Yahoo Autos 2022 Lincoln Nautilus Review | What's new, price, mpg, photos
The 2022 Lincoln Nautilus is the middle child of Lincoln’s excellent crossover and SUV lineup. It fills the space between the three-row Aviator and compact Corsair, competing with other two-row midsize SUVs. Up until a year ago, it was also the odd one out in that it lacked Lincoln's mid-century-modern-inspired interior design that's wowed since it originally showed up in the Navigator. That changed last year as the Nautilus finally got its makeover and it instantly made the Nautilus a more viable option in a stacked class of excellent choices from BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Volvo, just to name a few. And if you’re only considering American options, it walks all over Cadillac’s XT5 in both luxury and drive experience.
Don’t expect it to handle or drive like the German luxury options, though. Lincoln knows its target market is much more concerned with things like ride quality than they are skid pad ratings. We’ll give them credit for not trying to make this crossover something it shouldn’t and can't be, too. While the twin-turbo V6 will still hustle you down a road, the isolated interior and eye-catching technology makes the argument for why you should come home with a Nautilus. Should you? It's hard to say it's a better SUV than a BMW X5 or Mercedes GLE, but then it's also priced lower than those and other European contemporaries, which at least makes up for its various deficiencies.
Interior & Technology | Passenger & Cargo Space | Performance & Fuel Economy
What it's like to drive | Pricing & Features | Crash Ratings & Safety Features
What’s new for 2022?
Very few things are changing for the 2022 Nautilus, since the model was treated to a fairly notable refresh for 2021. That said, Lincoln is adding two new colors: Bronze Smoke Metallic and Gilded Green Metallic. It’s also gaining another Black Label interior option with Flight (dark tan and black combo) joining the Alpine White that was the sole Black Label interior for 2021. Beyond the colors, Lincoln made some minor packaging changes.
It's also important to note that this could be the final year for the Nautilus, as Lincoln is reportedly turning its attention to other crossover concepts.
What’s the Nautilus interior and in-car technology like?
Even if the exterior styling isn’t fully up to the new Lincoln norm (the Nautilus started life as the second-generation MKX back in 2016), the interior design has adopted the same mid-century-modern-inspired theme as Lincoln’s other gorgeous interiors. It’s not quite as decadent or beautiful as the Navigator or Aviator, but it’s also cheaper than those models. That Lincoln is able to replicate the same style and feeling in the Nautilus is an accomplishment in interior design. Two Black Label themes (Flight and Alpine) are available that ramp up the interior experience to its highest levels with unique carpeting, an Alcantara headliner, Venetian Leather-covered seats and many more extras. We found the seats to be decadently-upholstered, but not as comfortable or soft as rivals.
The centerpiece of the redesigned dashboard is a new, horizontally oriented touchscreen that measures 13.2 inches. The system runs SYNC 4 and has the ability to accept over-the-air updates. The bright, crisp screen can display two functions at once, such as showing the map in the larger field and music info in the smaller one. It’s zippy in operation, and while there’s still an acclimation period to learning the system, it’s less complex and deep than the infotainment system in Lincoln’s German competition. We like its digital instrument cluster, too, as it’s typical Lincoln with pretty and simple graphics that give you just the information you need and nothing more.
How big is the Nautilus?
Rear legroom is sitting at 39.6 inches, which means there’s ample room for an adult to comfortably sit behind another. Don’t expect the rear seat to be as expansive as an Aviator's, though, as it’s considerably tighter back there with less room to spread out both upwards and side-to-side than Lincoln’s three-row crossover.
Behind the rear seats, there’s 37.2 cubic feet of luggage space in the large cargo hold, and 68.8 cubic feet with the seatbacks folded. Those figures put the Lincoln’s luggage space toward the larger end of the spectrum, topping the Lexus RX and the arch-rival Cadillac XT5. In-cabin stowage is quite good. The center console has multiple cubbies, one on the top level with USB-C and USB-A ports inside, a large open one underneath, another at mid-level, plus the usual covered bin under the center armrest.
What are the Nautilus fuel economy and performance specs?
The 2022 Lincoln Nautilus comes standard with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that serves up 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. Shifting duties are handled by an eight-speed automatic transmission, and the base engine can be had with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Maximum fuel economy comes with the front-drive option at 21 mpg city, 26 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined. Upgrade to all-wheel drive, and you lose 1 mpg in every category.
Lincoln’s optional engine is a 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 that pumps out 335 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque. Once again, it comes with an eight-speed automatic, but Lincoln makes all-wheel drive standard. Fuel economy takes another tick downward to 19 mpg city, 25 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined.
