2024 Lincoln Nautilus

It’s time for the second generation of the Nautilus to hit the streets. Well, not hit them, exactly. More like give the impression that it’s turned those streets into pillowy pathways, because its occupants are cocooned from all the bumps and thumps of life suffered by those without a luxurious Lincoln SUV. This is a kind of sanctuary on wheels. Interior space expands to make the Nautilus a serious contender for tall families with lots of luggage. This new SUV should also appeal to the tech-heads, since it brings a lot of high-resolution displays. And then there are the traditional offerings of fine leather and wood.

We’ve logged hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of midsize luxury SUVs, including the 2024 Lincoln Black Label Nautilus hybrid seen here in Blue Panther Metallic with a bottom-line sticker price of $80,895.

The second generation of Nautilus launches for this model year. It’s all new, with updated tech and plenty of it. There’s no option for a turbocharged V6 this time around, but Lincoln now offers a hybrid drivetrain that’s both more powerful and more efficient than the base engine. With this new generation, production moves to China.

Rivals to the 2024 Nautilus tend to be more expensive, although the Acura MDX and Cadillac XT6 are in the same ballpark. The Genesis GV80 is in the mid-to-high $50K range, the Lexus GX and Volvo XC90 are in the high $50K range. German contenders like the Audi Q7/Q8 and Mercedes-Benz GLE start out about $10K more than the Nautilus, and the BMW X5 is closer to the mid-$60K range when all-wheel drive is fitted.

Many of these alternatives have three rows of seating either as standard or as an option. The Nautilus is a 5-seater exclusively. To get a Lincoln midsize SUV with three rows, check out the Lincoln Aviator (priced in the mid-$50K range). Lincoln’s smallest and most affordable SUV, the Corsair, starts in the high $30K range.

Before buying a new Lincoln Nautilus luxury midsize SUV, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should be paying. Resale values have not been a Nautilus strong point up until now, squarely in the bottom half of the ratings. Remember, recouping more money when you sell a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on your next one.

The new Nautilus is as quiet and comfortable as a Lincoln should be, but responsive and composed enough to deliver confidence. We like the added power (and improved efficiency) of the newly available 310-horsepower hybrid powertrain, but power delivery and braking response aren’t quite as sorted and seamless as what we’ve experienced in today’s best hybrids. Despite the extra power, fuel savings of about $35 per month, and minimal price premium of just $1,500, we might be happier sticking with the more polished manner of the 250-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. Switching gears, we were hoping Lincoln would have finally given up on the pushbutton transmission selector for the new Nautilus, but no luck. We do appreciate that it frees up space in the center console, but so do a lot of other, better approaches.

We’ve spent several multi-hour stretches in the Black Label’s 24-way adjustable, heated, cooled, massaging front seats, and found them to be among the best we’ve experienced. Extendable thigh supports are a favorite of our taller reviewers, and the massage performance is on par with Mercedes. Combined with BlueCruise hands-free highway driving, we found the top-shelf Nautilus an exceptional choice for extended drives.

Fuel Economy

The new Nautilus achieves 24 mpg in combined city/highway driving with the base turbocharged 2.0-liter engine. That’s a couple of miles per gallon better than the Genesis GV80 2.5T, although a BMW X5 xDrive40i has a one-mile-per-gallon advantage over the Lincoln. The hybrid drivetrain returns 30 mpg combined. Learn more about the Lincoln Nautilus fuel economy at the EPA website.

The 2-row/5-passenger cabin of the new Nautilus SUV is attractive, full of quality materials, and assembled well. There are many little details that all add up to the luxury experience, like soft-touch points wherever elbows rest. And we especially like the way the dashboard curves into the front doors and the virtually full-width screen it houses. In front of the driver, the display shows all the usual and crucial information. Further along, it can be configured to show a variety of icons and readouts.

In addition to that extra-wide display, the Nautilus also features an 11.1-inch touchscreen in an otherwise minimal center console. Both screens are standard. As is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone integration. The infotainment system also includes Amazon, Spotify, YouTube, and Google compatibility. Users can even play video games (when the Nautilus is parked). We’re especially grateful for the large volume control in the center console — excellent ergonomics, Lincoln. The oval-shaped steering wheel looks different, but works just fine and takes little to no getting used to. In general, we’ve noticed that outward vision is great.

The lowest trim has seating surfaces of simulated leather, with the real stuff coming in as an option or standard higher up the order. There are choices of interior decor themes, the opportunity for personalization, and the options list contains a fragranced cabin air system. Necessary? No. Nice? You bet.

With 43 inches of rear legroom, the new Nautilus is one of the most accommodating luxury midsize SUVs. Those rear seats also slide and recline. Cargo space is plentiful, with 36.4 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 71.3 cubic feet when they’re folded.

A new generation brings a new look to the Nautilus luxury SUV. Not crazily radical, just kind of updated. Each trim level has its own variation of grille design. Lincoln’s Welcome lighting is standard, which consists of puddle lights projecting the company logo onto the ground. For any current Nautilus owners looking to upgrade and wondering whether the new one will fit in their garage, this generation is about 3 inches longer, but slightly narrower. It’s not so different size-wise from the BMW X5. To our bitter disappointment, the optional Jet Appearance package does not include wings. We’ll get over it. This package does include larger alloy wheels (20-inch with the Premiere, 22-inch for the Reserve and Black Label), black and body-colored exterior accents, and cladding for the lower sections of the body.

48-inch dashboard display
At first we thought this unique configuration might be a gimmick at best, annoyance at worst. But it grew on us rather quickly and now we’re fans.

Phone As A Key
By using the Lincoln Way app, the 2024 Nautilus is accessible and drivable without having to use the conventional key. This is a standard feature.

Advanced Automated Park System
Part of the standard Co-Pilot360 array, this removes a lot of the stress involved with parking a midsize SUV by doing most of the work automatically.

BlueCruise 1.2
This is a hands-free and feet-free driving system (the eyes must still remain engaged) that works on certain North American roads, the number of which is growing all the time. Updates to the system include the ability to edge further away (but still staying in lane) if an adjacent vehicle veers a little too close for comfort. This feature is optional in the Premiere and Reserve trims, standard in the Black Label. We love it.

Revel-atory sound
Revel makes awesome audio gear. A 14-speaker setup is offered in the Premiere. The Reserve has the choice of that one or a 28-speaker array, which is on the Black Label’s standard equipment list.

Perfect Position front seats
Massaging, 24-way power-adjustable seats are offered as an option in the Reserve trim, or fitted as standard in the Black Label.

The base engine in every new Nautilus is a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder unit making 250 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, which is not a lot of muscle for a luxury SUV weighing more than 2 tons. The optional hybrid drivetrain raises the horse count to 310. The gasoline-only drivetrain has an 8-speed automatic transmission. The hybrid’s automatic transmission is of the continuously variable variety. All-wheel drive is standard across the lineup.

4-Year/50,000-Mile Warranty

Like most other luxury marques, Lincoln’s new-vehicle warranty lasts four years or 50,000 miles, whichever happens first. Powertrains are covered for six years or 70,000 miles, which is a bit better than some. Hybrid batteries have a warranty of eight years or 100,000 miles. Lincoln is quite generous with its free scheduled maintenance — four years or 50,000 miles.

Safety

The Lincoln Nautilus made the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) Top Safety Pick+ list for 2024. Moreover, its standard advanced safety features include forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, intersection assistance, blind-spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert and rear cross-traffic braking, evasive steering assistance, a 360-degree camera system, and adaptive cruise control with a stop/go function.