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2021 Lincoln Nautilus - Significant refresh coming?


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18 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

That's what I've been trying to say - it'd require a major rework, which means expense, which means ain't gonna happen.

 

Guess it really depends on how long it will be until the new model and what else they have to work on in the meantime and how badly they want to make it look like the other 3.

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If Lincoln does nothing with the Nautilus for three additional model-years, sales of the vehicle will nosedive and will likely result in significant layoffs at the Oakville plant. All the while the Lexus RX and Cadillac XT5 will be eating Nautilus' lunch.

The 2019 minor exterior "refresh" of the vehicle (where the name Nautilus replaced MKX) was little more than a front end update.

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18 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

I'm very interested to see if interiors will start geting refreshes going forward unlike the last few years.  I think they need them.  The interiors start to show their age.

 

And we're back to the Fusion syndrome........

 

Maybe that's the plan - let them rot on the vine until the BEVs arrive.   I hope not but I wouldn't be all that shocked.

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44 minutes ago, akirby said:

 

And we're back to the Fusion syndrome........

 

Maybe that's the plan - let them rot on the vine until the BEVs arrive.   I hope not but I wouldn't be all that shocked.

 

I was meaning across the lineup interiors get ignored on refreshes.

 

Hopefully they don't do that with Expy/Navi - those are two where they definitely need to keep updated, especially with the next-gen triplets arriving soon.

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19 hours ago, Assimilator said:

I'll look into this, but I'm pretty sure the dealer is mistaken, dealers have a habit of spreading bad info.  The Nautilus is all-new for Model Year 2023, there are no further investments coming for this generation.

 

I just bought a 2019 Nautilus Black Label and the only thing I regret about the car is that it didn't get the new Lincoln interior, but unfortunately interiors no longer receive mid-cycle overhauls at Ford or Lincoln.  I am a big fan of the instrument panel upgrades and the new steering wheel and drivetrain improvements, not to mention Lane Centering.  I'm really happy at this size so I'll be ready for either the new Nautilus or the Lincoln Midsize BEV.  I was planning to get the Aviator, but the perfect Black Label Nautilus presented itself so I claimed it before it hit the ground (they sell out quickly here). 

 

 

 

I too got a Black Label '19 Nautilus. The interior materials used for the BL Nautilus are amazing and, with the exception of the center stack hard plastic buttons and cubby hole, really make the interior feel luxurious and to me solved the somewhat lackluster interior in the Nautilus compared to the newer interiors. I love the broad swath of rich leather across the dash, the synthetic suede headliner and the soft tactile leather used on the seats, steering wheel, window sills and arm rests. The vehicle is just the size I was looking for.

 

As you and others have commented, I too wonder exactly what is up with the Nautilus' planned redesign for 2023 (out in 2022) in relation to what Lincoln has described as a "Nautilus-sized" BEV vehicle (it's first, as it won't be getting a version of the Mach-E) -- if I remember right, built on a Rivian skateboard platform -- also slated for 2023 model year. Under the skin, they will be two very different vehicles built using different architectures. I wonder how much alike they will look, given their similar size? Would they even go so far as to give them the same name? That I doubt. This is just about the time my current lease will be up so I will be looking very closely at these two vehicles.

 

One more question: are we absolutely certain that the Nautilus redesign is not model year 2022 instead of 2023? If is was the former then I think they would just buck it up and not do any major interior refresh as the full redesign would be just 2 years away.

Edited by Gurgeh
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6 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

One way they could differentiate the two is have the Nautilus remain a traditional crossover shape as-is.  And then have the BEV be a crossover coupe sort of thing (a la X4/X6).

 

I expect completely different styling.  Not sure about the coupe thing but definitely more edgy and modern while the ICE versions stay more traditional.

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6 minutes ago, akirby said:

 

I expect completely different styling.  Not sure about the coupe thing but definitely more edgy and modern while the ICE versions stay more traditional.

 

I'd be cool with that.

 

I have some ideas/sketches for a Lincoln BEV design - I need to refine it some but I can post them one of these days.

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16 minutes ago, akirby said:

 

I expect completely different styling.  Not sure about the coupe thing but definitely more edgy and modern while the ICE versions stay more traditional.

