What kind of car is the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus? What does it compare to?
The Nautilus is a midsize crossover SUV with five seats that takes on premium and luxury models ranging from the Lexus RX to the Genesis GV70.
Is the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus a good car?
By showcasing its latest tech and combining it with an alluring road presence, a spacious cabin, and the comfiest front seats this side of a den, the Nautilus shows off what Lincoln does best. Its hybrid powertrain feels like a half-step toward electrification, and Black Label models can get more expensive than German luxury crossovers, capping its TCC Rating to 7.2 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What’s new for the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus?
Just about everything. The Nautilus sports a new design, a new platform, and a new hybrid powertrain. At 193.2 inches long, the Nautilus is 3.2 inches longer than the outgoing model and its 114.2-inch wheelbase is 2.0 inches longer. It’s also 2.0 inches taller and 1.1 inches wider.
That adds up to a commanding road presence and one of the roomiest interiors in the midsize crossover SUV class. A light bar stitches the broad new grille, buttoned by an illuminated Lincoln logo in the center. Visually it wraps around the fenders into a body line where the door handles hide where the doors meet the windows. It keeps the profile clean, accentuating big wheel wells that house 19- to 22-inch wheels.
Inside, the Nautilus embraces a digital future with a 48.0-inch display screen curving at the base of the windshield, effectively replacing an instrument cluster and a head-up display. A flat-top and -bottom steering wheel doesn’t reinvent the wheel as much as making the display more visible. The passenger chooses three displays from seven options, and the driver checks gauges, rearview camera, and navigation without needing to migrate eyes to the 11.1-inch center touchscreen. It’s a safe take on the growing screen real estate in modern cars, but Lincoln hasn’t optimized the customization possibilities, yet. That might come with a fully electric version of the Nautilus.
For now, the base powertrain carries over as a potent 2.0-liter turbo-4 that produces 250 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. It’s plenty powerful, and the 8-speed automatic transmission behaves as expected, though it would benefit from paddle shifters for abrupt passing moves. The big news under the hood is a 310-hp hybrid system with a larger turbocharger bolted onto the turbo-4. It increases the fuel economy from 24 mpg to 30 mpg combined, which is decent for an all-wheel-drive crossover of this size. It’s a bit quicker and overall stronger than the base gas model, but the Nautilus excels at quiet comfort more than speed and agility in either form.
The comfort extends to all five seats, with a massive 43.1 inches of rear legroom, as well as 36.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind that row. The real comfort luxuriates in the front thrones, with standard heating, cooling, and power adjustments, but upgrading to the 24-way massaging seats gives you the full Lincoln experience, for a price.
Lincoln’s standard Co-Pilot 360 bundles automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, parking sensors, and a surround-view camera system. A 90-day trial of the Ford’s hands-free BlueCruise 1.2 driver-assist system proves competent enough to drive the car on nearly 170,000 miles of mapped highways in North America, and might tempt frequent road-trippers to upgrade to a 4-year period.
How much does the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus cost?
The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus costs $52,010, including a $1,595 destination fee. The hybrid upcharge is only $1,500. Standard equipment on the base Premiere includes the 48.0-inch wall of screens, power front seats that are heated and cooled, an 11.1-inch touchscreen with wireless smartphone pairing, and other comforts. It’s offered in Reserve and Black Label trims, the latter topping the lineup at a hefty $75,850. Options and the Jet Appearance package easily take it over $80,000.
Where is the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus made?
In China, where Lincoln expects to sell two-thirds of its global allotment.
