The new Lincoln Nautilus is MotorTrend’s 2025 SUV of the Year. Who among us saw this coming? Looking through our judges’ notebooks reveals the answer to be not many. But as early as day one of our five-day SUVOTY evaluation process, the Nautilus had definite-finalist if not certain-winner vibes swarming around it.
Impressive, considering the big-time competition it faced. We’re talking studs like the Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus GX550, the Hyundai Santa Fe and its whale of a value proposition, the wonderfully ridiculous GMC Hummer SUV, and even the half Porsche 911, half Ford Raptor second-generation Rivian R1S. Oh, and don’t forget Mercedes’ mighty G Wagen. Yet there was something about the Nautilus, an X-factor that touched our panelists and ultimately placed the fine-looking midsize luxury two-row crossover SUV above all the others. As Detroit editor Alisa Priddle said, “The Nautilus takes the Lincoln badge to another level.”
What Is a Lincoln Nautilus?
Now in its second generation, the two-row, five-passenger Lincoln Nautilus slots neatly between Lincoln’s larger three-row, seven-passenger Aviator and smaller, much cheaper, but also two-row and five-passenger Corsair. Starting at one Hamilton more than $52K, you have a choice of two powertrains and three trims—Premiere ($52,010), Reserve ($56,445), and Black Label ($75,945).
The Nautilus features the brand’s latest design language with what we assessed as a handsome interpretation of the new “glider” grille that’s supposed to resemble—you guessed it—a glider. Our sole test subject for this competition was the high-dollar Black Label model with said glider grille illuminating, which combine with the taillights to treat you to a cool light show when approaching/unlocking the Nautilus. Seemingly the only thing our top-trim test vehicle didn’t come standard with is the handsome Jet Appearance package, which blacks out most of the Nautilus’ chrome and elevates the overall look. Ours rode on fancy-looking 11-spoke, 21-inch wheels, though the Jet pack gets you 22s.
Driver and passengers are treated to all sorts of luxury creature comforts, including massaging, heated, and vented 24-way front seats, active noise cancellation, and a massive, many-way-configurable 48-inch screen that displays a wealth of information to everyone on board. Fine-looking materials abound, even including little stuff like butcher-block wood inlays in places most carmakers would just skip over. All Nautiluses are available with three onboard fragrances (Lincoln offers four additional options if the initial three aren’t to your liking), and the Black Label has perhaps the best factory-installed car stereo on sale right now courtesy of Revel and 28 speakers. Special praise is in order for the Redwood Venetian leather seats. “This burnt-caramel-colored leather is fantastic,” features editor Scott Evans said, “and the white stitching is a perfect accent.” The crazy part? The rear seats are even comfier.
The standard powertrain is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission. This engine is good for 250 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque and is rated at 21/29/24 mpg city/highway/combined. Pony up an extra $1,500 for the hybrid version, and the eight-speed is replaced by an eCVT. The “e” part means there are two motor-generators that add 168 hp and 236 lb-ft via a planetary continuously variable transmission. Total system output is 300 hp and 295 lb-ft. AWD is standard. The latter’s performance is adequate, as our test team recorded a 0–60-mph time of 6.9 seconds and a quarter-mile run of 15.2 seconds at 96.0 mph. As for braking and handling, it recorded a stopping distance of 133 feet from 60 mph, and an F-150-like time of 28.8 seconds around our figure-eight course. So it’s no serious athlete—on paper, at least.
Meet the Six Key Criteria
The first of our key criteria is advancement in design. Forget about the attractive exterior; the interior nails the brief. Simply climbing behind the two-spoke oval steering wheel caused technical director Frank Markus to exclaim, “Wow, does this thing ever make a first impression!”
Lincoln crafted a startlingly luxurious and upscale interior. You’re tempted to be most impressed by the massive 48-inch wraparound screen, but the seats’ quality really grabs you. They’re midcentury modern in look, feel, and comfort. Of special note to road warrior types: The left and right thigh cushions can raise and lower independently, which is a game changer over long distances. The crazy part? The couchlike rear bench is an even better place to be. And remember the Revel sound system? All those speakers are housed behind fancy-looking grilles.
Much judicial love was directed at the Nautilus’ huge A-pillar-to-A-pillar screen. It’s a marvel. Gorgeous yet both innovative and functional, the huge screen is a simple refutation of the modern, fussy, overly complicated screen experience. We’re looking at you, BMW/Mercedes-Benz. Unlike the “I can’t find what I’m looking for” experience of the competition, there’s something laid-back about the way the Nautilus shares information with you. Mexico editor Miguel Cortina said the big screen “contributes to a stress-free cabin environment, creating an aura of calm that’s hard to match.” You can customize the information it shows you, and there’s even a Calm switch that turns most of it off. You simply mustexperience it at night, as it’s even better viewing in the dark. We give major props to Lincoln for designing its way out of Germanic cabin hegemony.
Engineering Excellence
Engineering excellence is our next criterion, and the Nautilus scores big points. We dislike continuously variable transmissions as they tend to suck the fun out of driving. Not here. Lincoln’s engineering team did a bang-up job hiding the normally whiny, harsh lamentations inherent to the technology. As digital director Erik Johnson said of the CVT under full power, “It doesn’t even sound half bad.” You’d never know this Nautilus—the loaded Black Label Hybrid—is a hybrid. The integration between the motors buried in the CVT and the 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four is excellent. Yes, a four-cylinder hybrid can indeed make for an excellent powertrain in a luxury vehicle. It’s one that gives the Nautilus more than 500 miles of range per tank, too. Still not convinced? Lincoln took the Ford C2 architecture that underpins the Bronco Sport, Escape, and Maverick and succeeded in making an Audi, BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes fighter out of it. That’s absolutely some stellar engineering right there.
