Lincoln Nautilus

Outside

There’s nothing groundbreaking here—only a bit of freshening up that brings its looks and proportions more in line with the larger Lincoln Aviator. The new Nautilus gets a sleeker look, with a more prominent grille, fewer chrome accents, and a less chunky rear side window treatment. It’s a few inches longer and wider than the outgoing SUV—and lighter, too: Even the portlier hybrid version of the 2024 model is a couple of pounds lighter than the gas-only 2023 Nautilus. Standard wheels are 19-inch; 20-, 21-, and 22-inch wheels are optional.

The Nautilus’ exterior door handles now sit where the sheet metal meets the glass, similar to the handles on the now-discontinued Lincoln Continental, although the Nautilus also allows drivers to use their phone as a key. Two-tone paint and a blacked-out trim package are optional.

Inside

Many new luxury vehicles have either a large touchscreen at the center of the dashboard or a wide panel that stretches from behind the steering wheel to halfway across the interior. The Nautilus goes a step further, with both a touchscreen in the center console and a larger display, which includes the driver’s instrument cluster, that wraps around the entire top of the dashboard. The top of the steering wheel is squared off for a better view of the wide screen.

Lincoln says the screens can be paired with an optional Rejuvenate feature, which turns the parked car into a spa, complete with a special scent diffuser and massage featurent, much like that found on the Genesis G90.

Aside from new technology, front passengers have a little more legroom, but rear passengers get the biggest benefit with 3.5 more inches to stretch out. Crystalline corols—like those in the BMW iX—add a Swarovski vibe. Like other Lincoln models, the new Nautilus retains a push-button gear selector that resembles piano keys. Buyers can opt for a number of upscale options and finish choices, including copper-colored stitching and 24-way adjustable front seats.

What Drives It

The Nautilus again gets two powertrain choices, but this time both are based on a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that’s largely a carryover from 2023.

The standard, gas-only powertrain on the Premiere trim produces 250 hp and is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Its EPA-estimated fuel economy rating is 24 mpg overall—a 2 mpg improvement over the 2023 AWD turbocharged model’s 22 mpg combined. All-wheel drive comes standard.

Hybrid versions get 310 hp and come with an eCVT and AWD. They’re EPA rated at 30 mpg overall—a claim we’ll be sure to test on the Hybrid model we’ve purchased.

An available adaptive suspension allows the driver to tailor the ride with five selectable drive modes.

Active Safety and Driver Assistance

The Nautilus comes standard with the Lincoln CoPilot360 Vision 2.2 suite of advanced safety and driver assistance systems, including AEB with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning with rear automatic emergency braking, lane centering assistance, and adaptive cruise control.

The BlueCruise active driving assistance system (formally called Lincoln ActiveGlide) is available as a subscription and allows hands-free driving in certain situations. Over-the-air software updates are available, thanks to a built-in 5G connection.

We would actually choose the first-tier Premiere trim over the second-tier Reserve (which we got for our test program). You give up full leather seats and 20-inch wheels, but those aren’t significant losses. Even when choosing the hybrid powertrain, the Premiere costs about $4,000 less than the Reserve.