2024 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label Review

What a great week I had with the completely redesigned inside and out, 2024 Lincoln Nautilus, a 2-row luxury SUV that had my head spinning from the moment I opened the door. The technology the Lincoln folks put into this China-built SUV is incredible, as are the luxury amenities.  Yes, it is assembled in Hangzhou, China and brought to the United States.

On the Car Pro Show, when a listener is wanting something super comfortable, or him or her have had back problems in their life, I usually recommend a Lincoln SUV.  The seating adjustments are unlike any SUV I’ve reviewed, and if you can’t get comfortable in the Nautilus, I’m not sure what to tell you.

Exterior

I had a lot of comments on the exterior looks of the new Nautilus. LED head and taillights look great, there is a new grill with LED running lights going across it, leading to an illuminated Lincoln emblem. 

A LINCOLN with beautiful 22” wheels?  WOW.  Door handles are not obvious until you get right up on them, they are built into the bottom of the window frames and they are electric opening.   There is a nice spoiler at the back, and the wiper is neatly tucked under it, you know I love that.  The color is beautiful, it is Chroma Caviar Dark Gray, and is offset by a black roof, all the rage these days.  All-in-all, the new Nautilus is simply beautiful.

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Powertrain

Under the hood, my review vehicle has the 2.0-liter Turbocharged 4-cylinder that produces 250-horses and 280-pound feet of torque.  It is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, and it has plenty of get up and go.  My review SUV is all-wheel drive.  You can also opt for a hybrid version that puts out 310-horses and gets better fuel economy, but the trade-off is it comes with the continuously variable transmission, and the hybrid adds $1,500 to the price.

Interior  

I am not even sure where to start on the interior.  First impressions are the seats.  The front seats are contoured and bolstered, they are perforated for maximum heating and cooling comfort, and they are heavily stitched with piping on the edges.  They will massage you and there are different settings for that, and it gives you a true massage. Both front seats are 24-way adjustable with lumbar support and even power thigh supports that move up and down for maximum comfort.  There are three memory settings, most vehicles only have two.  This vehicle has the stunning Redwood interior color, new for 2024

Be prepared to be wowed when you hit the start button.  There is a 48” screen that runs the entire width of the vehicle, I’ve never seen anything quite like it.  The big screen is configurable from a smaller 11” screen that sits above the center stack.  You can choose what information you want to see on the larger screen, including a navigation map.  The entire large screen is curved and can be seen by the driver, and also the front passenger.

Although it looks like one huge screen when the power is off, a little over a 3^rd of it on the left side is the digital gauge cluster.  There is a huge digital speedometer with traffic sign recognition, eliminating the need for a head-up display.  Everything is colorful and even Ray Charles could tell what is being displayed everything is so large.  When I configured the screen on the larger display, I chose to display the time, what radio station I was listening to, and the current weather.

I should call your attention to the beautiful door panels that showcase the Revel 3D audio speakers in the doors, adorned by aluminum trim.  All total, there are 28-speakers throughout the cabin and it sounds like you are in a symphony hall.  There is also an unusual steering wheel that is almost square, but with rounded edges, and it feels great in your hands.  It is heated and power tilt and telescoping, and the position is stored in your seat memory settings.  So when you set the memory, you store seat settings, mirror settings, and the position you like the steering wheel in.

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Moving down to the 11” screen, this is really the brains of the SUV, although the huge screen is wonderful to look at.  The smaller screen operates all audio settings, navigation, Bluetooth, a Wi-Fi hotspot, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and all air conditioning controls.  You can also use Google Assistant and Alexa from there.  Just tell Google Assist who you want to call or what radio station you want, and poof, it happens!  The screen also doubles as your 360-degree camera system which has superb clarity.  There are also multiple drive modes you can choose, my favorite being Excite, but there are also normal, conserve, slippery, and deep conditions.  There is a full screen of apps and you can add your favorites.

