The redesigned 2024 Lincoln Nautilus seems like a half step. It rides on a brand new platform however returns a satisfying turbo-4 base engine. It introduces a 30-mpg hybrid system that’s new to Lincoln and Ford however doesn’t really feel new for the electrified market.

The most important step it makes is in its technological interface, however even that means potential. A cautious strategy to whatever comes subsequent would possibly profit from the incremental ramp up proven by the Nautilus.

As different automakers have pumped the brakes on the total shift to electrical automobiles, Lincoln’s gradual introduction of recent expertise earlier than new propulsion methods looks like the sensible if not conservative play. The redesigned Nautilus shares a platform with the smaller Corsair, however a number of of its design components bring to mind the Lincoln Star idea. Anticipated for 2025, the Lincoln Star will likely be Lincoln’s first full battery electrical crossover, and the idea’s panoramic show display screen and yoke-like steering wheel take middle stage within the new Nautilus. That bigger multi-energy platform suits fuel and hybrid propulsion methods, however Lincoln wouldn’t reveal if it will settle for bigger battery packs and motors. 

Dimensionally, it appears designed to. It’s 2.0 inches taller than its predecessor, 1.1 inches wider, and three.2 inches longer. At 193.2 inches lengthy, it’s greater than a foot longer than the Corsair however solely 6.5 inches shorter than the redesigned Lincoln Aviator three-row crossover SUV. Its 114.2-inch wheelbase is nearer in dimension to the Aviator than the Corsair. 

None of this interprets to a battery pack filling the ground between the axles, but it surely does make for one of many roomiest midsize crossovers available on the market. The rear seats can match three individuals, however with 43.1 inches of rear legroom and loads of head- and shoulder room, 4 adults back and front may discover nice consolation for a protracted weekend getaway. The 36.4 cubic toes of cargo house ends in loads of room for his or her baggage or golf luggage. For consumers who need a massive crossover however don’t need the additional bulk of a 3rd row, the Nautilus welcomes the large and tall. 

The welcome comes from the outside lighting, as properly. The sunshine bar operating by way of the broad new grille knots the illuminated Lincoln star emblem, and whenever you strategy the sunshine bar involves life, curling into the daytime operating lights like an embrace. Puddle lights additionally welcome occupants right into a cabin that’s radically new for Lincoln. 

About that 48-inch display screen within the 2024 Nautilus

The premium model turns into luxurious in prime Black Label trims. My tester didn’t simply have wooden trim, it had Herringbone Marquetry Walnut wooden trim. And that suede headliner? No, no, no, good sir, it’s Smoked Truffle Suede, s’il vous plait.

The clearest indicator of Lincoln’s preparation for an electrified future stars on the marquis of its 48.0-inch curved wall of screens on the base of the windshield. It’s not overwhelming, as in another luxurious automobiles with screens filling each sprint house. In combining the capabilities from an instrument cluster and a head-up show, and wedging it closest to the sightline to the street, it’s visually and functionally secure. When it comes to actual property, nevertheless, it has unrealized potential. 

On the motive force’s half, it incorporates a few of the conventional components you’d discover in a digital instrument cluster, such because the navigation map, speedometer, and lively security function indicators, equivalent to one for Lincoln’s BlueCruise semi-autonomous driving system. Each 2024 Nautilus comes with a 90-day free trial of BlueCruise, then if you are going to buy it as a budled possibility on Premiere or Reserve trims (it’s normal on Black Label) it extends to a 4-year interval, identical as the fundamental guarantee. After that time, even for Black Label fashions, the service and its over-the-air updates change to a subscription mannequin at charges at the moment unknown. 

BlueCruise 1.2 provides automated lane modified so long as the operator prompts the blinker, and general the system does job of sustaining the lane and distance from different automobiles. In my 10-mile check, it maintained the hole between the lead automobile as anticipated, and when a semi received too shut on my passenger facet, the system nudged the Nautilus over to the skin of my lane. The blue iconography that signifies it’s working within the show is obvious and unmistakable, and the motive force monitor digital camera saved me in examine when my sunglassed eyes strayed from the street. That’s one factor the IIHS thinks all automakers ought to do higher to hold drivers from misusing such methods.

2024 Lincoln Nautilus

2024 Lincoln Nautilus

The navigation solely turns into interactive on the 11.1-inch touchscreen sitting atop the middle stack. The nav and different methods run on a Google built-in working system, however wi-fi Apple CarPlay connectivity remains to be normal. The touchscreen is the one interface for each the broader show display screen and for the local weather and vent controls. I favor local weather dials and buttons, however Lincoln’s digital interface has some capabilities you couldn’t get within the analog world, equivalent to an “off physique” vent course that turns all vents away from the motive force and passenger, or an oscillating vent operate that lightly circles the vents across the cabin. It’s the little issues with luxurious automobiles. 

About that Lincoln Rejuvenate factor

Possibly that explains Lincoln leaning into its 4 Rejuvenate themes. When outfitted, it mixes one among seven accessible cabin scents with ambient lighting, local weather management, seat motion, seat cooling, seat massaging, and a soundtrack in five- and 10-minute intervals. 

“It delivers a curated expertise to each calm down and invigorate you,” Ford chief engineer Dante Crockett advised me throughout an outline. “That is a part of the automobile as a spa.”

One theme, “Aurora Borealis,” turned each the touchscreen and the show display screen right into a greenish tribute to the Northern Lights. It paired with a scent of Violet Cashmere (Mystic Forest and Ozonic Azure had been additionally spritzed throughout the demo) coming by way of the vents, it moved the steering wheel up and out of the way in which, set the local weather to 68 levels, then, for the primary half of the expertise—the Loosen up part—it leaned the seat again and activated the massagers. On the half-way level, it shifted to the Invigorate part to “awaken” me with brighter colours, a blue mountain panorama on the screens, a special scent, a brand new seating place, and completely different therapeutic massage and local weather settings.

