Lincoln Nautilus

how-the-lincoln-nautilus-surprisingly-won-me-over-with-its-ride,-huge-screen

How the Lincoln Nautilus surprisingly won me over with its ride, huge screen

car review, Cars, Lincoln Nautilus / /

yes, really —

How I stopped worrying and learned to love the big screen.

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A panoramic screen in a Lincoln Nautilus

Enlarge / In the past, car companies engaged in “horsepower wars.” Now it seems they’re competing in a screen size war.

Jonathan Gitlin

It’s important to try to approach a review car with an open mind, but I’ll admit my preconceptions were stacked against the Lincoln Nautilus. It’s on the larger end of the midsize SUV segment, bigger than I like them, and my last encounter with a Lincoln wasn’t entirely positive. And then there’s the whole giant screen. Not to be outdone by Cadillac and its 33-inch display, Nautilus has a 48-inch screen that stretches between the A pillars, which sounds like a recipe for distraction. And yet, this hybrid SUV won me over rapidly.

We tested the hybrid Nautilus, a $1,500 option for a model that starts at $50,415. The hybrid system combines a 2.0 L turbocharged four-cylinder direct-injection engine with an electric motor in parallel, sending torque to all four wheels via a continuously variable transmission. Total output is 310 hp (231 kW), with a maximum output of 300 hp (223 kW) from the internal combustion engine, or 134 hp (100 kW) from the electric motor.

It’s quite efficient, too. The EPA rates the hybrid Nautilus at a combined 30 mpg (7.84 L/100 km), although a combination of 22-inch wheels and oppressive Washington, DC, summer temperatures meant that I averaged a little bit less than that.

Lincoln hasn’t disclosed a torque figure for the electric motor, but it’s easily sufficient for the task of getting the 4,517-lb (2,049 kg) SUV up and moving, both smoothly and near-silently, before the gas engine thinks about firing up. At city speeds, the electric motor does almost all of the work, at least as long as the weather isn’t too extreme—in the depths of winter and the height of summer, you can expect the engine to fire up more often unless you turn off the heater or AC.

  • I’m not the biggest fan of the exterior styling, but this was a very good metallic red paint.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • On the other hand, I am a fan of the interior, except for the placing of the touchscreen.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • There’s quite a lot of room in the rear.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • The Nautilus starts at just over $50,000, but you can spend a lot more than that depending on options and trim level.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • Note the door handles that stick up and out from the side.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • This might be the best Lincoln I’ve driven.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • The backup camera shows up where you normally see your map.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • The Lincoln emblem is illuminated.

    Jonathan Gitlin

It’s a car that seems to encourage you to relax a bit and not be in quite so much of a hurry behind the wheel. That impression was helped by the seats, which offer plenty of adjustment and one of the best massaging functions you’ll currently find on four wheels. There’s even an optional digital scent diffuser.

Ride comfort was more than acceptable, despite the huge wheels, and the oblong-ish steering wheel never requires very much effort thanks to plenty of assist from the power steering. If the point of a luxury car is to pamper its occupants while they are transported from A to B, then the Nautilus should be considered quite luxurious.

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2024 Lincoln Nautilus first drive: A sea change for Lincoln’s middle child

car review, Cars, First drive, Lincoln Nautilus / /

anyone seen captain nemo? —

The Nautilus might just be enough to finally get people into Lincoln dealerships.

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A silver Lincoln Nautilus next to a sign that says Palm Springs

Enlarge / The Lincoln Nautilus is now in its fourth generation.

Lincoln

PALM SPRINGS, Calif.—Lincoln is one of those car companies that for years will give the impression that the people in charge are asleep at the proverbial wheel and then all of a sudden will debut a total knockout. It’s happened a few times throughout the brand’s long history, most recently with the fourth-generation Navigator. The introduction of the 2018 Navigator also sparked a huge overhaul in design and technology for the brand that catapulted it from “decent free rental car upgrade” to a maker of luxury SUVs that people might want to buy. The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus is just such an SUV.

In the hierarchy of Lincoln models, the Nautilus sits neatly between the Aviator and the smaller Corsair. It’s arguably one of the best looking of the current crop of Lincolns, and it’s positioned to compete with the likes of the Lexus RX, the Cadillac XT6 and Volvo’s XC60, among others. But does it actually compete? Or is it simply another car for the Enterprises and Hertzes of the world?

The 2024 Nautilus is available in two flavors: a purely internal combustion-powered version with a 250 hp (186 kW) turbocharged inline-four that also puts out 280 lb-ft (380 Nm) of torque and is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission; and a much more interesting hybrid version, which offers up 310 combined hp (231 kW) that’s paired with a CVT transmission. The Nautilus is only available with all-wheel drive.

The hybrid is only $1,500 more, and you get more power and much better efficiency.

Enlarge / The hybrid is only $1,500 more, and you get more power and much better efficiency.

Lincoln

The hybrid variant is a traditional series hybrid, rather than a plug-in hybrid as we’ve seen on the Corsair. Honestly, the lack of a plug-in variant of the Nautilus is kind of a bummer because its character would suit the Nautilus so well, but like the middle-aged sad dad band sang at my wedding reception, you can’t always get what you want. Still, between the two variants, the hybrid is the one to get for a few reasons, and it’s only a $1,500 upcharge versus the gas-only model.

In addition to the power and torque increases offered by the hybrid system, the overall efficiency boost is welcome. The Nautilus Hybrid is good for an EPA-rated 30 mpg (7.84 L/100 km) city, 31 mpg (7.6 L/100 km) highway for a 30 mpg combined. The gasser only manages 21 mpg (11.2 L/100/ km) city, 29 mpg (8.1 L/100 km) highway, and 26 mpg (9 L/100 km) combined. The hybrid system is smooth and well-integrated, too, and I find that an ignorable hybrid drivetrain is a good hybrid drivetrain.

The HEV differentiates itself in other ways, too. Where the ICE model makes do with a non-adjustable suspension, the hybrid gets continuously adjustable dampers and, as a result, a very smooth and Lincoln-appropriate ride. Those dampers are able to be set into a handful of drive modes. These are labeled Normal, Conserve, Excite, Slippery, and Deep Conditions.

There is a noticeable difference between the settings both in the suspension and the accelerator calibration, but it’s not so dramatic that you wouldn’t, say, put it in “Deep Conditions” so you can make a Dune joke on Instagram based on the little animated digital desert planet that’s displayed on the screen and then forget to change it back afterward. Not that I know from experience or anything. Basically, the suspension is a bunch of levels of softness that go from newborn kitten fluff to Ikea couch pillow, so don’t expect corner-carving prowess even in the slightly misleading “Excite” mode.

The Nautilus’ power steering is electric and pretty light in all settings, and the braking system feels smooth and as strong as you’d want it to be when panic-stopping the 4,517-lb (2,049 kg) hybrid. Nothing feels like an afterthought here, apart from the borderline shocking levels of road noise transmitted through the Nautilus’ great big wheels and low-profile tires. The Black Label we tested was on 22-inch wheels and, while not a dealbreaker, the tires make a lot of noise. If I were buying one, I’d get it with the smallest wheels possible and hope that taller sidewalls restore some of the Nautilus’ potential for serenity.

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