- The Lincoln Nautilus is a two-row, midsize luxury SUV made at Ford's factory in Hangzhou, China.
- I was impressed by its elegant styling, upscale interior, and show-stopping tech.
- The Nautilus delivers a comfortable ride but isn't particularly fun to drive.
The Lincoln Nautilus is one of two Chinese-made vehicles sold in the US under a domestic brand.
The third generation of the luxury SUV was an immediate hit when it launched in 2024 and is now Lincoln's best-selling model.
Smart design touches, a comfortable interior complete with a panoramic screen, and relaxed driving made the midsize SUV one of the best I've tested — even at a pricey $67,000.
I recently spent a week with a 2025 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve.
The base Nautilus Premiere starts at $51,890, while the top-spec Black Label trim kicks off at $75,050.
My mid-grade Reserve trim test car starts at $61,010. Freight fees and the other add-ons pushed the as-tested price past $67,000.
The Nautilus is elegantly styled.
It's eye-catching and attractive but never feels the need to shout about it. There is no tacky body cladding or superfluous badging extolling the vehicle's luxury street cred. In fact, the word "Lincoln," shows up only once on the SUV (on the tailgate), and the Nautilus badge appears only twice, tastefully adorning the front doors. That's it.
The integrated door handles are one of my favorite design touches.
It's a feature shared with the most recent Lincoln Continental sedan, one of my other favorite cars.
The Nautilus also comes with Ford's signature Securicode keyless keypad, as taple on high-end Ford models for more than 40 years.
The Nautilus is powered by a turbocharged, four-cylinder engine.
Under the hood of my test is a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, direct-injected inline-four-cylinder engine producing 250 horsepower and 280 ft.-lb. of torque. It's paired with a traditional eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system, which comes standard on all trims.
The Nautilus is tuned for comfort, not excitement.
Despite the peppy acceleration from the 250-horsepower turbo four under the hood (0-60 in 7.3 seconds, according to Car and Driver), the Nautilus was made for comfortable cruising.
In fact, the SUV feels awkward and uneasy when pushed around corners, with understeering becoming more and more intense the quicker you go.
Keep the driving relaxed, and the Nautilus will reward you with a smooth and effortless experience.
The Nautilus comes with a four-year subscription to Ford's excellent Blue Cruise handsfree driving tech, which works brilliantly on straight sections of highway. The system augments the intelligent adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping systems that come standard on the Nautilus.
The interior is where the Lincoln really stepped up their game.
The interior is truly impressive. While the massive panoramic screen on the front dash may steal the show, it's Lincoln's thoughtful eye for detail that stands out, like the soft touch leather materials in high contact areas, upscale metallic and glass finishes on switch gear, and subtle wood grain accents create a refined and tasteful environment.
Overall ergonomics of the Nautilus interior are excellent, with plenty of story and charging options. Lincoln's build and the material quality of the interior are both excellent. Everything felt well screwed together with no rattles or squeaks around.
My only real gripe with the cabin is the need for physical climate controls.
The centerpiece of the cabin is the massive 48-inch Panoramic Screen that spans the entire width of the front dash.
The screen actually reminds me of the curved dash from Lincoln's boldly styled Mark 8 coupe of the 90s.
The Panoramic Screen is actually comprised of two smaller screens, the driver instrument display and navigation screen on the left and an information display in front of the passenger.
But as impressive as the big screen may look, it does feel a bit gimmicky. The passenger half doesn't do much apart from display information from a handful of widgets, such as the trip computer, audio info, weather, and clock.
Functionally, everything except for the instrument display is controlled using the 11.1-inch touchscreen on the center stack with a Google-based operating system.
The system was highly responsive and intuitively organized. It features built-in Google Maps, web browsing, and media streaming capability. The Nautilus also comes standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The oval-shaped steering wheel is a feature unique to the Nautilus.
The flat-top wheel is certainly a striking design feature, but it's really an act of necessity to allow drivers visibility of the instrument display without the need for a massive steering wheel.
Even with the oval shape, I found myself needing to lower the wheel so that it would not obscure the instruments.
Lincoln has traditionally done a good job with seat design, and it continues with the Nautilus.
The leather, massaging front seats were some of the most comfortable and supportive I've experienced in a long time. The 24-way power adjustability allows you to really fine-tune the positioning of the seat.
The Nautilus comes with a multi-sensory relaxation feature called Rejuvenate.
It's basically an in-car spa experience that uses the seats' heat and massage features along with a selection of sounds, scents, and visuals to create a curated relaxation time for the driver when the vehicle is stationary.
The Nautilus offers an impressive 43.1-inches of rear legroom.
The spacious rear cabin also comes with heated outboard seats, an AC power socket, and seatback USB-C plugs.
Open the hands-free power liftgate, and you'll find a cavernous 35.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats.
Fold down the rear seats, and cargo capacity expands to 68.8 cubic feet. The Nautilus, even in hybrid form, comes with a spare tire. Something that's becoming increasingly rare these days.
My Verdict: The Lincoln Nautilus is an exceptional luxury SUV with great style, a quiet ride, an upscale cabin, and eye-catching tech.
In the crowded luxury SUV market, Lincoln is fighting an uphill battle, especially for the attention of young buyers who tend to gravitate toward German brands.
With elegant looks, a refined ride, show-stopping tech, and an upscale interior that punches above its weight, the Nautilus is certainly an impressive new contender in the segment.
It's one I'd consider opening my wallet for.