Choices abound for the color of ambient lighting that runs through the cabin, including on the door panels.  Then there is Digital Scent.  You will receive a collection of three in-cabin scents, each with a blend of scents that create a specially curated experience:   Mystic Forest: an earthy blend cedarwood, rich notes of patchouli, amber and yuzu citrus . Ozonic Azure: a crisp fusion of aromatic patchouli and traces of freesia and spice, or Violet Cashmere: a harmonization of rich violet, grapefruit, and golden citrus. There are four other scents you can purchase online, and they are easy to replace in the lid of the center console.   

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Moving down from the center screen are push buttons for the gear you wish to drive in, a wireless phone charger, two cup holders, two USB-C ports, and some toggle switches to turn off the stop/start, emergency flashes, parking assist to let the vehicle parallel park itself, max defroster, camera choices, and you can choose drive modes from there as well as the small screen.  A huge round volume dial sits in the middle of the switches. There is also a sliding door to cover valuables, and a soft center console glove box with a USB and power port inside.

Sometimes car companies take things too far and I think Lincoln pushed it a little too much with the air vents on the dash.  You cannot adjust them at the vents itself, they don’t move.  You have to go into the small screen and use your finger to adjust the air flow.  I’ll admit I thought that was cool at first, until I got cold and had to divert the air away from me while driving.  I don’t need any more distractions, especially for something that should be simple.

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I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of back seat room in the Nautilus, and how comfortable the seats were, just like the front. Rear occupants get their own climate controls, there are two USB-C ports on each side built into the front seat headrest, the back bench seat is heated, but not air conditioned.  The seat slides and reclines, and there is a pull down armrest with cup holders.  Leg and headroom are fantastic.

Utility

Cargo area is sufficient at 36.4 cubic-feet behind the 2^nd-row seat, and it is huge with the 2^nd-row seat folded down.  You can fold the 2^nd-row down from the cargo area with power buttons, and you can fold them in two parts for long objects.  The 2nd- row does not fold completely flat, but it’s pretty close.

Standard Equipment and Options

The Nautilus I drove is as you would expect, fully loaded with all the standard Lincoln safety features, including blind spot warning, cross-traffic alert, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking.

The Black Label is the top-of-the-line trim, so just about everything comes on this version.  The beautiful color on the outside is a whopping $2,000 and it has the $3,000 Jet Appearance Package, which is the 22” wheels, black exterior elements all around the outside, and a few other appearance items.

Included in the package are also a panoramic moon roof with power sliding cover, remote start, keyless entry pad on the door that is programmable to any 5 numbers you want, a hands-free power liftgate, and everything else I mentioned above.

It also comes with Blue Cruise, the Ford semi-self-driving system. This feature allows you to operate your vehicle hands-free while you are monitored by a driver-facing camera to make sure you’re keeping your eyes on the road while driving on prequalified sections of divided highways called Hands-Free Blue Zones that make up over 130,000 miles of North American roads.  If you are not on an approved road, the system will not engage.

The Black Label is the only trim level with the Redwood interior, and you get 4 years/50,000 miles of free maintenance, pickup and delivery for service, and complimentary car washes for 4-years-nice perks for purchasing this trim level.

Fuel Economy and What You'll Pay  

Fuel economy is rated at 21 city and 29 highway, for a combined 24 with the non-hybrid engine.  Towing capacity is just 1,750 pounds.  I told you early in this review that this SUV made my head spin, and unfortunately so did the price.  Bearing in mind this is the very top of the line Black Label, the MSRP is $80,845.  With that said, it’s an incredible SUV, but that is a lot of money for an SUV that does not have a 3^rd row seat.

Verdict 

In closing, the Nautilus drives very well, the ride is smooth, acceleration is fine, and it is incredibly quiet inside.  If you need a luxury SUV with the 3^rd row seat, go up to the Aviator, it has many of the same great features of the Nautilus.  I like the Nautilus a lot, and if you don’t mind spending top dollar to get everything under the sun, I don’t know of any SUV that is nicer and has more neat features.