It was a real joy to spend a week with the 2025 Lincoln Nautilus, a 2-row luxury SUV that had my head spinning from the moment I opened the door. The technology the Lincoln folks put into this SUV is incredible, as is the luxury amenities. After a complete re-design in 2024, this 2025 is essentially the same except for some new color choices on the exterior.
On the Car Pro Show, when a listener is wanting something super comfortable, or they’ve had back problems in their life, I usually recommend a Lincoln SUV. The seating adjustments are unlike any SUV I’ve reviewed, and if you can’t get comfortable in the plush and highly-adjustable seats in the Nautilus, I’m not sure what to tell you.
Exterior
I had a lot of comments on the exterior looks of the new Nautilus. LED head and taillights look amazing, there is a beautiful gloss black grill with LED running lights going across it, leading to an illuminated Lincoln emblem. This Lincoln has beautiful 22” wheels.
The door handles are not obvious until you get right up on them, they are built into the bottom of the window frames and they are electric opening. There is a nice spoiler at the back, and the wiper is neatly tucked under it, you know I love that. The color is amazing, it is White Platinum Metallic, and is offset by a black roof, all the rage these days.
There is black trim at the bottom and a nice Nautilus trim that runs from the front fender deep into the front door. The additional black features break up the white nicely, and is part of the optional Jet Appearance package. All-in-all, the new Nautilus is simply beautiful.
Performance
Under the hood, my review vehicle has the 2.0-liter Turbocharged 4-cylinder that produces 250-horses and 280-pound feet of torque. It is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, and it has plenty of get up and go. My review SUV is all-wheel drive. You can also opt for a hybrid version that puts out 310-horses and gets better fuel economy, but the trade-off is it comes with the continuously variable transmission, and the hybrid adds $1,500 to the price.
Interior
I am not even sure where to start on the interior. First impressions are the seats. The front seats are contoured and bolstered, they are perforated for maximum heating and cooling comfort, and they are heavily stitched with piping on the edges.
They will massage you and there are different settings for that, and it gives you a true massage. Both front seats are 24-way adjustable with lumbar support and even power thigh supports that move up and down for maximum comfort. There are three memory settings, most vehicles only have two.
Be prepared to be wowed when you hit the start button. There is a 48” screen that runs the entire width of the vehicle, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. The big screen is configurable from a smaller 11.1” screen that sits above the center stack. You can choose what information you want to see on the larger screen, including a navigation map. The entire large screen is curved and can be seen by the driver, and also the front passenger. You would think it would be distracting, but it is so large, you can see whatever info you want at a quick glance.
Although it looks like one huge screen when the power is off, a little over a 3rd of it on the left side is the digital gauge cluster. There is a huge digital speedometer with traffic sign recognition, eliminating the need for a head-up display. Everything is colorful and it is easy to tell what is being displayed because everything is so large. When I configured the screen on the larger display, I chose to display the time, what radio station I was listening to, and the current weather, but there are many other choices for you.
I should call your attention to the beautiful door panels that showcase the Revel Ultima 3D audio speakers in the doors, adorned by aluminum trim. All total, there are 28-speakers throughout the cabin and it sounds like you are in a symphony hall, there are even speakers in the ceiling.
There is also an unusual steering wheel that is almost square, but with rounded edges, and it feels great in your hands. It is heated and power tilt and telescoping, and the position is stored in your seat memory settings. So when you set the memory, you store seat settings, mirror settings, and the position you like the steering wheel in.
Moving down to the 11” screen, this is really the brains of the SUV, although the huge screen is wonderful to look at. The smaller screen operates all audio settings, navigation, Bluetooth, a Wi-Fi hotspot, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and all air conditioning controls.
You can also use Google Assistant and Alexa from there. Just tell Google Assist who you want to call or what radio station you want, and poof, it happens! The screen also doubles as your 360-degree camera system which has superb clarity. There are also multiple drive modes you can choose, my favorite being Excite, but there is also normal, conserve, slippery, and deep conditions. There is a full screen of apps and you can add your favorites.
Choices abound for the color of ambient lighting that runs through the cabin, including on the door panels. Then there is Digital Scent. You will receive a collection of three in-cabin scents, each with a blend of scents that create a specially curated experience: Mystic Forest: an earthy blend cedarwood, rich notes of patchouli, amber and yuzu citrus . Ozonic Azure: a crisp fusion of aromatic patchouli and traces of freesia and spice, or Violet Cashmere: a harmonization of rich violet, grapefruit, and golden citrus. There are four other scents you can purchase online, and they are easy to replace in the lid of the center console.
