The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus Aims at Younger Buyers with Tech and a Hybrid Powertrain

• The mid-size Lincoln SUV enters a brand-new generation for the 2024 model year.

• This new model features a modern style and lots of advanced technologies.

• A new hybrid powertrain is offered while the previous V6 option has been abandoned.

Lincoln has been trying to appeal to younger buyers for many years already, but the 2024 Nautilus might be its biggest effort in that direction yet.

While the current Nautilus is a comfortable but placid mid-size SUV that mostly attracts retirees, the new model hopes to branch out to other audiences with its modern design and its advanced technologies, while still keeping the attributes normally associated with the brand.

To do so, the company gave the new model a more dynamic exterior design that takes inspiration from the Star concept and the current Aviator.

This translates into a new front fascia that features a large black grille filled with chromed dots and underlined by a chromed appliqué.

This grille is also divided by a horizontal LED strip that starts vertically at the edge of each headlight before joining with the illuminated Lincoln logo in the center of the grille.

The side profile features a few distinctive touches such as the model nameplate that occupies most of the upper part of the front doors and the door handles that are integrated into the window moulding such as on the departed Continental sedan.

At the rear, the new Nautilus uses a full-width lightbar that curves downwards at each end and includes the Lincoln script.

Drivers who prefer a more modern design can opt for the Jet appearance package which includes two-tone paint, a black interior, blacked-out chrome on the outside, and available black 22-inch wheels.

Inside, the cabin also features a very modern style with its large screen that takes up the entire width of the vehicle in a curved panel that sits at the base of the windshield and integrates into the door panels on each side.

This provides the driver with a digital instrument cluster and a display that can be personalized to show information such as the weather and the current radio station.

A second screen is situated lower on the dashboard and acts as a regular touch screen for the infotainment system, which now features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in addition to the Alexa integration.

The steering wheel is also a new design that features a flat top in order to allow the driver to look over it to read the instrument cluster.

The Nautilus can also feature Lincoln Rejuvenate, a system that combines sights, touch, and smells to help occupants feel refreshed.

When activated while the vehicle is stopped, this feature displays unique visuals on the vehicle’s screens and uses the ambient lighting system to create sort of a light show. At the same time, the front seats can provide a massage to the occupants, and the scent diffuser system can blow one of three specific perfumes into the cabin.

Other technologies available in the new Nautilus include a revised version of Ford and Lincoln’s BlueCruise semi-autonomous driver assistance technology.

As before, this system allows drivers to remove their hands from the steering wheel while travelling on pre-mapped highways, as long as they remain focused on the road ahead.

The improvements made to the 1.2 version now also allow it to perform automatic lane changes when the driver hits the turn signal lever and to suggest these lane changes when they could be beneficial in slow-moving traffic.

In addition, a revision to the lane-centring software aims to make the system feel more natural by slowly moving the Nautilus away from vehicles in other lanes as drivers tend to do while driving alongside large vehicles such as 18-wheelers.

Under the hood, the new Lincoln Nautilus continues to be modernized by the retirement of the previous V6 engine and the addition of a new hybrid option.

This means that the entry-level 2024 Nautilus is powered by a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine that targets an output of 250 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque. Paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and a standard all-wheel-drive system, this powertrain is reportedly lighter than the previous 2.0L engine used in the Nautilus, which should help the SUV achieve lower fuel consumption figures.

The new hybrid powertrain uses the same gasoline engine paired with a CVT transmission and a 100-kW electric motor that will make for a combined targeted output of 310 horsepower.

An adaptive suspension is included in every new Nautilus model and it is tied into the five available drive modes in order to provide a smooth ride and a more dynamic driving experience, according to Lincoln.

The new 2024 Nautilus is set to arrive in North American showrooms toward the beginning of next year, which means pricing information for both Canada and the United States will be made available in the coming months.