2019 Volvo XC40 vs 2020 Lincoln Aviator

If any brand is experiencing a revival in terms of both form and function, it's Volvo. The Swedish automaker is experiencing a renaissance, delivering new cars that are not only breathtaking to look at inside and out, but that also provide fantastic technology, safety, and performance.

Volvo was once the Safety Brand, but with the advent of advanced safety technology, many other brands have caught up. Volvo has found its niche in high fashion, backed by continually improving safety technology that rivals the best in the world.

This recent trend started with the XC90 SUV and was followed by the V90 wagon. These are world-class vehicles, but they also fetch high prices.

Enter the 2019 Volvo XC40. It scales down much of what makes those high-end models so great, offering it in a (comparatively) more affordable subcompact SUV package. The XC40 offers ingenious cargo solutions, incredibly advanced technology, and even a new way to go about car ownership. Is that enough to make it stand out compared to other subcompact SUVs? Read on to find out.

The heyday for Lincoln was more than a half-century ago. Those postwar years of prosperity and optimism were the perfect time for cars like the Continental and others. They delivered comfort and luxury, wrapped in midcentury modern styling. Even as recently as the 1990s, Lincoln was still a popular brand, riding the SUV craze with its Navigator.

But after the turn of the century, Lincoln lost its ability to create new designs and looked inward and backward. Sure, retro-themed cars like the redesigned Mustang, PT Cruiser, and Chevy HHR had turned some heads, but none of those came from luxury brands. The BMWs and Mercedes of the world were all looking forward and pushing the envelope for contemporary automotive design. Meanwhile, Lincoln offered the MKX, which was based on the Ford Edge and featured ’66 Continental styling. Neat in a vacuum, but off-base compared to the modern luxury market.

This experimental phase with various retro looks coincided with the move to the MK-# alphabet-soup naming convention and big improvements in the Ford lineup, where top-end trims of the Fusion overlapped with an entry-level trim of the MKZ. The combination left Lincoln a confusing, anonymous afterthought in the modern luxury game.

But Lincoln is finally ready to change all that. It has a new cohesive design language, its focus is once again on luxury, and the three-letter naming convention that never meant anything to anyone other than Lincoln marketers is gone. The brand led with the 2017 Continental and 2018 Navigator, which are each impressive in their own right. But the company's lineup is growing and now includes the all-new 2020 Lincoln Aviator. Named after a luxury variant of the 2002-2005 Ford Explorer, this new Aviator is also based on the contemporary Explorer platform, but it's a luxury vehicle in its own right.

Much of the success of the Lincoln brand may hinge on this midsize, 3-row luxury SUV, so you need to consider its competition, such as the Audi Q7, Infiniti QX60, and all-new Cadillac XT6. Read on to learn if Lincoln’s take on luxury will stand out in a crowded competitive field.