The redesigned 2024 Lincoln Nautilus crossover 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 making 250 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque, while the other choice will be a hybrid rather than with the outgoing model’s twin-turbo V-6. There, a 2.0-liter turbo-4 is part of a hybrid system that will incorporate a 134-hp electric motor 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 used in the smaller Corsair and Ford Escape, 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.
2024 Lincoln Nautilus hybrid Black Label
Despite the move to hybrid power, a plug-in hybrid is 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 be eligible for the new Clean Vehicle Credit like the Aviator and Corsair PHEVs.
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 those will be.
In 2020, the automaker canceled a Rivian-based Lincoln electric SUV that would have been 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.
2024 Lincoln Nautilus hybrid Black Label
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 dampers 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 inspiration from—if not mimicry of—the Land Rover Range Rover Sport. A Jet Appearance Package brings 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 to the cabin.
Also inside, a 48-inch display screen spans the full width of the vehicle, and an 11.1-inch touchscreen sits in the middle of the dash. Also standard are wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, Alexa Built-In, and a version of Ford’s BlueCruise driver-assistance system that includes automatic lane changes and revised lane positioning ability. The brand confirms it’s phasing out the ActiveGlide name it previously gave this system. Revel 14- and 28-speaker audio systems are available.
2024 Lincoln Nautilus hybrid Black Label
Lincoln says that this time around the Nautilus was designed for younger, global customers. A new Lincoln Rejuvenate system uses lighting that flows from the center screen around to the door panels and provides “an entirely new sensory experience that will immerse you in rejuvenating power of sight, sound, touch and scent.” The system also activates the seats’ massage function, and buyers will have a choice of three scent cartridges that will be housed in the center console.
