2025 Lincoln Nautilus review: Effortless voyages

Mitchell Weitzman
14 minutes ago
5 min read

This land yacht is a perfect traveling companion

2025 Lincoln Nautilus review | The Road Beat

2025 Lincoln Nautilus review by The Road Beat

Words and pictures: Mitchell Weitzman

Idioms about cars that “eat miles” can feel tired and even nostalgic, but sometimes they still do apply. In the case of the latest 2025 Lincoln Nautilus, the phrase fits fortunately rather perfectly. It may not carry the romantic image of a classic grand tourer like the BMW E24 6 Series or Porsche 928, but few modern vehicles devour highway miles quite like this Lincoln. The latest Nautilus has its flaws, but what it does well, it does superbly.

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There’s no dancing around it: the highlight feature and trait of the Nautilus is how it excels at long-distance comfort. A five-hour trip from home to Fremont and back was noticeably more relaxing than any recent Bay Area drive in any car, and there was still plenty of traffic. That serenity isn’t the result of one standout feature, but rather a collection of contributing strengths working together.

First is the sheer comfort from every angle. And I do mean every angle because the seats are superb, with an almost absurd range of adjustments. Even the head restraints feature a simple clutch mechanism for easy positioning—something I can be quite picky about. Dig into the touchscreen menus and you’ll find seat heaters and massagers on this well-equipped test car. Whichever massage program you choose, they’re among the best I’ve experienced in a car. Seriously, they’re excellent, and they do not time out either in my experience. Rear passengers are treated well, too, with comfortable seats that can recline for added relaxation.

At highway speeds, cabin isolation is remarkable. You can whisper from the front seats to the rear and still be heard clearly. Saying it's quiet like a library might be doing it disservice as it's quieter than most libraries I've been in. The stereo is perfectly decent if you turn it up, but the real pleasure is simply enjoying the Nautilus’ quiet serenity at the end of a long day—or the beginning of one.

Ride quality impresses as well, gliding over the rough and undulating surfaces of Bay Area freeways no matter the speed. Some cars feel comfortable only at a higher velocity, but even slowing to 25 mph on my battered neighborhood road, the Nautilus remains composed and unfazed.

Highway manners are equally impressive. The rectangular steering wheel may look unusual, but it delivers quick responses without feeling twitchy, allowing smooth inputs and corrections. In fact, the shape works well on long drives, offering comfortable hand placement and thick leather padding even if it can be awkward with where to place your fingers if at '9 and '3..

This was also my first experience with Ford’s Ford BlueCruise semi-autonomous driving system. On Interstate 80 it impressed with how genuinely hands-off it can be. On tighter, curvier stretches it occasionally felt a little unsure, but on long straight highway slogs it performed very well.

2025 Lincoln Nautilus exterior rear three quarter

At first glance, the Nautilus cabin is beautifully finished with plenty of leather and soft materials. It may not match the consistently lavish use of leather and metal found in Genesis interiors, but it easily compares with Lexus for hands-on luxury.

Performance from the small, 310-hosrepower turbocharged hybrid powertrain is adequate for a vehicle of this type. Acceleration is easy and unobtrusive, with a surprising amount of punch available when needed. A non-hybrid engine is available, albeit with only 250-horsepower.

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Hybrid powertrains are difficult to perfect, and the Nautilus doesn’t quite match the seamlessness of those from Toyota and Lexus, which remain class leaders. Transitions between electric and gasoline power are smooth enough, but there’s a noticeable hesitation at idle when releasing the brake to creep forward or backward. The delay can make parking maneuvers awkward, tempting you to prod the throttle harder than intended.

After a week of driving, fuel economy averaged 27 mpg. That seems impressive until you consider that some six-cylinder SUVs with more power—like the BMW X5 or Mazda CX-90—return similar numbers in comparable driving conditions from past tests. Now that's good for a bigger SUV, but not spectacular for what is a four-cylinder hybrid. Further disregarding the powertrain is a very weak towing figure of just 1,750 pounds, which is slightly useless and less than most RAV4s.

The more divisive aspects of the Nautilus will likely be its design. For a luxury vehicle at this price point, the exterior looks surprisingly generic, almost AI-generated. That's not to call it ugly, but it looks like you could replace the Lincoln badge with any other and not notice a difference. Worse are the ugly door handles. Integrated into the gloss-black window trim, they protrude awkwardly outward like small hoops hanging off the bodywork. From certain angles they resemble errant knots—or even earlobes.

Inside, the dominant theme is screens. Lots of them. If you enjoy screen-heavy interiors, the Nautilus will certainly oblige. For others, the design may feel excessive. A massive display stretches across the entire width of the dashboard, incorporating the instrument cluster alongside customizable panels for navigation, trip data, weather, and more. It looks unusual, somewhat out of place, and likely to age quickly. And also, you really don't need a huge weather app constantly open when you already have a temperature gauge and can look outside if its cloudy.

It’s also odd that some information must be selected on the smaller central touchscreen before appearing on the widescreen display. Screens themselves aren’t the issue—it simply feels like they introduced screens for the sake of screens, offering little practical let alone aesthetic advantage.

2025 Lincoln Nautilus instrument cluster panoramic screen

Some smaller details could also be executed better. The PRND buttons look metallic but are actually plastic, and they visibly flex—and even creak—if pressed too firmly. The excellent seat massagers are also buried within touchscreen menus rather than accessible through a dedicated button or via a shortcut from the easily accessed seat warmers. Another disappointment and items of curiosity are rear windows that do not lower all the way into the door. It's certainly a luxury car and interior, but I don't think it's as luxurious or as nice in build and materials as the palaces that are modern Genesis cabins.

A quirky mile muncher

None of the complaints above diminish the Nautilus’ core strength: covering vast distances in remarkable comfort. The issues mostly lie in operational quirks and occasionally bizarre design decisions inside the cabin—plus those unfortunate door handles.

There’s something admirable about a luxury brand trying to stand out, but in the Nautilus’ case it sometimes feels as though Lincoln designers pushed novelty without fully considering usability. If you happen to like the styling inside and out, however, the Nautilus could be one of the most comfortable SUVs on sale today. For many buyers, those subjective design choices will ultimately make the decision for them.

2025 Lincoln Nautilus AWD Reserve III

Price as-tested: $69,810

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