While ostensibly a design element, the cabin’s giant screen also features quite a bit of great engineering, and with the launch of the 2025 Navigator, Lincoln is spreading the technology around. If you look at the two-spoke, yoke-style oval steering wheel, you’ll see the thumb pads appear to be blank. But go ahead and touch any part of the control, and various functions are shown on the screen.
The screen, which we need to mention especially to older drivers, is a focal point your eyes are adjusted to already. No need to whip out the bifocals to resume cruise control. This tech was pioneered by Toyota/Lexus, but it works and looks better here in this Lincoln. “This car changed my opinion about enormous screens in cars,” buyer’s guide director Zach Gale said. “I still think it’s overdone elsewhere, but in this case, the 48 inches at the top of the dash shows real potential.” This screen is more than good design; it’s excellent engineering.
Performance of Intended Function
Performance of intended function? The Lincoln Nautilus clears the bases with a grand slam. Always remember, premium vehicles don’t move from A to B with any more frequency than regular cars. No one needs a luxury vehicle. The trick to getting people to buy a premium SUV, to spend the extra money, is to make them want it. Our judges were collectively wowed just by opening the Nautilus’ door. Maybe not so much by the odd door handle but rather by the chunky luxury aesthetic that awaited inside. Lincoln has talked a big game lately, bragging that its vehicles are “sanctuaries” or “spas on wheels” (we’re not sure which is more pretentious), and man, does Ford’s luxury brand have a point.
We can’t stress this enough: The Nautilus is so good at being a luxury cocoon it will change people’s opinion of Lincoln as a brand. “So many recent Lincolns have been dark horse Of The Year candidates that I should just expect them to be great,” Evans said. “I am shockingly infatuated with this car.”
In the past, though, there was always a “yeah, but” associated with a given Lincoln. With the Nautilus, we were impressed from stem to stern. “With such great luxury amenities and comforts—especially in the Black Label trim—Lincoln has crafted its own unique class of luxury,” Cortina said. A great SUV as well as brand elevation? The Nautilus delivers on two big fronts.
Efficiency, Safety, and Value
It’s not a fully electric vehicle, yet the Nautilus’ hybrid powertrain sips gasoline at a pleasantly slow rate, though our observed mileage seems to be about 5 mpg short of the EPA’s 30-mpg average. That’s 4,715 pounds of leathery luxury goodness for you. Some of that weight no doubt contributes to the Nautilus’ Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS. Gale pointed out that such a rating (the highest there is) is “not easy to accomplish these days” because of changes in testing procedures. As for value, the Black Label Hybrid model we tested clocks in at just less than $80,000, and that doesn’t seem like a crazy amount for everything you get. However, we stayed conscious the entire test that the Premiere model starts at $52,010, well in line with the competition. We’ve driven Toyota RAV4s that cost more. In other words, the Nautilus represents an incredible value.
So It’s Perfect?
No, and no vehicle is. On some level, $80,000 for anything related to a Ford Escape—no matter how brilliantly executed—feels, well, off. Although it competes well with the Germans in terms of luxury, for performance numbers you know right away that Ford Performance wasn’t involved when Lincoln engineered this Nautilus. That said, when you switch the SUV into the Excite driving mode, it’s more fun on a twisty road than you’d ever expect. The big tires mean loud thrum around town, though thankfully they’re quiet at freeway speeds. The touchscreen (as opposed to the wraparound 48-inch display-only screen) is a bit of a sore thumb in an otherwise masterpiece of a cabin. It looks tacked on, needs to be angled a bit, isn’t super quick or responsive, and could be organized better—for instance, why are the four themes for the big screen located on a different page than the tiles for the big screen?
The Nautilus is the first ever MotorTrend Of The Year winner that’s built in China. Done spitting out your coffee? We know some of you might find it to be a bridge too far. However, before you write us a nastygram, realize the phone you’re about to type it on is also made in China. It’s difficult to find the exact number, but most sources agree that more than 80 percent of the non-food items sold at Walmart are made in China, too. The point is, Americans have no problem buying Chinese goods. We’re just not used to buying cars built over there. Yet.
But It’s So Good
Lincoln seriously raised the bar—and its own fortunes—with the Nautilus. If you have a gander at the vehicles it competes with—the Cadillac XT5, Lexus RX, Genesis GV80, Infiniti QX50, and Volvo XC90—the Nautilus is the best of the bunch. If you look at the Germans, specifically the Audi Q5 and Q8, BMW X3 and X5, or Mercedes-Benz GLC ad GLE (the Lincoln sits in between all wheelbases and price points), the Nautilus can hang. That’s chiefly because it just makes you feel so good. “Being a serene oasis is the point,” Johnson said. “Cruising on the highway with the excellent Blue Cruise system activated, hands on knees, and a massaging seat working out your stress is one hell of a way to go through life.”
It’s difficult to argue against that. “Lincoln has mastered the art of making each occupant feel valued, with no compromises made for back-seat passengers,” Cortina said. “The Nautilus delivers on every front.”