2024 Lincoln Nautilus bows from China, leans hybrid

The redesigned version of the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus crossover utility vehicle is the latest luxury vehicle to drop larger engines and go hybrid instead. 

Base versions of the Nautilus will be powered by a 2.0-liter turbo-4 engine making 250 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque, while much of the lineup will arrive in hybrid form rather than with the outgoing model’s V-6. There, a 2.0-liter turbo-4 is part of a hybrid system that will incorporate a 134-hp electric motor system and altogether make 310 hp. 

As Lincoln verified to Green Car Reports, this is a version of Ford’s familiar planetary-gear-based hybrid system, as is used in the smaller Corsair and Ford Escape families—as well as in the plug-in Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring and Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid. In the Escape Hybrid, the system returns an EPA-rated 39 mpg combined.

Despite its shuffle to hybrid power, it’s reasonable to peg a plug-in hybrid as far less likely. That’s because Ford is moving Nautilus production to China, and it will import U.S. versions of the models from there—meaning they wouldn’t like the Aviator and Corsair PHEVs be eligible for the new Clean Vehicle Credit. 

Ford has confirmed that the Oakville, Ontario, plant where the Nautilus and its related Ford Edge are made today will be revamped to make next-generation EVs starting in 2024—although the company hasn’t confirmed which models that will be. 

The automaker in 2020 canceled what was to be a Rivian-based Lincoln electric SUV

that had been due to be the brand’s first EV, but reports suggest that the first EV to come from the Oakville plant will be a Lincoln luxury electric SUV in the same range as the Nautilus and Aviator. 

The Nautilus is about the same length as the Lexus RX

or the Cadillac Lyriq. It has an overall length of 193.2 inches, a height of 68.2 inches, and a width of 79.8 inches. It rides on a 114.2-inch wheelbase—a couple of inches longer than the current model. All versions have struts in front and short-long-arm rear suspension with trailing arms. Hybrid versions also step up to an adaptive suspension with continuous damping that should help provide a soft, isolated ride over a range of surfaces.

An initial set of photos showed few differences in design and styling between hybrid models and the others. The Nautilus looks boxy in silhouette but rounded and contoured up close, with clear worship to—if not mimicry of—the Land Rover Range Rover Sport. A Jet Appearance Package, bringing two-tone paint, glossy black 22-inch wheels, and anodized black exterior trim, plus copper aluminum appliques and accent stitching inside. A Redwood-forest-inspired Black Label theme brings a tree-inspired motif. 

The Nautilus includes wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, Alexa Built-In, 28-speaker audio, a display screen that spans the full dash, and a version of Ford’s BlueCruise driver assistance system including assisted lane changes and revised lane positioning ability. The brand confirms it’s phasing out the ActiveGlide name it previously gave this system.

Lincoln says that this time around the Nautilus was designed for younger, global customers, with a so-called Lincoln Embrace including lighting that flows from the center screen around to the door panels and “an entirely new sensory experience that will immerse you in rejuvenating power of sight, sound, touch and scent.” For the latter specifically, Lincoln points to various massage options available through the seats and three levels of “curated digital scents,” using three scent cartridges housed in the center console.