2024 Lincoln Nautilus

It’s normal on Black Label fashions and accessible on Reserve, however not till the 2025 mannequin 12 months that’s anticipated to launch in August. Then, 2024 fashions will get an over-the-air replace to make it work in these automobiles. The 4 themes and the myriad settings are principally preprogrammed with slight customizations accessible. It’s a driver-only expertise, for now, and it’s fully and completely pointless.

That might be mentioned about many issues in luxurious automobiles, from chilled middle consoles to rear-axle steering. As somebody who has spent lots of time sitting in parking heaps working or enjoyable whereas ready on children, I may dig it. 

The 11.1-inch touchscreen additionally controls what content material could be displayed on the three components of the passenger facet of the 48.0-inch show. It may possibly present three out of seven selectable widgets, however they’re fairly primary, starting from climate to a clock to journey meters and gas financial system. Despite the fact that a front-seat occupant may play a online game on the touchscreen (so long as the Nautilus is in Park), that doesn’t translate over to the large display screen, nor do any streaming providers or any customization of the accessible widgets or how the motive force information is exhibited to the motive force. Even with the hybrid powertrain, the Lincoln Nautilus’s expansive digital actual property lacks an power monitor show.

We’ll see what future over-the-air updates carry throughout this vast however untapped digital actual property. 

About that flat steering wheel within the Lincoln Nautilus

One other design component showcased within the Star Idea and enabled within the Nautilus is the steering wheel. It’s flat on prime and backside, and spokeless on the highest, so it’s yoke-like. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel as a lot as make the gauges extra seen. Adjusting the ability steering column and the ability seats had combined outcomes by way of gauge visibility from the handful of individuals I requested. It was high-quality for me at 5-foot-8.  

It’s simple to see it being utilized in different purposes, particularly electrical ones. The steering really feel from the electronically assisted rack veers to the leisurely facet with a 16.5:1 ratio, and there’s little street really feel, however that’s all in character for a automobile constructed for consolation, not for pace.

2024 Lincoln Nautilus turbo-4 efficiency

Electrification on the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus comes from a brand new hybrid system, whereas the two.0-liter turbo-4 carries over from the earlier Nautilus. 

I drove a Reserve fuel mannequin and a Black Label hybrid within the mountainous climes past Palm Springs, Calif. The two.0-liter turbo-4 produces 250 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, delivering enough energy for a giant automobile weighing in at 4,349 kilos with normal all-wheel drive. It comes with an 8-speed automated transmission that may profit from paddle shifters to neutralize the turbo lag when dropping a gear or two for passing strikes. In any other case, the automated shifts predictably and quietly. 

In Sport mode, with the gear shifts delayed and the ambient lighting glowing pink, count on a 0-60 mph time of about seven seconds. The drive mode button within the middle console seems like a toggle and would serve the Nautilus higher as a toggle; push it and it opens up the drive mode menu on the touchscreen. It will be extra direct to flick by way of a toggle or dial. 

Dynamically, the Nautilus isn’t sporty as a lot as it’s cozy with its stable entrance struts and rear multi-link suspension. The tester had non-compulsory adaptive dampers, that are normal on Black Label and hybrid fashions. It handles as anticipated for a midsize crossover, planted however with loads of lean. German fashions higher steadiness efficiency and luxury, whereas the Nautilus with its acoustic laminated windshield and lively noise cancellation leans extra to the consolation facet of the equation.

2024 Lincoln Nautilus hybrid efficiency

That comfy and quiet trip is extra pronounced within the Nautilus hybrid. It bolts on a bigger turbocharger to the turbo-4 that modifications the airflow quite than the increase stress. That model of the two.0-liter makes 300 hp and 295 lb-ft. Mix it with a 100-kw motor and a hybrid transmission, and max output will increase to 310 hp. Lincoln didn’t disclose torque for the hybrid. 

The facility bump is sweet sufficient for a mid-six second 0-60 mph time, however including 168 kilos of hybrid elements such because the lithium ion battery pack stowed neatly under the second-row of seats has its tradeoffs. The drive mode software program and chassis tuning is a little bit completely different for the hybrid, and after I pushed it on curvier roads the burden switch and traction management felt extra inconsistent than the fuel mannequin, leading to some sudden rear tire spin coming arduous out of some turns. 

It isn’t vital sufficient to discourage Nautilus consumers from the hybrid, which is simply a $1,500 upcharge from the fuel mannequin. It will get 30 mpg mixed, in comparison with 24 mpg mixed with simply the turbo-4, so the EPA estimates in gas price alone you’d make up the upcharge in lower than 4 years.

The extra you drive it round city, the place the Lincoln Nautilus hybrid shines brightest, the extra it makes cents. It’s hushed at low speeds, and the ability switch is unnoticeable until the motive force goes heavy on the pedals and will get each passenger seasick. It’s a comfier, quieter, and roomier various to the Lexus RX, but it surely’s not as environment friendly.

Which 2024 Lincoln Nautilus is greatest?

The Nautilus Hybrid Premiere is straightforward to suggest at a beginning value of $53,510, together with vacation spot, however the Black Label nears $80,000. Whereas there are all types of luxurious indulgences at that value, from the wonderful Revel sound system to the luxurious 24-way massaging entrance seats, that’s lots of coin relative to some luxurious crossovers with extra of a efficiency component. However few can match the consolation and roominess of the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus.  

Lincoln offered airfare and lodging for Motor Authority to carry you this firsthand report.