Overview
Time has been kind to Lincoln’s mid-size luxury crossover, but that hasn’t stopped the company from making wholesale changes to it as it enters its second generation. It’s a massive update, complete with an optional 310-hp hybrid powertrain, standard all-wheel drive, and an interior with mega amounts of screen space. The base engine is still a 250-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four with an eight-speed automatic, but the new chassis that it’s bolted into delivers more legroom than before for all five passengers. A massive digital display spans the dashboard and can be customized to your liking. That’s 48.0 inches of space for navigation, a clock, stereo settings, and a view of the upcoming weather forecast. As significant as the updates are, they won’t be transformative enough to unseat top dogs in the segment like the Genesis GV80, Porsche Cayenne, or BMW X5. That’s not all bad news when you compare the Nautilus’s impressively low starting price and a buffet of standard equipment to those same SUVs.
Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG
Neither EPA nor Lincoln has announced fuel economy estimates for the new Nautilus, but given the similarities in output between old and new, we expect the base-engine model to remain at around 22 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. For the hybrid, we expect fuel economy to be in the same ballpark as the Ford Escape Hybrid. Because the Escape uses a larger turbocharged four-cylinder, has less horsepower, and is a few hundred pounds lighter, we expect the Nautilus hybrid model’s EPA number to be at roughly 37 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. We’ll update this space with official numbers when they become available.
Safety and Driver-Assistance Features
All Nautilus models come with Lincoln’s Co-Pilot360 suite of driver-assistance features as standard. The Nautilus is also available with Lincoln’s hands-free highway driver-assist technology. For more information about the Nautilus’s crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. Key safety features include:
- Standard automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection
- Standard lane-keeping assist with lane-departure warning
- Standard adaptive cruise control with a lane-centering feature
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
The level of updates given to the inside of the new five-passenger Nautilus is nothing short of breathtaking. The Lincoln crossover has turned bland into brilliant with a completely redesigned cockpit that offers more leather, larger screens, and ambient lighting. The Nautilus can be optioned with Lincoln Rejuvenate, a spa-in-a-car feature that changes the interior lighting, seat position, screen visuals, and massaging-seat settings to help the occupants relax. Three scent cartridges in the center armrest release aromas ranging from patchouli to cashmere to fresh linen. The Nautilus also offers a 28-speaker Revel Ultima 3D audio system and 24-way power-adjustable seats. There’s slightly less rear cargo space behind the second row than last year but more legroom for all passengers. Optional equipment packages add aluminum appliques, copper-colored interior stitching, and even a Redwood theme (exclusively offered on Nautilus Black Label trim) that gives off redwood forest vibes. A leather-wrapped, heated steering wheel, 10-way adjustable heated-and-ventilated seats, and remote keyless entry are all standard.
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