The Nautilus Trim Loyal Lincoln Owners Now Chase Over The RX
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Friday, 25 Sep 2026 13:00 0 7 autotech
The Lexus RX has been America’s best-selling midsize luxury crossover SUV for decades already, and only a few have come close to matching its sales figures Most of those who came close to the RX’s sales also happen to be German, but does that mean that America couldn’t compete in the same league?
Not quite. The new Lincoln Nautilus has just been updated to the point that we now think this is a midsize luxury crossover SUV that’s worth considering. In today’s article, we’ll be exploring how the updated Nautilus managed to catch up with (and even exceed) the Lexus RX in some respects, and why it’s now an easier luxury offering to recommend, especially if you’ve got the cash to splurge.
The RX is one of the pioneers of the luxury crossover SUV, and in just a couple of years, it became the bestseller for Lexus in the United States. One of the reasons why it immediately became popular is that there weren’t many competitors in this field at the time. At its 1998 debut in particular, the RX was the only one with a unibody, car-based platform with fully independent suspension, which was loved by its customers.
As one of the pioneers of the segment and having easily succeeded with the formula, the RX’s reputation for comfort over its body-on-frame rivals would carry on for decades, to a point that it had already become the segment’s easy recommendation by those who have owned it. Meanwhile, the RX’s interior represented calm and relaxation, especially when its modern, swooping dash was revealed in 1998. And then, of course, there’s the legendary reliability that Lexus was always known for.
2010 Lexus RX Hybrid interiorLexus
Reliability isn’t an exciting topic, but there’s luxury in owning a car that won’t give you a headache. Combine all of these factors, and the RX doesn’t necessarily offer anything superlative. Instead, everything just works—literally. And it’s done in a sumptuous and tasteful manner that has captivated generations of buyers.
Lincoln’s Less-Than-Stellar Luxury Game
2010 Lincoln MKX Front Three-Quarter shot parkedLincoln
Unfortunately for Lincoln, its story in the luxury game has been filled with mixed success. Luxury is significantly defined by a vehicle’s interior quality, but oftentimes, the interior of a Lincoln will be impressive at first, and then disappointing the moment you start poking around. The leather can feel plush on certain surfaces, but a bit of digging will expose some of the less-than-stellar materials that Lincoln has used from the Ford parts bin.
This is already reflected in its lineup throughout history. The Expedition-based Navigator is its longest-running nameplate today, while everything else was either discontinued altogether or was resurrected, as in the case of the impressive Aviator.
2017 Lincoln MKZ front seatsLincoln
You know that a manufacturer has hit its stride when a nameplate is kept going for decades, as with the Navigator, but there was a time when even Lincoln experimented with a three-letter nomenclature that never became memorable except to the most loyal Lincoln buyers. Today, their current lineup is finally competitive, and in the case of the Nautilus, even desirable enough to deserve a look next to the highly-popular Lexus RX.
The Nautilus Black Label Has An Interior That Outclasses The RX At Every Touch Point
Front 3/4 action shot of 2026 Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid drivingLincoln
To Lincoln’s credit, it has been stepping up its interior game with recent models, but it’s truly in the Nautilus where Lincoln has finally hit its stride.
Curated Materials As Far As The Eye Can See
Close-up shot of 2026 Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid door panel and speakerLincoln
The interior of the current Lexus RX is posh, but the Nautilus, since its 2024 model year redesign, is even more plush and better trimmed. The Nautilus Hybrid we’ve reviewed was wrapped in a generous serving of leather and satin silver trims on the surfaces you touch. The gloss black, thankfully, is only on the door panels and away from any high-touch surfaces, and it’s only there to visually integrate the 48-inch panoramic upper display for the Lincoln Digital Experience with the rest of the cabin.
If you step up to the Reserve, genuine wood trims are now available as an optional extra, but if you’ve got more than $77,000 to splurge, the Black Label has become the most desirable among Lincoln fans as this model now boasts an interior that’s now one of the segment’s most opulent. Two themes are available in the Nautilus Black Label: Aurora and Chalet. Aurora combines Allura Blue with Mahogany Red, and is inspired by the Aurora Polaris. The interior also gets genuine Grated Maple wood on the center console to complement the generous serving of leather and metal finishes.
2025 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label AWD — Cargo AreaCraig Cole | TopSpeed
Move towards the Chalet theme for a brighter interior theme that’s inspired by the Alpine summit, with its Cashmere primary tone and Espresso secondary hue. This is matched with genuine Silverwood trims, likewise on the center console. Topping it all off is the Black Label’s standard Revel 28-speaker surround sound system, which has actual metal speakers that further heighten the interior.
