2019 Genesis G80 vs. 2018 Lincoln Continental

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Genesis G80 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Lincoln Continental doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The G80’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Continental doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Genesis G80 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Lincoln Continental has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

The G80 has standard Anti-Whiplash Front Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Anti-Whiplash Front Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Continental doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the G80 and the Continental have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

The G80 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes free 24-hour roadside assistance. The Continental’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year and 10,000 miles sooner.

Genesis’ powertrain warranty covers the G80 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lincoln covers the Continental. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Continental ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

The G80’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Continental’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Genesis pays for scheduled maintenance on the G80 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Genesis will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Lincoln only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Continental.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the G80 has a standard 740-amp battery. The Continental’s 650-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

The battery on the G80 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the G80’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Continental’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the G80’s reliability 30 points higher than the Continental.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2018 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Genesis vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Genesis first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 15 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is ranked 7th.

The G80 has more powerful engines than the Continental:

As tested in Motor Trend the G80 5.0 is faster than the Lincoln Continental 3.0 twin turbo V6:

On the EPA test cycle the G80 gets better fuel mileage than the Continental:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Genesis G80 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended on G80 3.3T Sport for maximum performance). The Continental requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The G80 has 2.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Continental (20.3 vs. 18 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Genesis G80, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Continental.

For better stopping power the G80 3.3T Sport’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Continental:

The G80 3.3T Sport’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Continental are solid, not vented.

The G80 stops shorter than the Continental:

For better traction, the G80 has larger standard tires than the Continental (245/45R18 vs. 235/50R18).

The G80 3.8’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Continental Premiere’s standard 50 series tires. The G80’s optional 275/35R19 rear tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Continental Select/Reserve’s optional 40 series tires.

The G80 has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Continental’s suspension doesn’t offer front gas-charged shocks.

The G80 5.0 handles at .88 G’s, while the Continental Black Label AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The G80 3.8 AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Continental Black Label AWD (26.2 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 26.7 seconds @ .68 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the G80’s turning circle is 5.6 feet tighter than the Continental’s (36.2 feet vs. 41.8 feet). The G80’s turning circle is 4.4 feet tighter than the Continental’s (37.4 feet vs. 41.8 feet).

The G80 is 4.9 inches shorter than the Continental, making the G80 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The G80 has 1.8 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more rear headroom and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Continental.

With its sedan body style, valet key and remote trunk release lockout, the G80 offers cargo security. The Continental’s non-lockable remote release defeats cargo security.

The engine in the G80 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Continental. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

The G80 has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent vandalism, such as sugar in the tank and fuel theft. The Continental doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The G80’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Continental’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The G80 3.8 AWD offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Continental doesn’t offer headlight washers.

When the G80 is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Continental’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Insurance will cost less for the G80 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the G80 with a number “” insurance rate while the Continental is rated higher at a number “3” rate.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Genesis G80, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Genesis G80 outsold the Lincoln Continental by 19% during the 2018 model year.