New York, NY — Digital cabin scents, the largest screen in the segment, redesigned looks with slick LED DRLs, an optional hybrid powertrain, and latest version of the BlueCruise hands-free system. Here’s an exclusive look and new specs for the next-generation 2024 Nautilus. Plus, our complete 2024 Nautilus review here.
To be clear, the Nautilus isn’t Lincoln’s first mid-size SUV. The luxury brand offered the MKX since 2007, replaced by the Nautilus in 2019 — frankly, a completely different machine with a new identity both inside and out. In 2021 came a mild refresh, including a more refined new front grille, Calm app integration, and an upgraded cabin with the largest touchscreen available in any Lincoln SUV at the time. For 2024, this overhaul comes with significant changes.
2024 Lincoln Nautilus Price and Trims Levels
In the US, the 2024 Nautilus will be available in Premiere, Reserve, and Black Label trims. The entry price is a respectable $50,415 for the Premiere, $54,750 for Reserve, and a huge jump for the Black Label at $74,465. Order banks are now open.
In Canada, only one trim — Nautilus Reserve — will be made available, but customers can package it out with optional Black Label features, with the exception of the Black Label’s new Chrome Cavier exterior colour, and two Black Label exclusive interior themes: Redwood and Chalet. Canadian pricing for 2024 Nautilus starts at $61,900 and order banks are now open.
Nautilus Redesign & Styling: new looks with an agile stance
Exterior dimension specs:
- Wheelbase: 114.2
- Overall Length: 193.2
- Overall Height: 68.2
- Width with mirrors: 85.4
- Width with mirrors folded: 79.8
- Track Width (F/R): 65.2/65.3
The outgoing Nautilus was already a sleek, stylish SUV with the right proportions. But the Lincoln designers managed to level it up for 2024. This next-gen version looks agile, bold, and ready to pounce.
It’s all based on what Lincoln dubs the QuiteFlight design concept, which aims to promote a “beautiful gliding human sanctuary.” The new Nautilus design details are inspired by birds in flight, from the rear quarter panel look at the C-pillar to the front headlight details up front, where there are four new handcrafted grills.
Cleaner looks with fresh design details
Design jargon aside, all we know is that the redesigned Nautilus really does look stunning up close. The long, skinny, stretched-out light feature is what really stands out for 2024. It spans the entire grill from east to west, linking up to the illuminated Lincoln logo in the centre. In our opinion, this all rests on a more flat grill, rendering a cleaner look.
At the rear, the horizontal styling continues with the brake lights and stretched-out lighting detail in red. Adding to the clean looks, there’s no large emblem like we’ve seen in the past; instead, subtle and small LINCOLN lettering gives a sharper look.
Key standard features and Lincoln Embrace
From the entry-level Premiere to the range-topping Black Label, all three Nautilus flavours come standard with illuminated door handles, the LED daytime running lamps (DRL) with the cool fade-on/fade-off feature we mentioned above, dual chrome exhaust tips, colour-matching wheel arch moldings, and more.
Lincoln Embrace is a suite of features that are also standard on all trims. A few features include the auto fold power side view mirrors, Lincoln welcome mat, and illuminated door handle pockets, to name a few.
Exterior colours include Silver Radiance, Infinite Black, Red Carpet, Lustrous Gray, White Platinum, Blue Panther, and Diamond Red. Plus, the Chroma Caviar Dark Gray is exclusive to the Black Label.
2024 Lincoln Nautilus Interior: massive screen, new colours, more tech
Interior dimension specs:
- Headroom – Front Seats (Premiere/Reserve & Black Label): 39.6/39.1
- Headroom – Rear Seats (Premiere/Reserve & Black Label): 39.8/38.4
- Legroom – Front Seats (Max.): 43.5
- Legroom – Rear Seats: 43.1
- Shoulder room – Front Seats: 58.9
- Shoulder room: Rear Seats: 58.0
- Hip room – Front Seats: 56.8
- Hip room: Rear Seats: 56.3
Lincoln made vast improvements in the next-generation Nautilus with a long list of new features. The massive screen inside this 5-seater isn’t just the largest Lincoln has ever put out but the largest in the medium SUV segment. Like the front LED DRL, this thing spans the cockpit from east to west.
A well-balanced, centre-focused front cabin layout
Unlike many other front cabins promoting a more ‘driver-centric’ approach, the front cockpit design starts from the centre point — a more symmetrical layout that doesn’t ignore the passenger.
Front and centre is a large 11.1-inch touchscreen standard across all trims, configurable with four themes (Constellation, Engage, Inspire, and Tranquil). The system includes wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity and Alexa Built-in to control Nautilus features.
The cabin gains numerous crystal detail touchpoints throughout for a premium vibe, and three new interior colours will be offered for 2024, including the stylish Redwood Theme inspired by—that’s right—the Redwood Forest.
This new interior theme comes in a sophisticated herringbone appliqué, pairs to a leather-wrapped interior in a bronze and dark smoked truffle combo, a dark smoked truffle suede headliner, dark smoked truffle floor mats and carpet, and seats in a bronze with suede inserts and perforation details exclusive to Black Label. If the 14-speaker Revel system isn’t cutting it for audiophiles, upgrade to the optional 28-speaker Revel Ultima 3D Audio System.
