Episode 9: Lincoln Aviator vs Cadillac XT6

In this episode, it’s Lincoln Aviator vs Cadillac XT6… the battle of the “Big Daddy 7 Seaters”. Why did Lincoln make an RWD SUV? Why does Cadillac offer a Chrome Package? Listen to this week’s The Pit Stop Podcast hosts Eli and Jonny to find out…

Jonny begins with the history of Cadillac by explaining that Cadillac was named after the founder of Detroit Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. The company was founded in 1902 and in the following year they developed a car created specifically for the New York Auto Show which had 10 HP and had 2000 pre-orders at the auto show that year. 6 years later, General Motors (GM) purchased Cadillac and made it the luxury brand that it is known as today.

Then Eli mentioned that the history of Lincoln is like Cadillac because Henry Leland was one of the co-founders of Cadillac in 1902 and went on to manage the company, with his son, Wilfred Leland, after it was acquired by General Motors in 1908. The Lelands resigned from Cadillac in 1917 to form the Lincoln Motor Company to manufacture Liberty motors during World War One. The company was named after the first president for whom Henry Leland had voted. When the war ended the Lelands had a modern manufacturing plant and the decision was made to manufacture a new luxury motorcar. The first Lincoln motorcar was completed in September 1920. Unfortunately, the Lelands found themselves in a harsh postwar economy and their stockholder group was unhappy and panicking. So in 1921, the company was in severe financial difficulty, and in February 1922 the company was sold at a bankruptcy sale to the Ford Motor Company. Then as history moved on they built many fine cars like the 1935 Lincoln Zephyr and the 1956 Lincoln Continental Mark 2. And The Lincoln Town Car was introduced in 1981 and by 2006 it was the largest American-made car measuring nearly 18 feet. And the Lincoln Aviator was introduced between 2003 and 2005, and it is built in Chicago, Illinois still today.

Eli mentioned that the Lincoln Aviator starting price is $51,100 and the Cadillac XT6 starting price is $47,995 and that the luxury model for the Cadillac is the base model. Then Jonny noted the Cadillac was a Front Wheel Drive SUV while the Lincoln was a Rear Wheel Drive SUV, although both SUV’s had the option of All Wheel Drive. The Lincoln Aviator had 18 MPG in the City and 26 on the Highway and the Cadillac XT6 had 21 MPG in the City and 27 on the Highway. Both SUV’s are 7 seaters and have 3 rows, but the biggest difference is in the engines. The Lincoln Aviator has a 3 Liter Twin-Turbocharged V6 Engine producing 400 HP but the Cadillac XT6 has a 2 Liter 4 Cylinder Turbocharged Engine with 310 HP on the base “Luxury” model. The Lincoln Aviator is also about 400 pounds heavier than the Cadillac XT6. The Lincoln also has a 10.1-inch screen vs. 8-inch screen in the Cadillac and it features 19-Inch Rims, Remote Start, Blind Spot Monitor, Lane Keep Assist, Automatic Braking, Has Amazon Alexa built-in, Power and memory seats with lumbar support, Auto High Beams, Power Tailgate, Roof Rack, Backup camera with a washer so you can press a button and clean the backup camera, and Securicode which we mentioned in a previous episode. The Cadillac XT6 had almost the same features as Jonny mentioned however the Cadillac does not have the backup camera washer feature and does not have a remote start however the Cadillac does allow you to control the climate in all 3 rows which most base-model SUV’s don’t allow you to do.

Then Eli imagines that a Lincoln Aviator owner wakes up in the morning, makes a Fine Expensive Italian coffee, then leaves the house on the hills of California with a terrific view of the ocean, and strolls up to the Lincoln Aviator. And because the car senses the key next to it, the welcome light shines from the bottom and illuminates the Lincoln logo. Then, when you get in the car, the beautiful interior welcomes you with the 10.1-inch screen. And then you turn on the car and drive into the sunset and make a lot of money. That’s what you get with Lincoln, a sense of luxury. And Mathew McConaghey comes with the car in the trunk.

Eli looked up the famous people who had a Lincoln. Elvis Presley, James Brown, and Babe Ruth all had Lincoln’s. Plus, the Lincoln Continental was the car of presidents for a generation, including Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, and John Kennedy. Mathew McConaughey from The Lincoln Lawyer and many other movies has a Lincoln MKX and Dax Shepard who played in Without a Paddle, and Cheaper by the Dozen, and in Employee of the Month has a 1967 Lincoln Continental. Jonny mentioned that famous people who had/have Cadillac’s is the notorious Al Capone who had a bulletproof 1928 Cadillac, Dwight Eisenhower had a military Cadillac, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Kendall Jenner, David Beckham, and Ben Affleck all have Cadillac’s.

It was now time for Eli’s favorite segment of the show when he finds a stupid feature on Jonny’s car choice and makes fun of it. Today it is for $3700 extra Cadillac offers you a chrome grille, chrome rims, and a chrome bumper protector which Eli argues no one would want or need because Chrome is ugly. Jonny could not defend the Cadillac because he agreed Chrome is not great looking.

Ultimately they took it to the polls and combined the polls from TikTok and Instagram and after all the calculations, the Lincoln Aviator won with 82% of people choosing the Lincoln.