 

I think we know exactly how the redesigned Nautilus will look. Take the Corsair and Aviator and run a software program morphing the first to the second ... and stop halfway through.  ;)

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The Nautilus was a major mid-cycle update, but their budget also went into some major mechanical upgrades like the new 8-Speed ATX and an all-new de-coupling AWD system.  They also added the 2.0L EB to the North American car, making two engines they had to certify with the new Transmission for the first time. Nautilus was also the first vehicle to get enhanced safety features with lane-centering and evasive steering.  They also made improvements to the suspension systems.  The interior was upgraded with the new LCD instrument panel which is a massive improvement over what was in the MKX.  Anytime they change sheetmetal, it gets expensive.  That front-end on the Nautilus was an expensive update.

 

A new interior is a very expensive update which is why it happens only on new models now.  Lincoln's new interior also requires new wiring harnesses and re-engineering the sound and safety systems since all the engineering hard points are quite different.  Lincolns interior design is just so fundamentally different now so there was no way to inexpensively upgrade that dash and console.  I don't blame them for saving their pennies for the new car and hopefully they'll come up with a more evolved version of the current Lincoln design, hopefully with a better infotainment setup.  

 

I do wish Lincoln made that investment to span those 4 Model Years, but hopefully it will feel more like 3 depending on the CY release date.  

 

As for the Lincoln's first BEV in 2023 (Built at FlatRock alongside a Ford version), it's described primarily as a larger premium utility (relative to Mach E), so it could be anything from 2-Row to 3-Row, but it's safe to say it's midsize.  It's not based on the new Nautilus or Edge, it's using their BEV architecture.  My theory is that it could be more of a Flagship luxury vehicle for Lincoln, possibly to carry the Continental name.  That's the scenario that makes the most sense since right now Lincoln has no other vehicle in the pipeline that could carry the Continental name. 

 

As for Rivian, it's not clear to me what's happening there, only that Jim Farley confirmed in a meeting that it was a Lincoln project.  I have my doubts this project is going anywhere yet, but the 2023 BEVs are related to the MachE BEV architecture.  I imagine anything Rivian and Ford are working on are beyond their greenlight timeline right now. 

Edited by Assimilator
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Exactly, it's more effective lane keeping.  It takes some effort out of driving on the highway in particular, you can relax more since the system is pretty reliable at keeping you centered.  You really notice it when you take curves.  It's far from perfect, but it's much better than the panicky ping-pong of Lane Keeping.  

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6 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

So what exactly is lane centering, and how does it differ from the lane departure warning thing?

 

Is it just better at keeping you in the middle of the lane vs. pushing you back if you drift over?

 

Lane departure warning is most useful, I think, with around town driving. It can be used as well on the highway, but there, lane centering really shines and is better used because...

 

1 minute ago, Assimilator said:

Exactly, it's more effective lane keeping.  It takes some effort out of driving on the highway in particular, you can relax more since the system is pretty reliable at keeping you centered.  You really notice it when you take curves.  It's far from perfect, but it's much better than the panicky ping-pong of Lane Keeping.  

 

...lane centering works quite differently from lane departure warning. The former only kicks in when you have your adaptive cruise control engaged -- and the two systems work well in tandem. I found that centering with adaptive cruise together provide a quantum leap in road trip driving. And unlike my expectation, it enabled me to concentrate better on the less mundane aspects of driving, actually sharpening my attention on the road rather than detracting from it.

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Lane Departure also works full-time (on Lincolns anyway), but it only reacts when it sees that your'e crossing the line, often way too late.  Lane Centering is more imperceptible and is always running and steering ever so subtly.   Ford's Lane Departure system is one of the worst I've experienced however, but Lane Centering is a big improvement.  It's definitely far from Tesla, but it also works full-time while Tesla only works when you're in Auto-Pilot. 

 

The Lane Centering camera is pretty interesting, it's a substantial piece of hardware with its own heating element on the windshield.

 

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IMG_3327.jpeg

Edited by Assimilator
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14 hours ago, Assimilator said:

The Nautilus was a major mid-cycle update, but their budget also went into some major mechanical upgrades like the new 8-Speed ATX and an all-new de-coupling AWD system.  They also added the 2.0L EB to the North American car, making two engines they had to certify with the new Transmission for the first time. Nautilus was also the first vehicle to get enhanced safety features with lane-centering and evasive steering.  

 

The 2.0EB was already available in the Edge (my wife has it in her 18 Edge, another reason we went with the Edge over the MKX at the time, we wanted the turbo 4 and not a NA6).  Not sure if that required any recertification to put it in the Nautilus (aside from adding the 8 speed).

