2024 Nautilus Hybrid Quick Review

[SmartKid001]

So I took the delivery of my silver radiance '24 Nautilus reserve hybrid in December last year and just hit 1500 miles on it. I was too lazy to write review but then I saw Gurgeh's great review in another post, I decide to offer my two cents?

The '24 Nautilus is my second Ford vehicle, last one been a '06 Mondeo made by Ford China's Chongqing plant which was a mixed bag. The first thing I noticed is the great improvement in build quality. The Mondeo was mediocre at best while the Nautilus' body and interior panels are almost perfectly aligned. A few( ~15) out of the owners‘ group I was at that has 400+ members now claim that the sensors behind steering wheel are slightly inclined but other than that, I don't see much complaints. Kudos to Ford China for making huge progress in the last 20 years!

 

Luckily my neighbor owns a '21 2.7 v6 Nautilus so I can switch and compare with mine. Both our cars have 21 inch wheels but mine has 255/50 tire while my neighbor's has 265/40 tire which is more sport oriented and frigile. I'm quite happy with this change as the new tires are less vunerable to potholes? Theoretically, thicker tires make the ride less bumpy but I feel the difference is negligible. Acceleration wise, my hybrid is just a tiny bit slower than the v6 when doing 0-60, like 7 sec. vs 6.5 sec. BUT when doing 0-40, the hybrid feels quickerdue to the electric motor. Also the hybrid is extremely smooth as the e-cvt doesn't have any gear. Steering is typical Ford - light and 'loose' during low speed which I personally don't like. Suspension is now made of steel instead of aluminum but still filrt the bumps and shocks pretty well. A perfect example of American land yacht.

 

Interior space is HUUUUGE. Blows every single competitor in the same class out of water. I set my seat pass the B pillar and there's still plenty of leg room in the back for a 5'11 adult male. The trunk is massive as well and mine comes with a spare tire which is always a plus. The back seats are also adjustable and are long enough to hold my leg. I get over the lack of physical buttons pretty quick, but still think Ford should have keep the buttons for AC adjustment. The left side buttons on steering wheel are for the Blue Cruise and the right side ones are for music, volume and voice command. The belt screen allows my wife to watch movies while driving and the sound come through her headphone and don't interfere with music . It's a must have for me now?

 

As for fuel consumption. CIty mpg is around 25~28 depending on the traffic and high way mpg is around 35.  The highest mpg I achieved is 42 crusing at 40 mph.

 

 

Edited February 1 by SmartKid001

[Gurgeh]

Very informative! This is the first drive review of the hybrid I've seen anywhere. Thank you for sharing. Wonder why the Nautiluses built for the Chinese market and those built for the North American market have different exterior handles? I'd actually be fine with either, but just wondering.

[akirby]

21 minutes ago, Gurgeh said:

Very informative! This is the first drive review of the hybrid I've seen anywhere. Thank you for sharing. Wonder why the Nautiluses built for the Chinese market and those built for the North American market have different exterior handles? I'd actually be fine with either, but just wondering.

Most likely just consumer preference.  I remember when Ford tried flush handles and switched back due to complaints many years ago.

[Gurgeh]

34 minutes ago, akirby said:

Most likely just consumer preference.  I remember when Ford tried flush handles and switched back due to complaints many years ago.

I do like the Continental-style handles on the new Nautilus. I also like the look of the flush handles, however. The rush to flush handles seem to be part of the move to EVs and are only really an issue when they get suck, such as after an ice storm. 

Edited February 1 by Gurgeh

[akirby]

14 minutes ago, Gurgeh said:

I do like the Continental-style handles on the new Nautilus. I also like the look of the flush handles, however. The rush to flush handles seem to be part of the move to EVs and are only really an issue when they get suck, such as after an ice storm. 

I was referring to the older flush handles with the recess on the bottom or side.  Not the pop out style.  Like the one below.  IIRC the ladies didn’t like them because of their nails and first responders did t like them because you couldn’t get a lot of leverage and they were far easier to break.  And of course those don’t work well on trucks although Ranger had them.

[akirby]

Oops forgot the pic

 

[jacytbe]

I know that the advertised system output for the Chinese market is a bit lower than the US (Likely due to emissions standards). Korea doesn't get the hybrid at all. Do you know what your rated output is? I wonderif We will have any noticeable difference in feel with the additional HP in the states.. 

Edited February 1 by jacytbe

[RedHoncho01]

2 hours ago, jacytbe said:

I know that the advertised system output for the Chinese market is a bit lower than the US (Likely due to emissions standards). Korea doesn't get the hybrid at all. Do you know what your rated output is? I wonderif We will have any noticeable difference in feel with the additional HP in the states.. 

The US FHEV model has a combined 310 HP according to the latest technical specifications put out by Lincoln.

All New 2024 Lincoln Nautilus Tech Specs.pdf

Edited February 1 by RedHoncho01

[SmartKid001]

11 hours ago, Gurgeh said:

Very informative! This is the first drive review of the hybrid I've seen anywhere. Thank you for sharing. Wonder why the Nautiluses built for the Chinese market and those built for the North American market have different exterior handles? I'd actually be fine with either, but just wondering.

