Here Are The Initial Things That Stuck Out To Me The Most About The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus

Not too long ago, I was granted the exquisite opportunity to experience the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus in the Maritimes, a fitting location for the crossover SUV’s nautically-inspired nameplate. Though in the midst of the beautiful North Atlantic scenery, I was tasked with figuring out whether the new second-generation model of Lincoln’s bread-and-butter crossover SUV lineup is worth your hard-earned money as a luxurious crossover SUV and road trip partner.

Lincolns after all, are legendary for their elevated levels of comfort, which has long defined America’s idea of automotive luxury. A Lincoln wouldn’t be a true Lincoln unless it rode like a cloud, offered couch-like seating, and enough power amenities to make your cruise across pavement as seamless and comfortable as possible, without costing an arm and a leg.

So is the all-new 2024 Lincoln Nautilus a true Lincoln and does it make for a good road trip partner? Here’s what struck out most to me during my time driving almost 500 kilometers across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island and chowing down on as much seafood as I could possibly get my hands on.

Like: It Doesn’t Look Like a Glorified Ford

A Lincoln that doesn’t look like a dressed-up Ford in a cheap tuxedo? No way! Yes, believe it or not, one of my favorite things about the new Nautilus is the fact that it doesn’t look like it’s been a lazily redone Ford.

Lincoln is notorious for taking preexisting Ford models and redressing them up poorly where they hardly hid their Ford-based roots. For example, the first-generation Nautilus was unapologetically a rehash of the Ford Edge. It nearly looked the same, minus some exterior changes such as Lincoln’s signature grille and headlight front-end design, and other exterior and interior appointments.

It was still much nicer than even the nicest Ford Edge. But it still couldn’t hide the fact that it was based on a Ford Edge.

The new Nautilus is still based on a Ford, but not one that we get here. And thus, the new Nautilus has a much more unique persona to it rather than just being a Ford model sold on our shores, and gussied up as a luxury car from Dearborn’s storied luxury division. That’s a huge plus in my book as the Nautilus now looks like its own model and in essence, has its own identity.

The new Nautilus still does ironically get its backbone from a Ford Edge. But it’s the Chinese market Ford Edge, which gets its own, bespoke platform and is completely different than the North American-specification Edge. It’s a platform that also underpins the new Corsair, Escape, Bronco Sport, and even the China-only Zephyr sedan.

Like: It Rides Like A Lincoln Should In 2024

Lincolns have and will always be known for their cushy rides, much like BMWs are known for their sports car handling. Whether it be a 1964 Continental or a 2004 Town Car, a Lincoln wouldn’t be a Lincoln without its signature ride quality.

One of the most prominent characteristics of the new Nautilus is its excellent ride quality. It absorbed the uneven and rough surfaces around the rural parts of Nova Scotia as well as it did cruising down the smooth and well-maintained highways while testing out Lincoln’s SuperCruise hands-free highway driving assist feature.

And the Nautilus interestingly does it all without any active air- or hydropneumatically-based damping control. The Nautilus hybrid’s technical roster, however, includes “Continuous Control Damping” shocks, which adjusts stiffness based on the driving modes chosen. I did notice a difference and increase in stiffness with overall suspension travel when I chose the “Excite” driving mode, versus “Normal” or “conserve.”

But in Normal mode, the Nautilus rode around with a wafty and floaty-like feel, which is just as on point as it s

Like: If A Sharper Image Store Took Form In A Crossover SUV…

One of the biggest highlights on the Lincoln Nautilus is its 48-inches of panoramic liquid-crystal display. No, a giant TV doesn’t take up the entire forward view. Rather, the 48 inches of screen is a rather narrow strip that stretches across the width of the dashboard. A separate second screen sits atop the center console for controlling the infotainment system and the HVAC.

I’m not the biggest fan of screens overall inside vehicles, I personally find them distracting and a backward step in terms of driver and vehicle interior ergonomics. Sometimes, I think the most effective tech is the simplest tech, or physical knobs and switches, which depend on tactile feel for their function and identity.

No such tactility and feel exists for screens, which require taking your precious eyes off the road to see what you’re touching. Additionally, the backlighting glare from screens while driving at night and in pitch-black conditions can be irritating and strain the eyes.

Despite my critical soapbox against screens inside vehicles. The Nautilus’ insane screen setup wasn’t surprisingly distracting, with only the most pertinent information being displayed on the vast digital real estate. The fonts display large text for easy reading and glancing, and some of the less required but still helpful content, such as weather conditions, is placed at the far passenger, but still visible side of the panoramic screen.

The far right portion of the panoramic screen can be configured to display different types of info, besides the weather, using its in-car wireless data connectivity. The Nautilus’ software also features Google integration so that one can connect various apps with Lincoln’s Digital Experience and use them while driving. Such integration includes Amazon Alexa in-vehicle control, Google Assistant integration, and even use of Apple Maps if using Apple CarPlay.

So while the interior of the Nautilus is very digital screen happy, it’s surprisingly not overwhelming and intuitive to use, if you’re used to screens. It very much feels like if Sharper Image helped to design and equip the interior’s features and equipment.

Related

An In-Depth Look At The Upcoming Lincoln Nautilus’ State-Of-The-Art On-Board Tech

With a standard 48-inch screen, the 2024 Nautilus showcases a new direction for Ford and Lincoln’s future onboard digital experiences

Dislike: It’s Not The Most Exciting To Drive

Are you surprised at this reaction? Me either. And that’s okay. As mentioned before, Lincolns are most known for their comfort and ability to make long-distance travel a comforting breeze and the Nautilus did a fantastic job at delivering on that front. As with every other automotive compromise, the two most defining characteristics often balanced are between comfort and sport.

Everyone tries to find the happy medium between those two personas, while some lean towards one more than the other. In Lincoln’s case, the scale certainly weighs more on the comfort side. You can really only be good at one or the other. Finding that perfect balance in between is something only a few have accomplished.

So its unsurprising that the Nautilus isn’t that exciting to drive and that’s okay. Lincolns are meant to reduce your pressure and relax your heart rate as you motor about on the open interstate while taking in the scenery in soothing comfort, not get your blood pumping and heart racing for some tire-scorching fun. But I have to list it as a dislike of mine since I personally prefer things to be a bit sportier.

It’s The Best Nautilus There Ever Was

II don’t think there ever was a time when I walked away hugely impressed after driving a Lincoln product, but the day I drove the new Nautilus is the day that may have all changed. I like how it feels like a ground-up in-house product within Lincoln and it does a really outstanding job of separating itself from any of its lesser Ford counterparts.

It’s also a pretty handsome looking crossover SUV with an equally good and interesting interior to match and nicely appointed. It’s well-equipped and its priced in a segment that isn’t that far off from most of the competition.

Yes, don’t expect heightened levels of performance because well, it’s Lincoln, it’s all about comfort and bliss. Even Lincoln’s product planning team knows their target comfort-focused market. It’s for those who largely find driving a chore and want to be least bothered by any of the drawbacks that make driving feel like a task. But should the road get curvy with swooping moderate speed two-lanes in the country’s farm land, the Nautilus remains civil and behaves without feeling too soft and plushy.

But majority of the time, the Nautilus excels at what it is intended to do, which is be a pleasant and cozy road tripper that just eats up miles while you sit back and comfortably enjoy the scenery as it goes by.