It certainly looks impressive, and I do like that interior color.
Not so sure about the price tag, though.
Photography Credit: David S. Wallens
Encyclopedia Britannica defines a nautilus as “either of two genera of cephalopod mollusks: the pearly, or chambered, nautilus (Nautilus), to which the name properly applies; and the paper nautilus (Argonauta), a cosmopolitan genus related to the octopus.”
Additionally, “nautilus” can also refer to “at least three historic submarines (including the world’s first nuclear-powered vessel) and a fourth submarine famous in science fiction.”
This week’s loaner, however, is neither a mollusk nor a submarine. Instead, it’s a Nautilus of the Lincoln variety.
Positioned between the entry-level Corsair and Aviator price-wise, the Nautilus is a close relative of the Ford Edge and is offered in three trim levels: The $50,415 Premiere, the $54,850 Reserve and the $74,350 Black Label.
A turbocharged, 2.0-liter inline-four rated at 250 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque is standard, though the Nautilus can also be optioned with a hybrid powertrain that’s good for a total system output of 310 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque.
Our tester for the week is a Black Label model fitted with the standard non-hybrid engine, which returns an estimated 21 mpg in the city, 29 mpg on the highway and 24 mpg combined.
While a total price wasn’t included on the window sticker given to us, a few minutes spent in Lincoln’s online configurator built a Nautilus similar to what's on the window sticker for an MSRP of $81,770.
Questions? Comments? Feel free to drop them below.
It certainly looks impressive, and I do like that interior color.
Not so sure about the price tag, though.
Gotta be honest, I forget Lincoln still exists as a brand. What a nonentity of a manufacturer these days.
It has a square steering wheel–like a C8 Corvette or some zoomy ’50s concept car.
Except this is a modern luxury SUV that exists in a rather cramped field.
The first big question: What does the Nautilus offer that others don’t? Why this instead of a Genesis or an Infiniti, an Acura or a VW?
Price? The Nautilus starts at $50,000.
Size? It’s your basic two-row SUV.
It makes decent power, and the ride is quiet.
Seats offer plenty of back and butt support. No tiring after an hour or so behind the wheel.
Good visibility, too. From a driving standpoint, it does well.
But it’s the details that make me want to pass.
No buttons, no knobs.
You want more (or less) fan speed? Touch pad.
Warmer or cooler? Again, the touch pad.
Need to re-aim the vents? You need to access a menu. You can’t simply physically move them. High tech or highly annoying? I’ll let you judge that one.
Also, we should discuss the screens. This might be the SUV equivalent of a Buffalo Wild Wings.
The top of the dash is all screen.
But then you have a center screen.
NickD said:Gotta be honest, I forget Lincoln still exists as a brand. What a nonentity of a manufacturer these days.
Yeah. Like I said, it’s a really crowded field. And then you have Hyundai. The Hyundai-branded vehicles have been getting nicer and nicer lately. I know they have Genesis, but the Santa Fe, for example, feels rather premium.
NickD said:Gotta be honest, I forget Lincoln still exists as a brand. What a nonentity of a manufacturer these days.
Although, oddly, this happened the other day: You can see our test Nautilus parked behind another one. Didn’t even mean for this to happen. So they’re out there. I saw one drive past our house the other day, too.
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