Verdict
Lincoln did your entire world a favor for the 2019 mannequin yr, taking out alphanumerics and rechristening the previous MKX because the Nautilus. However regardless of revised styling that took cues from the Continental and Navigator, it soldiered on with a generic inside that regarded outdated and had an infotainment system to match. That’s not the case with the 2021 Lincoln Nautilus, which will get a wise new cabin to associate with its good-looking face.
Though it was the ultimate Lincoln to get the inset chrome grille of the now-defunct Continental sedan, the Nautilus was one of many first to swap out alphanumeric nomenclature for an actual phrase, previous the Corsair (whose predecessor was known as the MKC) and the discontinued MKZ. Evocative names are again at Lincoln, bringing with them my hope that the corporate finds its toes as a purveyor of premium automobiles that supply a serene, peerless driving expertise. The newly trendy Nautilus delivers on that entrance considerably, although there’s all the time room for enchancment.
A car’s verdict is relative solely to its personal section and never the new-vehicle market as a complete. For extra on how Motor1.com charges automobiles, click on right here.
Blue Suede Footwear
Although the physique construction dates to 2016 and the nostril to 2019, the Nautilus continues to be a good-looking tackle the midsize, two-row SUV formulation. The highest-end Black Label seen right here wears 21-inch wheels with a hypnotic design, filling the fender wells very properly. A sloping rear finish and Coke-bottle entrance and rear fenders recall basic Lincolns of the Thirties and Forties, and the corporate’s company face seems as premium and stylish right here because it does on the imposing Continental Coach Door. Miniscule updates to the entrance fog gentle surrounds for 2021 are all however invisible to the informal onlooker, however the Nautilus seems nice a method or one other.
Inside, the 2021 Nautilus will get a brand new, rectilinear sprint that brings it in step with the extra fashionable Corsair and Aviator crossovers. A skinny strip of fake “Silverwood” spans the instrument panel to emphasise width, disappearing behind a brand new 13.2-inch heart infotainment show mounted proper within the driver’s line of sight. The large display is commonplace, bringing with it Sync 4 software program (a Lincoln first) that’s a lot simpler to make use of than final yr’s tech suite. An intuitive 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster advances issues additional.
Although the physique construction dates to 2016 and the nostril to 2019, the Nautilus continues to be a good-looking tackle the midsize, two-row SUV formulation.
The inside additionally exhibits plenty of consideration to element. A minimum of on this Black Label tester, gentle leather-based seems on the seats, steering wheel, and armrests, and soft-touch supplies prolong all the way down to the passengers’ ankles. The almost vertical passenger-side sprint fascia seems a bit like my mother’s outdated 1993 Caravan, however it’s trimmed in leather-like gentle plastic. The pretend wooden sprint trim, piano black plastic accents on the door panels, and pretend machined aluminum heart button panel are an affordable and complicated mixture, however in any other case, the inside punches properly above its Ford Edge roots – it’d even be a nicer cabin than the bigger Aviator.
A really upright seating place left me with some worries about headroom. I’m about 6 toes tall, and my head was solely an inch or two away from the roof lining. In any other case, there’s loads of area within the entrance row, the tall seats affording a relaxed, upright driving place and a very good view of the street forward. Just like the entrance seats, the rear seats could also be barely pinched on headroom, however there’s nothing else to grumble about, due to gentle supplies, heated rear seats (optionally available on Reserve and commonplace on Black Label), and an adjustable seatback angle.
Simple Like Sunday Morning
The flagship Black Label trim comes commonplace with a twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V6, eight-speed computerized transmission, and all-wheel drive. With 335 horsepower and 380 pound-feet on faucet, there’s a helpful shove of grunt in each off-the-line begins and freeway merges, with minimal turbo lag from the EcoBoost engine to get in the way in which. The front-drive–biased Lincoln has some torque steer when launching from a stoplight, however in any other case, the powertrain matches the crossover’s “quiet flight” advertising mission as a long-distance tourer – talking of, the engine achieves 22 miles per gallon mixed.
Disappointingly, bumpy roads are the Nautilus’ undoing. Whether or not it’s a operate of the massive wheels or an ageing platform, the general construction feels barely flimsy, and there’s plenty of steering column and dashboard shake over tough pavement. What’s extra, a day’s price of driving revealed some creaks and groans – most annoyingly, the instrument cluster’s clear plastic cowl emitted that particular Lexan squeak at any pace above 45 miles per hour.
This Lincoln isn’t sporty within the slightest.