Edited by Anthony
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On 10/24/2019 at 6:56 AM, rbreeze said:

 

^ As akirby mentioned in his earlier post... what else do the Lincoln developers/engineers have to work on just now? ?

As well.. it is my understanding that Lincoln would really like to add Head-Up Display (HUD) to the options list for the Nautilus. (HUD is available on the Aviator, Corsair, XT5 and XT4, to name just a few). Adding HUD involves a major modification to the dash -- may as well proceed with an entirely updated dash and center stack/console while they're at it.

I just hope that a HUD is an option if it's going to add cost. I had it in my LaCrosse and it was cool and I just drove around for a few days with my loaner XT4 and it had it too, but for me I and the wife, we just don't care about them. We would personally like to put the money elsewhwere. If it's a couple hundred cool, toss it in but any more than that I'd rather hope and pray for black packages to spend the money on. Or in the case of my wife, double up the subwoofer and amp power...  ?

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On 10/24/2019 at 5:41 PM, Assimilator said:

Lane Departure also works full-time (on Lincolns anyway), but it only reacts when it sees that your'e crossing the line, often way too late.  Lane Centering is more imperceptible and is always running and steering ever so subtly.   Ford's Lane Departure system is one of the worst I've experienced however, but Lane Centering is a big improvement.  It's definitely far from Tesla, but it also works full-time while Tesla only works when you're in Auto-Pilot. 

 

The Lane Centering camera is pretty interesting, it's a substantial piece of hardware with its own heating element on the windshield.

 

IMG_3414.thumb.jpeg.d07fe079a403b93e2fdd178c8bd09b67.jpegIMG_3506.thumb.jpeg.b29e5f4a2b891869945af5b1a83a8bb0.jpeg

IMG_3327.jpeg

 

I love the Chalet theme.  Looks great!

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Agree, that interior looks amazing and I love the striped ? wood. But the two-tone steering wheel really is the icing on the cake. I don't even like light interiors and I told my wife that I couldn't make any decision to help her between the Chalet or the Thoroughbred theme because I like them both evenly. She went with the Thoroughbred theme I think mainly because she thought the lighter inside of the steering wheel would show handgrime sooner...

 

The two-tone steering wheel on the Aviator just knocks it out of the park!

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26 minutes ago, Deafsoundguy said:

Agree, that interior looks amazing and I love the striped ? wood. But the two-tone steering wheel really is the icing on the cake. I don't even like light interiors and I told my wife that I couldn't make any decision to help her between the Chalet or the Thoroughbred theme because I like them both evenly. She went with the Thoroughbred theme I think mainly because she thought the lighter inside of the steering wheel would show handgrime sooner...

 

The two-tone steering wheel on the Aviator just knocks it out of the park!

 

It does look snazzy... I hate to admit, it is one of the things I loved about the Chrysler Pacifica as well!

 

2018-Chrysler-Pacifica-Hybrid-steering-w

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Wow... a funny thing happened on the way to the forum so to speak...

 

My wife was in love with the Thoroughbred theme, doesn't like light interiors. I liked all of them so no problem here. But then I showed her the picture that Assimilator posted of his Chalet theme BL. THAT picture is so much better than the website picture which looks like there's forest fire smoke haze in the car. Yesterday she does a complete flip-flop and decides she wants to switch! I couldn't believe it - never saw it coming. But I think early on I mentioned that 2-tone light interiors is what's selling (as per 2 different dealers saying that) and would give us the best resale. So she decided to switch.... Have to say the 2-tone steering wheel is cool and really a plus.

 

Fortunately we were able to switch our order early enough in the build without screwing anything up (it's been 15 days since we ordered). So now we have an affinity to ski-slopes. ?

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On 10/23/2019 at 7:23 AM, rbreeze said:

I'm super impressed with Lincoln's latest product offerings, from the Navigator to the Aviator to the new Corsair. I took a Corsair 2.3 AWD Reserve II for a test drive last week and came away really liking the vehicle. I only wish it was a little larger. When I mentioned this to the dealer salesman he mentioned that the 2021 model-year Nautilus (to be made available in Fall 2020) will be updated to look like all the other new Lincoln SUVs - which means a major refresh for the interior. :) That came as really good news, as the Nautilus is perfectly sized for the wife and I. I'm hoping Lincoln will include the same size (10.1 inch) Infotainment display in the Nautilus as they apply in the Aviator. I'm also hoping they include the same rear liftgate features as the Aviator, such as a 2nd button on the inside of the hatch that both closes the liftgate AND locks the vehicle. As well I'd like to see an aluminum liftgate scuff plate applied as well as a washer for the rear camera.