A 24-Way Massaging Seat And Star Trek Screens The RX Can’t Match
Lincoln Nautilus 48-inch DisplayLincoln
The plush interior isn’t the only thing going for the Nautilus, because even the amenities it offers punch above its weight class. A 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and eight-way power-adjustable front passenger seat are standard, but offered as an option in the Reserve and standard on the Black Label is the Perfect Position 24-way power-adjustable driver and front passenger seat, which comes with a soothing massage function that the RX owners would be jealous of having. With 24 movements on the seat, there’s no way that these seats won’t satisfy even the most finicky of drivers.
Lastly, you wouldn’t miss the 48-inch and 11.1-inch displays that form the Lincoln Digital Experience, which may seem overwhelming, but it’s one of the most well-executed in-cabin tech packages we’ve experienced. There aren’t a lot of physical controls, but those that matter for driving are still controlled through knobs, buttons, and toggles. When it comes to those screens, they’re surprisingly intuitive. The 48-inch pillar-to-pillar display is a customizable display that constantly showcases information that you’ve configured through those four zones.
2025 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label AWD — Shifter ButtonsCraig Cole | TopSpeed
The steering wheel controls also pop out on the screen when your thumb hovers over those buttons, which is neat. The main 11.1-inch screen is also very slick and easy to understand—a natural trait of having a vehicle powered by Android Automotive (which is different from Android Auto smartphone mirroring, though it still has it, along with Apple CarPlay). Next to the conventional but user-friendly tech that the RX has, the Nautilus feels like Star Trek in all the right ways.
What You Need To Know About The Nautilus
Now that we’ve explored its interior quality and amenities, here’s what else you need to know about the Lincoln Nautilus.
The Hybrid’s The Model To Go For
2025 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label AWD — EngineCraig Cole | TopSpeed
The pure internal combustion engine (ICE) version uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder gasoline engine that produces 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque sent through all four wheels, but the hybrid’s additional electric motors boost the output to 310 horsepower and 295 pound-feet. The former uses an eight-speed automatic, while the latter uses a planetary gear eCVT. Clearly, the Nautilus isn’t focused on sportiness, but that’s perfectly fine, because not everything in life needs to be sporty.
In its mission to deliver a refined ride with supreme refinement, the Nautilus is a breath of fresh air in a sea of luxury crossovers aiming to outdo the Germans at what they’re good at. And indeed, the hybrid is also the model to go for. With a $3,000 upcharge, you probably won’t recoup the additional cost through its improved efficiency of 30 MPG combined versus the 24 MPG combined of the non-hybrid. Though its 30 MPG figure in our real-world testing is impressive, the $3,000 premium is truly felt in the more responsive drivetrain and its creamy, smooth power delivery.
2025 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label AWD — Side close-upCraig Cole | TopSpeed
The hybrid system simply augments the already refined and cosseting demeanor of the Nautilus, truly turning it into an indulgent luxury SUV—perhaps even more so than the RX 350h hybrid. That’s because the Nautilus offers a stronger power output, which makes overtaking effortless. Luxury, after all, also means requiring the least effort.
But The RX Will Likely Excel In Long-Term Ownership
2025 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label AWD interior shot showing Center ConsoleCraig Cole | TopSpeed
While this article has mostly focused on the pros of getting the Nautilus, there is one aspect where this vehicle has yet to prove itself—long-term ownership. Unfortunately, reliability data for the current generation Lincoln Nautilus is still scarce, and at best, we’ve only got J.D. Power’s reliability score of 80 out of 100 as our basis. Understandably, the current Nautilus is still too new to be fully evaluated, which is why this is still a huge question mark for those looking for a luxury SUV they could own long term.
Meanwhile, the Lexus RX has nothing to prove from a reliability standpoint, because it is already the standard. iSeeCars says that it should last a whopping 211,232 miles or a much as 20 years. The analysis for the non-hybrid model is a bit lower, but with those numbers in mind, an RX will easily be useful not just to the second owner, but perhaps even to the third or fourth owner. This is why iSeeCars says that the Lexus RX on average will hold 59.8 percent of its value for the RX 350h hybrid or 67.6 percent for the non-hybrid, though the values of the non-hybrid are heavily influenced by the previous generation’s 3.5-liter V-6 (the current RX 350 uses a 2.4-liter turbo four-cylinder).
2025 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label AWD — TouchscreenCraig Cole | TopSpeed
Overall, for a safe long-term bet, you’re likely better off with the Lexus RX, but if you want to stand out in a sea of Lexus RXs while having a luxury experience that’s opulent, plush, and a cut above the RX in terms of tech and amenities, the Lincoln Nautilus should be considered.
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