The Lincoln Nautilus Is a Fantastic Luxury SUV and That Might Be a Problem for Lincoln

The Lincoln Motor Company has created many iconic automobiles over the years. From its suicide-door Continental convertibles to the Mark series of personal luxury coupes and the breakthrough Navigator SUV, Ford’s luxury brand has often been on the cutting edge of automotive trends.Its newest model is the Nautilus, which is right in the sweet spot of the market. The midsize SUV starts at around $55,000 and is available with a potent 310-horsepower hybrid powertrain that delivers an efficient 30 mpg without the need to plug in to charge.Lincoln doesn’t try to make sports cars. Its guiding principle is called “quiet flight” and is all about delivering effortless comfort. The Nautilus is a handsome, but likely not timeless design. It is very much of the moment.The Nautilus is offered in Premium, Reserve and Black Label trim levels with increasing levels of amenities. The only major mechanical difference is the addition of computer-controlled shock absorbers on the top two trims.All feature two rows of seating, and back seat passengers get the full Lincoln experience. The Nautilus has acres of rear legroom and nicely sculpted seats with reclining backs. The cargo area behind them is large enough to swallow a couple of fancy steamer trunks, let alone carry-on bags.The Nautilus has a 48-inch wide digital display. LincolnThe real show is up front, however, where a 48-inch display spans the top of the dashboard. It encompasses the instrument cluster, navigation and 360-degree camera feed. Three blocks on the left side can be customized with features like the weather and audio system information.It’s out of reach, which is why there is a touchscreen on top of the center console that is used to control everything. The infotainment system is equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration, Alexa, a WiFi hotspot, along with video apps and an internet browser that can be used when the vehicle is stationary.The steering wheel doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but redefines it with a flat top to make it easier to see the screen and a flat bottom to create more room for your legs. It is odd, but easy to get used to. Nevertheless, it is not really better than a good old-fashioned circle.The Perfect Position front seats that are standard in the Reserve and Black Label might help take your mind off of it. They can be adjusted 24 ways and have a split seat bottom, so you can tailor the fit for each leg individually. They are also heated, ventilated and can provide a massage.For the full spa experience, the Nautilus has Lincoln’s Digital Scents fragrance system, which uses replaceable cartridges installed under the center console. This sort of thing used to be the realm of high-end brands like Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce, but ly become a Lincoln signature feature.A variety of Digital Scents are available in cartridges. LincolnAnother is the Rejuvinate feature, which brings the seats, screens, scents and Revel audio system together to create a spa experience that can be engaged when parked. It reclines the seats and engages the massage; plays soothing sounds and visuals; and coaches the front passengers through a meditation session for five or ten minutes.You will spend most of your time in the Nautilus on the move, of course, and it is just as soothing when you are doing that. The ride quality is impeccable and it comes with four years of service for the Blue Cruise semi-autonomous driving aid. Blue Cruise allows you to take your hands off the wheel on more than 130,000 miles of highways in North America as it steers the vehicle within a lane. It can also change lanes to pass other vehicles when you engage the turn signal, or be set to do that automatically when it encounters slower traffic ahead. Blue Cruise will disengage if the facial monitor determines you aren’t paying attention to the road, and gives you about eight seconds to look away from it before it alerts you to get your eyes forward again.It is no surprise that the Nautilus is Lincoln’s most popular model, but its success might not be all good news for Lincoln. That is because it is the brand’s first model to be imported to America from China, where it is assembled and also sold. That plan made a lot of sense a few years ago, but the current tariff and trade environment is surely cutting into the profits, as Lincoln has not changed prices dramatically to keep up.General Motors announced it is moving production of the Buick Envision from China to America for exactly this reason. Lincoln hasn’t indicated it has plans to do the same, and it looks like it will be riding out the storm. The Nautilus is definitely a nice place to be in when things get rough.

The Lincoln Nautilus Is a Fantastic Luxury SUV and That Might Be a Problem for Lincoln

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