Moving down from the center screen are push buttons for the gear you wish to drive in, a wireless phone charger, two cup holders, two USB-C ports, and some toggle switches to turn off the stop/start, emergency flashes, parking assist to let the vehicle parallel park itself, max defroster, camera choices, and you can choose drive modes from there as well as the small screen. A huge round volume dial sits in the middle of the switches. There is also a sliding door to cover valuables, and a soft center console glove box with a USB and power port inside.
Sometimes car companies take things too far and I think Lincoln pushed it a little too much with the air vents on the dash, but I’ve seen this in other luxury vehicles, too. You cannot adjust them at the vents itself, they don’t move. You have to go into the small screen and use your finger to adjust the air flow. I’ll admit I thought that was cool at first, until I got cold and had to divert the air away from me while driving. I don’t need any more distractions, especially for something that should be simple.
I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of back seat room in the Nautilus, and how comfortable the seats were, just like the front. Rear occupants get their own climate controls, there are two USB-C ports on each side built into the front seat headrest, the back bench seat is heated, but not air conditioned. The seat slides and reclines, and there is a pull down armrest with cup holders. Leg and headroom are fantastic.
Utility
Cargo area is sufficient at 36.4 cubic-feet behind the 2nd-row seat, and it is huge with the 2nd-row seat folded down, one of the pluses of a fairly large SUV with no 3rd row seat.
You can fold the 2nd-row down from the cargo area with power buttons, and you can fold them in two parts for long objects. The 2nd- row does not fold completely flat, but it’s pretty close. If you fold the back seat down, you have to fold them up manually. For this price tag, I would expect a power folding seat, but that is just me.
Safety
The Nautilus I drove is as you would expect, fully loaded with all the standard Lincoln safety features, including blind spot warning, cross-traffic alert, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking.
Options
The Reserve is the middle-of-the-line trim, so just about everything comes on this version. The beautiful color on the outside is $750 and it has the $3,000 Jet Appearance Package, which is the 22” wheels, black exterior elements all around the outside, and a few other appearance items.
This one has the Reserve III 203A equipment group, which is Auto Air Refresh, Digital Scent, hands-free liftgate, the panoramic moon roof with sliding power cover, the 24-way seats, the tremendous sound system by Revel, and a 110-Volt power converter. This package runs $4,455 and is a very good value at that.
Blue Cruise
It also comes standard with Blue Cruise, the Ford semi-self-driving system. This feature allows you to operate your vehicle hands-free while you are monitored by a driver-facing camera to make sure you’re keeping your eyes on the road while driving on prequalified sections of divided highways called Hands-Free Blue Zones that make up over 130,000 miles of North American roads. If you are not on an approved road, the system will not engage. A 4-year subscription to use the system is included in the price on this Nautilus. I will add the Blue Cruise works extremely well.
Verdict
Fuel economy is rated at 21 city and 29 highway, for a combined 24 with the non-hybrid engine. Towing capacity is just 1,750 pounds. The MSRP as equipped is $70,810 but that is not out of line these days for luxury SUVs.
In closing, the Nautilus drives very well, the ride is smooth, acceleration is fine, and it is incredibly quiet inside. If you need a luxury SUV with the 3rd row seat, go up to the Aviator, it has many of the same great features of the Nautilus. I like the Nautilus a lot, and if you don’t mind spending top dollar to get everything under the sun, I don’t know of any SUV that is nicer and has more neat features.
- What I liked most: The interior, the technology, the appearance, the quiet ride, and the 48” screen.
- What I would change: Regular old air vents, and a power-folding rear seat would be terrific.
- MSRP: As equipped $61,010 base price, as equipped $70,810 with destination.
- Fuel Economy: Rated at 21 in town, 29 highway, 24 Combined.
- Odometer reading when tested: 2,500 miles.
- Official Color: White Platinum Metallic Clearcoat.
- Weight: 4,349 pounds.
- Spare Tire: Compact spare.
- Length-Width-Height: 193.2” long/85.4” wide/68.2” high.
- Fuel Tank Capacity: 20 gallons with the filler on the driver’s side.
- Towing Capacity: 1,750 pounds.
- 2025 Nautilus in a few words: Luxury to the max, industry-leading seat comfort, and stunning inside and out.
- Warranty: 4-year/50,000 mile bumper-to-bumper with free pickup & delivery, 6-year/70,000 mile power train warranty with roadside assistance.
- Final Assembly Location: Hangzhou, China.
- Manufacturer’s website: Lincoln
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