The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus comes with a big shiny grille and elegantly sculpted body panels.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
Lincoln is hoping the new Nautilus will help attract a new and younger customer base to their dealers. Long been seen as a brand that appeals to retirees, they’ve been working to shed that image. With a technology-forward cabin and a new immersive digital experience, it’s like no Lincoln before it and it feels like a precursor for future Lincoln products.
Of course, it’s not all about the interior even though that’s the main draw. The new Nautilus is longer, wider and taller and it has a longer wheelbase, which means more room for passengers inside. It looks dignified, as a Lincoln should. It has detailed LEDs in the head and taillights that animate as you walk up to it and you can get it with an appearance package that adds black trim and accents and 22-inch wheels.
The two-litre base powerplant is a carryover and makes 250 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque sent through an eight-speed transmission. It does the job but it’s outclassed by the new hybrid powertrain, which also starts with a two-litre turbocharged four-cylinder and adds two electric motors integrated into the e-CVT transmission and a small 1.1-kilowatt-hour battery under the floor. With a combined power output of 310 horsepower, it packs a much bigger punch and consumes significantly less fuel. It’s a $3,500 option and well worth it.
Lincoln wants customers to think of the Nautilus as more than just a car. The company is calling it a sanctuary. “We consider this vehicle to be like a third space,” says Tammy MacNeil, vehicle line marketing manager for Lincoln Canada. “You have your home; you have your office and we want this to be the other place that you want to be.”
Lincoln says the idea comes from studies that show people are spending more time in their cars when parked. They’re using it as an escape or even as a quiet place to get some work done.
A car insulates and isolates you in a climate-controlled cabin. It’s a private space and one of the few we actually have in our busy lives.
To take advantage of this Lincoln showed us a new feature called “rejuvenate” and it’s been designed to make your time in the car as relaxing as possible. Only available when parked, rejuvenate uses a combination of sights, sounds, scents and even massage. There’s either a five- or 10-minute program and there are different themes with names like “Aurora Borealis” to choose from. It uses the new 48-inch display that spans from pillar to pillar to deliver widescreen theatre-quality visuals. It’s only about four inches tall but it’s placed up high in the driver’s line of sight, almost like a head-up display. The idea is that it’s less distracting and displays the information you need to see without having to take your eyes off the road. We covered it in greater detail at an earlier event.
The new interior comes with a customizable 48-inch display that is high on the dash and designed to be less distracting.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
The rejuvenate program will recline your seat to an almost sleeping position while spritzing the cabin with one of three scents. At the halfway point it raises the seat back up, speeds up the music and the visuals as it attempts to energize the driver.
The problem with this is that you’d have to be idling the vehicle to do it and a lot of municipalities have anti-idling by-laws, which would technically prohibit you from using it. While a novel idea, it seems better suited to an EV, where it would be nice while charging the battery. Rejuvenate will not be immediately available either but will be part of an over-the-air update at some point in the near future.
On the road, the Nautilus is quiet and refined. The adaptive dampers soak up bumps and help deliver a luxurious ride. Driving from Palm Springs, Calif. to Idyllwild on the twisting, snarling roads climbing nearly 2,000 metres into the sky, the Lincoln displayed good steering and confident handling. The hybrid has a satisfying amount of power, especially in its sportiest driving mode where both the gas and electric motors engage for maximum forward thrust. It matches well with the Lexus RX, but isn’t as quick or sporty as a BMW X3 or X5.
The selling point is the interior. It’s nicely trimmed and the materials and build quality are as good as anyone else it competes with. The 48-inch display is stunning and while not as good as a head-up display it’s a solid attempt at delivering information to the driver in a less distracting way.
The Lexus RX 350h is Lincoln’s target but that’s a tough cookie to crack. It’s one of the best-selling luxury SUVs on the market and has been for a long time.
“It really comes down to getting people in and experiencing our vehicle,” says MacNeil. “We have a great program that’s called a discovery drive that many of our retailers offer. You can borrow a vehicle for a night or two, have an experience, really live it for a couple of days and our experience tells us that when people do that, they buy our vehicle.”
The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus is available in a hybrid option that adds 60 horsepower.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
Tech Specs
2024 Lincoln Nautilus
- Price: $65,400 (Reserve Hybrid) plus $2,395 for freight and pre-delivery inspection, plus fees and tax
- Engine: Two-litre turbocharged inline-four-cylinder hybrid that produces 310 horsepower (combined) and 295 lb-ft of torque
- Transmission/drive: e-CVT/all-wheel drive
- Fuel consumption (litres per 100 kilometres): 7.9 city; 7.6 highway; 7.7 combined (hybrid)
- Alternatives: Lexus RX350h, BMW X5, Acura MDX, Mercedes GLE, Genesis GV70
Looks
A big upgrade from the last generation, the new Nautilus is an attractive SUV with its big shiny grille and elegantly sculpted body panels. You can get it with 22-inch wheels, but we’d recommend sticking with one of the smaller options to keep the ride more comfortable.
Interior
There’s the dash-wide display which is really cool, but beyond that, leather, wood and metal combine gracefully for a nicely designed and comfortable space that really does feel relaxing. The optional 24-way seats are excellent for long drives and back seat occupants are treated to loads of leg room, stylized LED lighting accents on the doors and the same level of quality that front seat occupants get.
The rear seats on the 2024 Nautilus. Back seat occupants are treated to plenty of leg room, LED lighting accents on the doors and the same level of quality that front seat occupants get.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
Performance
It’s all about the hybrid here and it’s worth the extra $3,500. The regular gas engine has adequate power but when you’re paying this much for a car you expect a bit more kick and the hybrid delivers it. Lower fuel consumption is a bonus.
Technology
This is where the Nautilus shows up to play with its customizable 48-inch display and android-based operating system that you can use to stream video, surf the web or play video games. Bluecruise hands-free driving technology works on divided highways across North America and can even change lanes automatically. It also smoothly veers away from cars and trucks in the adjacent lane, something many of us naturally do when driving. Add the optional 28-speaker audio system, in-car relaxation program, over-the-air updates, and it’s basically got it all.
The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus has almost 1,000 litres of space before folding the rear seats down.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
Cargo
There’s almost 1,000 litres of space before folding the rear seats down. The Nautilus is a big SUV that doesn’t have a third row and it benefits from this with increased cargo and passenger space.
The verdict
The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus had a target and that was to steal sales away from the Lexus RX and it’s finally good enough to do just that.
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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