[patt1289]

I own both, the Aviator is mine and the BMW is the wife's. The Aviator has not been updated or changed so I consider it a fair subject for a direct review against the 2022 X5 45e.

To save you a long read if you want to know, the BMW outshines the Aviator in almost every category. I am not a auto blog person or even an eloquent pen so please bare with me.

RIDE: I call this a tie, the X5 has a nice plush sporty feel, absorbs rough road very well. The Aviator does the the same sans a bit of sportiness for a more posh ride. Both are tops at sporty and posh. BMW does the sporty better and the Lincoln shines at being posh.

PHEV: No contest, the X5 smokes the Aviator (non-carbon smoke of course) I have to squeeze to get 20 miles out of the Aviator, and have been getting 35 without any effort on the X5. My wife's commute is 8 miles round trip and she has not used any gas and can skip a few nights on the charger. Both guzzle the same kilohertz rate, the X5 has a little bigger battery and gets a tad more juice if empty. The transitions from Electric to ICE are super smooth on both in normal driving. The shift is more noticeable on the Aviator during sporty driving.

SEAT COMFORT: BMW has come a long way (I have a 06 X3) in comfort and on a 700 mile trip it did very well. The Aviator still has the most comfortable seats for the long trips. I have the best seats offered in both. This is the primary reason the Aviator is still in the garage. It is on thin ICE on the path to staying. This is a very subjective area and I'm sure each will have their own opinion. The Lincoln Massage function is better IMO.

TECHNOLOGY: The Bimmer is newer and should be more advanced and it is. I got to use the driver assist in rush hour Atlanta, it worked flawlessly and was actually entertaining to watch the radar paint cars and trucks to the left and right sides. The Lincoln does stop and go, but you cannot be hands free and it is far from smooth.

Drag strip: The Bimmer feels quicker, but the luxury yacht beat it by a second.

TOWING: Surprising to me, the X5 can tow and tow well. It bests the Lincoln by 1000lbs. Pulling my trailer they are both very composed, no real difference in braking or starting out. I was pulling 4500lbs. Anything more and I would add a brake controller. The most annoying thing with the BMW tow package is no cover and deletion of the foot wave sensor. Even though the BMW is rated pull more, I give this to Lincoln for function and aesthetics.

CABIN QUIETNESS: Don't believe the Lincoln commercials. It is quiet, but so is the X5

EYE CANDY: Gotta give this to Lincoln, the X5 looks nice, but the Aviator still draws the "wow" what is that in front of the theater.

OVER ALL UTILITY: X5 shines with the mini tail gate to keep the groceries in. The Aviator second row folds flatter, The Aviator cup holder are slightly better. The BMW infotainment system is better with bluetooth carplay and quick response on the nav display. The Aviator Heads Up display is bigger and easier to see. The Bimmer 360 camera is better and the car wash mode is a godsend to getting my wife to pull in the garage straight. A line on the floor and all she does is put the projected lines on it and boom, its parked straight. The Aviator is a tad bigger and has a useful 3rd row. Using just two rows it has a lot more usable space. For those in cold parts of the country, the wife got to try the heated elements and gave the X5 a big smile and said she loved the heated arm rests. The Lincoln has several 110 outlets to plug in electronics or small vacuums.

What amazed me was at the end of the day, I paid more for the Aviator, and so on bang for the buck, the X5 takes it easily.