Lincoln Nautilus designer/engineers.. are you listening? ;)

If anyone here acquires any advance info on the 2021 Nautilus refresh please post it here!

Thanks, Richard

 We finally got to see the Corsair, and I sat in one. As what I thought, the pics and the actual car are pretty different. I liked the exterior better than I thought I would, especially the front, but it ended up being smaller and lower than I thought it would be. Too car-like for my SUV ridin' high wife. Funny that it looks pretty small, but if you're in the front seat and you look back, it looks way bigger inside than what you'd think the size would be. They did a great job making it roomy feeling.

 

For the most part I love the Corsair interior, it did not disappoint. It looks totally on the same vein as the Aviator and the quality was great. The ONLY thing that bums me out is the bright chrome infotainment knobs. They need to make those satin finish or black rubberized or something. They look totally out of place. Other than that I love everything in that interior! Great job Lincoln!!!

 

After noting the quality of everything in the Corsair, I can see why they aren't going to offer a BL version. I don't think it would be that noticeable with the already very premium look of the interior... And the cute size...would seem odd to be trying to make it ritzy on such a scaled down car. I like the interior enough though that I may look hard at the Corsair PHEV for myself down the road when they come off lease and my CPO expires on my ELR... Perfect size for me and the generous cargo area would be handy as heck.

 

My wife took one look at the car and instantly said "too small, too low" so I'm glad we didn't wait and ordered the Nautilus for her when we did now almost 3 weeks ago or there would be no chance of getting it before X-mas, which is still a crap-shoot. ?

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18 hours ago, Deafsoundguy said:

 We finally got to see the Corsair, and I sat in one. As what I thought, the pics and the actual car are pretty different. I liked the exterior better than I thought I would, especially the front, but it ended up being smaller and lower than I thought it would be. Too car-like for my SUV ridin' high wife. Funny that it looks pretty small, but if you're in the front seat and you look back, it looks way bigger inside than what you'd think the size would be. They did a great job making it roomy feeling.

 

For the most part I love the Corsair interior, it did not disappoint. It looks totally on the same vein as the Aviator and the quality was great. The ONLY thing that bums me out is the bright chrome infotainment knobs. They need to make those satin finish or black rubberized or something. They look totally out of place. Other than that I love everything in that interior! Great job Lincoln!!!

 

After noting the quality of everything in the Corsair, I can see why they aren't going to offer a BL version. I don't think it would be that noticeable with the already very premium look of the interior... And the cute size...would seem odd to be trying to make it ritzy on such a scaled down car. I like the interior enough though that I may look hard at the Corsair PHEV for myself down the road when they come off lease and my CPO expires on my ELR... Perfect size for me and the generous cargo area would be handy as heck.

 

My wife took one look at the car and instantly said "too small, too low" so I'm glad we didn't wait and ordered the Nautilus for her when we did now almost 3 weeks ago or there would be no chance of getting it before X-mas, which is still a crap-shoot. ?

 

^ Hey Deafsoundguy, good to read your comments about the Corsair - thanks for posting.

I agree with your wife's take on the Corsair - too small, too low. I went and had a 2nd look at a Corsair at the local Lincoln dealer. The Corsair I inspected (and drove) today was a black on black 2.0 Reserve model, and I decided on this 2nd look that Lincoln went overboard with their use of chrome trim in the interior. Sitting in the driver's seat I felt the interior wasn't roomy enough, you know in terms of "all around personal space". As well I noticed front passenger footwell space seems reduced as compared to the previous MKC model - perhaps a consequence of "cab forward" design to gain more rear seat legroom? The Corsair could really have benefited from a longer wheelbase. The vehicle just needs to be 3-5 inches longer!

So it's almost confirmed now that the new Corsair will not suit us, for reasons of size/space and a few interior design dislikes. I could find nothing about the exterior design to criticize (other than overall size) - I really like the exterior styling.

 

Hope your ordered Nautilus gets to you folks before Christmas. Much to look forward to - Congrats! ? 

 

Cheers

Richard

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