Nevertheless, in Consolation mode, the adjustable dampers serve up a pillowy-soft preliminary layer of cush earlier than gently smothering the floaty physique motions, hiding among the platform’s Versatile Flyer tendencies. The piano-key shifter’s “S” button adjusts shift factors, sharpens the throttle, and stiffens the shock absorbers to name up sportier dealing with. On this mode, the Nautilus turns into an absolute slot automotive, darting from nook to cor-… who am I kidding? This Lincoln isn’t sporty within the slightest.
The stiffer damper setting does erase some physique roll – on the expense of affect harshness over unhealthy pavement – however anybody anticipating the Nautilus to drive with the identical verve of a Porsche Cayenne is delusional. Secure, safe understeer is the order of the day, so it’s greatest to maintain the adaptive cruise management set to the pace restrict and benefit from the journey. With that mindset, the Nautilus is a cushty, secure household hauler with balanced efficiency and a wholesome margin of error. Begin to push it and that buffer diminishes.
Technologic
Each Lincoln Nautilus comes commonplace with computerized emergency braking, lane departure prevention, blind spot monitoring, and computerized excessive beams. Nevertheless, the Black Label provides adaptive cruise management, lane centering, route-specific pace management, an around-view digital camera, and parking help to the usual setup, and all of it works very properly. The Nautilus responds easily to surrounding visitors, with light throttle, braking, and steering inputs that maintain the crossover a protected distance from lane markers and different autos.
Sadly, the Nautilus gained’t embrace hands-free Energetic Drive Help, leaving Lincoln and not using a rival to Cadillac’s glorious Tremendous Cruise expertise. Appropriately optioned variations of the Ford F-150 and Mustang Mach-E will get the tech later this yr through a software program replace, and it’ll doubtless present up on the refreshed Lincoln Navigator (which we anticipate earlier than 2022).
Each Lincoln Nautilus comes commonplace with computerized emergency braking, lane departure prevention, blind spot monitoring, and computerized excessive beams.
Cellphone-as-key integration comes commonplace on the Black Label, permitting the motive force to lock, unlock, and begin the car from an app, in addition to sound the panic alarm, open or shut the home windows, and function the facility rear hatch. Making its Lincoln debut is Ford’s intuitive Sync 4 system, including Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to all Nautilus fashions. The native navigation and audio apps work properly too, and over-the-air updates ought to assist maintain the Lincoln present, including options and enhancing software program response occasions as expertise advances.
Lincoln reskins Sync 4 with darkish blue and orange colours to mimic the looks of the horizon at sundown, and little speckles of starlight seem below your finger everytime you contact the display. It imparts a genuinely premium really feel to a system that’s in any other case Ford-familiar, combining with the Black Label’s adjustable ambient lighting to provide the Nautilus an opulent, fashionable bent.
Hey, Large Spender
Lincoln is making an attempt actually onerous to distinguish its autos from the Ford merchandise they’re primarily based on, providing premium styling, pretty interiors, and brand-specific showrooms and Black Label possession perks. Nevertheless, that ambition comes at an eyebrow-raising value. This Flight Blue Lincoln Nautilus Black Label has an as-tested worth of $68,295, up from $65,090 for the trim stage and $41,940 for the crossover household total. At almost 70 massive, the Nautilus could also be flying a bit too near the solar.
The identical dough will get you right into a comprehensively geared up Genesis GV80, which presents a stiffer platform and comparable consolation and expertise. Proudly owning a Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 or BMW X5 xDrive40i for a similar worth because the Black Label means sacrificing some niceties like massaging seats and wi-fi charging, however the Germans do provide a firmer, extra sporting driving expertise and blue-chip model recognition. The Lincoln completely trounces the fussy Lexus RX in luxurious, expertise, and efficiency, however it additionally prices about $9,000 extra when comparably geared up.
Nevertheless, Lincoln’s ambition at an eyebrow-raising value.
The good cash may truly be a mid-level 2021 Nautilus Reserve mannequin with the turbocharged 2.0-liter base engine. The extra environment friendly mill would doubtless swimsuit the Nautilus’ mission as a cushty, long-distance SUV, bringing financial savings on the window sticker too. Though the Reserve’s inside foregoes the Black Label’s leather-based armrests and distinctive trim items, it additionally saves a number of grand. At lower than $60,000, the Lincoln Nautilus looks like an honest purchase, and regardless, model devotees will love the revised SUV’s trendy new inside and marshmallow journey.
