14 Reasons China-Made Lincoln Nautilus Is One of the Best Luxury SUVs

The Lincoln is eye-catching and attractive but never feels the need to shout about it. The Nautilus conveys a dignified, old-school charm in a thoroughly modern package.

There is no tacky body cladding or superfluous badging extolling the vehicle’s luxury street cred. In fact, the word “Lincoln ” appears only once on the SUV (on the tailgate), and the Nautilus badge appears only twice, tastefully adorning the front doors. That’s it.

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.

There’s also an optional hybrid version of the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder that produces 310 total system horsepower and is paired with a CVT. The hybrid Nautilus is rated for 30 mpg of combined fuel economy, up from the 24 mpg of the ICE version.

The centerpiece of the cabin is the massive 48-inch Panoramic Screen that spans the entire width of the front dash.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lincoln has traditionally done well with seat design, and this trend continues with the Nautilus and its Perfect Position seats.

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.

Lincoln did not skimp when it came to putting together the rear cabin. Material quality continues to be excellent, as do the fun accent pieces adorning the cabin. The heated, contoured leather seats feel plush and supportive.

The Nautilus comes with a multi-sensory relaxation feature called Lincoln 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 comes with a four-year subscription to Ford’s/Lincoln’s excellent BlueCruise hands-free driving tech, which works brilliantly on straight highway sections. The system augments the intelligent adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping systems that come standard on the Nautilus.

The Nautilus also comes with Ford’s keyless keypad, a staple on high-end Ford models for more than 40 years. The pad, located on the front door pillars, allows keyless entry via a programmable five-digit code.

The Revel Ultima 3D sound system in the Nautilus is truly impressive. The 28-speaker system is immensely powerful but also capable of picking up minute nuances in the music.

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.

Keep the driving relaxed, and the Nautilus will reward you with a smooth and effortless experience. The cabin remains quiet and well isolated even in rush hour traffic and the suspension dispatches with the bump with ease without feeling like a wallowy land yacht.

The Nautilus comes with three different scents that the driver can diffuse throughout the cabin. They range from Violet Cashmere, which smells of florals and fresh linen, to Mystic Forest, which is woody and smells of patchouli.

The Nautilus is equipped with Lincoln’s Embrace welcome lighting system, which detects the keyfob and illuminates the door handle lights as the driver approaches the vehicle. The LED light bars on the front and rear of the vehicle also perform an animated light show to greet the driver.