2026 Lincoln Nautilus AWD Hybrid: 20,000 LEAGUES OVER MY BUDGET

2026 Lincoln Nautilus AWD Hybrid

20,000 LEAGUES OVER MY BUDGET

In 1962 Bob Eagle bought a Lincoln-Mercury dealership out of bankruptcy, and built it – while located on Dallas’ Lemmon Avenue – into one of the most successful Lincoln-Mercury franchises in these United States. While that Lincoln-Mercury showroom was subsequently closed in 2006, its initial success led to the acquisition of ten import franchises in Dallas, Austin and Houston; most of those acquisitions were under the direction of Mr. Eagle’s son, John. Lincoln has since rebounded, and while the Eagle Lincoln-Mercury showroom is now repurposed as BMW of Dallas, if wanting a Lincoln Nautilus you need only to get yourself across Lemmon Avenue to visit Planet Lincoln’s oh-so-contemporary showroom. And from there you can walk to your private jet, a good match for the upmarket design and detailing available on that Nautilus. 

The Nautilus is one of four SUVs dominating the Lincoln showroom, and three – the entry-level Corsair, our Nautilus and the slightly larger, Explorer-based Aviator – are grouped within a $10K price spread. To Lincoln’s credit, none of the three impress as rebadged Fords; over the years the Lincoln team has provided a credible job of providing design differentiation and – we’ll hope – more comfortable waiting areas for service customers. I’m not sure the Corsair’s design or content justify its almost-$50K price point, but both the Nautilus and Aviator would seem to offer some semblance of economic sense…or cents.

Despite his immersion in all things Lincoln, there’s little in Lincoln’s Nautilus crossover that Bob Eagle would recognize – although I’d think Ford scion Edsel would nod approvingly. On a wheelbase of 114 inches and stretching some 193 inches in length, the Nautilus impresses as proportional, something our ’25 Grand Cherokee misses by an inch…or three. The Nautilus sheetmetal is largely organic and sits back on the chassis, almost as if its rear-wheel drive biased. The greenhouse is adequately generous, and the sheetmetal beneath it supplies none of the distractions that now accompany  many of its Asian competitors. I see the Nautilus shape as almost international, fitting the streets of Paris, France almost as well as those of Paris, Texas.

Inside is where you’ll see most of your money, especially when spec’d with the Black Label trimmings. What Lincoln’s team dubs Chalet Venetian (really) perforated leather covers the seats, while an expansive display of some four feet provides information and infotainment, supplemented by eleven inches of centerstack. Nothing intrudes into a driver’s line of sight except – arguably – the somewhat thick A-pillars, but then, every OEM’s A-pillars are thick. 

Controls are, in this view, a mixed bag. Your P-R-N-D-L actuation is via five buttons, market – you’ve already guessed! – P-R-N-D-L. And while this is better than some alternatives, the space normally reserved for a traditional transmission level is now given to the audio’s on/off/volume dial. In short, what was the point of reinventing that which didn’t need a reinvention? The better news is a wireless charging pad that leaves some of the phone’s nav screen visible, and a console storage bin that actually provides a semblance of storage. 

The front buckets are generously proportioned, as is the rear seat – although better for two grown-ups than three. And that rear seat folds completely flat, and while the load floor won’t accommodate your kayak it will swallow your road bike. I tried. It did.

Under the hood Lincoln provides you with a choice of two powertrains. Standard is a 2.0 liter turbocharged four offering 250 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque and delivering its power via an 8-speed automatic. An add’l $3K provides a turbocharged four with hybrid assist, mated to a CVT, which elevates the standard four’s 24 mpg combined estimate to 30 combined. How long it takes to recoup that $3K bump depends on your own driving, along with – of course – your own zip code. And don’t forget your moral rectitude!

On the road the Lincoln team has arrived at a viable compromise between comfort and composure. As is often the case, this isn’t a trackday weapon, unless you’re parking at Churchill Downs. But its steering is precise, and the cornering capability is all most pilots would ask of it. And despite the small dimensional differentiation between the Nautilus and our Grand Cherokee, the Lincoln seemed flickable, while the Jeep feels almost flatulent. 

At the end of the day (or week), I’m liking the Nautilus a lot, although not in its upmarket Black Label trim. The niceties are nice, but I’m not feeling its $87K window sticker. That almost $90K will work for some of the Nautilus competition – Cayenne, BMW’s X5, the Benz GLE and (perhaps) Volvo’s XC90 – but I don’t see it working in a Lincoln showroom. Better, I think, to stick with the lower trims, and start negotiating at a comfortably equipped $60K. 

In doing the numbers, that $60K is only 10,000 Leagues over my capability.