had a long history in the Stellantis lineup and provided sufficient power for peppy acceleration. It also offered a maximum towing capacity of 1,632 kilograms. The chassis tuning prioritized comfort and stability, making it a quiet and comfortable ride compared to its rivals, although some weight transfer was noticeable during acceleration and deceleration.

The 2025 Lincoln Aviator featured a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine, delivering 400 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque through a 10-speed automatic transmission. The Aviator offered various driving modes, including Excite, Conserve, Normal, Slippery, and Deep Conditions. While the Aviator's twin-turbo V6 provided ample power for acceleration and passing, its fuel economy was less impressive, with an observed 13.3 L/100 km during testing. The adaptive air suspension contributed to a comfortable ride, although the 22-inch wheels and thin tires struggled with road imperfections. Despite its power, the Aviator's driving character leaned towards a composed and calming cruiser rather than an athletic performer.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica offered ingenious Stow ‘n Go seating, allowing second-row seats to fold flat into the floor, creating large in-floor storage bins. This feature was standard, providing seven seats with second-row bucket seats and a 60/40 split-folding third-row bench seat. The Pinnacle trim included a power-folding third-row seat and a power liftgate. The Pacifica's passenger space was competitive, with ample headroom and legroom in the first two rows, although rear-seat legroom was slightly less generous than some competitors. Cargo space was impressive, with 914 litres behind all three rows, 2,477 litres behind the second row, and 3,978 litres with the second and third rows folded. The Stow ‘n Vac built-in vacuum cleaner was a convenient addition, although the raised centre console's storage area was challenging to access.

The 2025 Lincoln Aviator's interior featured Perfect Position front seats with 30-way adjustability, heating, ventilation, and massage functions, ensuring exceptional comfort. The second-row captain's chairs were roomy and supportive, with available heating and ventilation. However, the third-row seat was less accommodating, with low, flat cushions and limited legroom. Storage space was excellent, with a centre console featuring a smartphone charging pad, cupholders, and a sizeable bin under the armrest. The Aviator offered 466 litres of cargo space behind the third row, expanding to 1,131 litres with the third row folded and 2,149 litres with all seats down. While the Aviator's cargo capacity was not the largest in its class, it remained practical for various needs.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica came equipped with a 10.1-inch touchscreen running the Uconnect 5 infotainment system, offering wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, Bluetooth, and available SiriusXM with 360L satellite radio. The instrument cluster featured analog gauges with a 7-inch digital display. The Pacifica also offered up to 12 USB-C ports, built-in navigation, and a 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. The Uconnect 5 system was intuitive and user-friendly, although a shortcut for the 360-degree camera view would have been appreciated. The Uconnect Theatre system provided rear-seat entertainment with dual 10.1-inch touchscreens, wireless headphones, and Amazon Fire TV connectivity. The FamCam allowed parents to monitor rear-seat occupants, although an intercom system was not available.

The 2025 Lincoln Aviator featured a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system powered by Lincoln Digital Experience technology. It included Google Built-in, Alexa Built-in, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. However, the Google Assistant struggled with voice prompts in the test vehicle, although wireless Apple CarPlay and Siri worked well. The Aviator's infotainment system included an app called Elevated Journey, offering mindfulness coaching for the road. The 28-speaker Revel Ultima 3D sound system provided excellent audio quality. The Aviator's head-up display was praised for its widescreen presentation of data, including lane departure warnings and blind-spot alerts.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica received a 2023 Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS, although it missed the highest Top Safety Pick+ award due to low scores in certain crash tests and middling ratings for headlights and front crash prevention tech. The NHTSA awarded the Pacifica a five-star overall safety rating, with five stars in frontal and side crash tests and four stars in rollover crash tests. Standard safety features included blind-spot monitoring, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and rear park assist. Optional features included a 360-degree camera system and park assist.

The 2025 Lincoln Aviator came with the Lincoln Co-Pilot360 Drive 2.0 suite of advanced driver assistance systems, including active blind-spot monitoring, intersection assist, evasive steering assist, and reverse braking assist. However, the reverse braking assist system was overly sensitive in certain situations. Adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assist worked effectively, and BlueCruise, a hands-free driving assistance system, was standard. BlueCruise operated on approved highways and provided proactive notifications for driver control. The Aviator received five-star ratings from the NHTSA and Good ratings from the IIHS, indicating strong safety performance.