Lincoln Rejuvenate: Digital scents, lights, animations…
Expect ultra-fast internet with 5G connectivity, Lincoln’s QuietCabin has been significantly updated for 2024, and another Lincoln-first: three digital scents (Violet Cashmere, Mystic Forest, Ozonic Azure) that fill the cabin with smells that are pleasant, calming, and will overpower anything foul — like your kid’s hockey bag.
The new digital scents and multisensory, in-cabin experience, including lighting, are part of what the company calls Lincoln Rejuvenate. The idea is simply to make the cabin experience more comfortable.
It’s the stuff you’d only find in a luxury mid-size SUV, where lighting, screen visuals, and personal preferences like seating position and massage options all work together with crisp, high-resolution animations on the displays that coincide with your mood. Honestly, it all sounds a bit much, but the truth is, it does make the in-cabin experience that much more enjoyable. And this is a Lincoln, so bring on those scents, lights, and sweet symphonic sounds.
The 2024 Nautilus’s standard features list is long and extensive. From the usual things like dual-zone climate control and LED map lights to the plethora of USB ports throughout and Lincoln’s renowned seating features, including 10-way driver/8-way passenger soft-touch seats, this list includes everything. In true Lincoln fashion, 24-way adjustable front seats are also available.
Another nice touch for 2024 is the flat-bottom and flat-top steering wheel. Lincoln’s head designer says it’s ergonomically proven to be the most comfortable design for a wheel. We’ll know once we take this SUV to the roads, but it looks more stylish.
BlueCruise 1.2 hands-free highway driver-assist system
Another big update is an improved version of Lincoln’s BlueCruise system. It offers a hands-free driving experience already offered in other Lincoln SUVs.
But the new version here is significantly improved and now allows the ability to make lane changes, yes, hands-free. Just shift the lane-change indicator towards your desired lane, and the magic happens, carefully moving the Nautilus into the next lane.
We got to test the system in the next-generation 2024 Lincoln Corsair compact SUV — the first Lincoln to offer BlueCruise 1.2 being made available before the Nautilus arrives in early 2024. Once we left Manhattan, we headed north towards the Bronx, on the open, 3-lane freeway, to see how this cool feature works. Here’s more on that with our 2024 Corsair first drive review.
Two Powertrains Including New 310-Horsepower Hybrid (Specs)
| Spec | Turbocharged 2.0L I-4 Engine |
|---|---|
| Horsepower | 250 @ 5,500 |
| Torque | 275 @ 3,000 |
| Transmission | Eight-Speed Automatic |
| Valvetrain | DOHC 16-valve |
| Wheels (standard) | 19-Inch Premium Painted Bright-Machined Aluminum (Premiere) |
| Tire Size | 19-Inch All-Season BSW tire – P255/60R19 |
| Spec | Turbocharged 2.0L I-4 Engine (HEV) |
|---|---|
| Horsepower | 310 @ 5,500 |
| Torque | N/A |
| Transmission | CVT |
| Valvetrain | DOHC 16-valve |
| Wheels (standard) | 21-inch Bright-Machined with Tarnished Dark Painted Pockets (Reserve) 22-inch Bright-Machined with Ebony Painted Pockets (Black Label) |
| Tire Size | 21-Inch All-Season BSW tire – P255/50R21 (Reserve) – 22-Inch All-Season BSW tire – P255/45R22 (Black Label) |
The new Nautilus offers a pair of powertrain choices for 2024. As with the previous Nautilus, the 2024 models gets a standard 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine. But Lincoln improved it, reducing weight and improving fuel economy. The updated mill will produce a targeted 250 horsepower and 275 lb.-ft. of torque, matted to an eight-speed transmission and all-wheel drive.
With the popularity of hybrids still going strong, that’s right, the 2024 Nautilus will also be available with a 2.0L turbocharged hybrid engine (HEV) paired to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) with a 100kW electric motor. Expect it to produce over 300 horsepower.
We’ll have a full idea of how the new premium SUV will perform and handle once we get behind the wheel. But we know it sits on an adaptive suspension and a suite of sensors that constantly monitor vehicle motion, body movement, steering, acceleration, and braking activities. Five drive modes will include Normal, Conserve, Excite, Slippery and Deep Conditions
Takeaway: is the next-gen 2024 Nautilus worth it?
Considering mid-size SUVs account for about 43 percent of all SUV sales, and the Nautilus’ last minor refresh was in 2021, when it first arrived in 2019 and replaced the MKX, this major 2024 overhaul was just meant to be.
The exterior redesign is significant, with crucial details like the fading DRLs, the new front grilles, and the elegant rear styling. Inside, the centre-focused front cabin houses the largest screen in the segment, adds those digital scents for the first time, gains an improved infotainment system, and more.
The turbo is improved for 2024 while adding a powerful hybrid option for those who may not be ready to go all-electric. The luxury mid-size SUV market is competitive, and the next-generation Nautilus is going up against worthy contenders like the Mercedes-Benz GLE-class, Audi Q8, Genesis GV90, and more. But frankly, Lincoln’s offering is at a high standard, packed with extras that set it apart from the crowd. Take a look at other mid-size 2024 SUVs and crossovers here.
2024 Nautilus Reserve Photos