My take is that Ford is catering to those who want 'cool' BEV features (large screen, pop up handles, driving assistance etc.) but not a BEV. These features indeed make the new Nautilus stand out from traditional ICE cars and attract many younger buyers here in China. Buyers in NA probably want a more 'Orthodox' American luxury, which may explain the choice of traditional door handles.

[SmartKid001]

6 hours ago, jacytbe said:

I know that the advertised system output for the Chinese market is a bit lower than the US (Likely due to emissions standards). Korea doesn't get the hybrid at all. Do you know what your rated output is? I wonderif We will have any noticeable difference in feel with the additional HP in the states.. 

No public info on rated output yet. Peak output is 30 hp less than the NA version that's for sure.

[sks3i]

I bought Nautilus'24 black label recently. Drive smoothness and interiors are great. But, cabin is definitely not quiet.. it is loud and can feel every bit of road noise. I honestly don't recommend this vehicle to anyone. I'm planning to sell or give it back .

[Gurgeh]

8 hours ago, sks3i said:

I bought Nautilus'24 black label recently. Drive smoothness and interiors are great. But, cabin is definitely not quiet.. it is loud and can feel every bit of road noise. I honestly don't recommend this vehicle to anyone. I'm planning to sell or give it back .

Wow, that is the opposite of what is the case with my 2024 Black Label Nautilus. It is both the quietest and smoothest drive of any vehicle I have ever owned. I have decided that I don't like it in Excite mode because, while it does improve torque modestly, it turns the smooth ride into something too rough and makes fake gear sounds. Could it be you are just driving it in Excite? Because in my vehicle Normal mode is smooth as silk and quiet as a hush.

[akirby]

9 hours ago, sks3i said:

I bought Nautilus'24 black label recently. Drive smoothness and interiors are great. But, cabin is definitely not quiet.. it is loud and can feel every bit of road noise. I honestly don't recommend this vehicle to anyone. I'm planning to sell or give it back .

Check the tire pressure.  May not have been lowered after shipment.

[smsfordman]

On 2/1/2024 at 8:21 PM, SmartKid001 said:

My take is that Ford is catering to those who want 'cool' BEV features (large screen, pop up handles, driving assistance etc.) but not a BEV. These features indeed make the new Nautilus stand out from traditional ICE cars and attract many younger buyers here in China. Buyers in NA probably want a more 'Orthodox' American luxury, which may explain the choice of traditional door handles.

Nice review on your Nautilus. I understand that china vehicles have include engine beuty covers sitting on top of the engine. The North American version has omitted this feature. I know that this helps in sound deading of engine componets as well looks great. Are able to get the part # from the back side of yours as I would like to order one. Here we have no listing in the parts guide so any help would be appreciated. Thanks 

[MaGo]

A week ago I bought a 2024 Nautilus Reserve II Hybrid, after driving a 100 miles the Chek engine warning turned on. I Took it to the dealer and they said its an injector problem. Has anyone had this problem?  I'm not sure if a should have the car exchanged for another one.

[Chuck B.]

Great review on the Nautilus!

 

Quick side note.   I just received my very own Reserve 3 version, and I have a couple of odd issues with it.

 

First, the windshield appears to block both my car wash RFID sticker, and my garage RFID sticker from transmitting.   Moved them up to the glass on the sunroof and now they work, so not sure what causes that.

 

Second, that new Android interface.... Apple Carplay doesn't work nice with it.   In 2 weeks I have either had to hard reset the system by holding down the volume knob on the center console for 10 seconds, or I have to go into bluetooth settings and forget my iPhone 13 Pro from both the car and my phone and then reconnect.   This has happened 6 times, and even the old Sync 3 wasn't this bad...

 

Other than that I just love the car overall!  The hybrid mileage is excellent, the ride is smooth, and the white version with the "black out" package really pops and I get alot of people asking about it and saying it looks real sharp.

 

The software issues I am sure will get worked out in time, but just know up front you will struggle a bit with the tech, but the ride is top notch!

 

Regards,

 

Chuck B.

[Andrew L]

17 hours ago, Chuck B. said:

Great review on the Nautilus!

 

Quick side note.   I just received my very own Reserve 3 version, and I have a couple of odd issues with it.

 

First, the windshield appears to block both my car wash RFID sticker, and my garage RFID sticker from transmitting.   Moved them up to the glass on the sunroof and now they work, so not sure what causes that.

 

Second, that new Android interface.... Apple Carplay doesn't work nice with it.   In 2 weeks I have either had to hard reset the system by holding down the volume knob on the center console for 10 seconds, or I have to go into bluetooth settings and forget my iPhone 13 Pro from both the car and my phone and then reconnect.   This has happened 6 times, and even the old Sync 3 wasn't this bad...

 

Other than that I just love the car overall!  The hybrid mileage is excellent, the ride is smooth, and the white version with the "black out" package really pops and I get alot of people asking about it and saying it looks real sharp.

 

The software issues I am sure will get worked out in time, but just know up front you will struggle a bit with the tech, but the ride is top notch!

 

Regards,

 

Chuck B.

 

Are you on the latest version of iOS?

 

I would bring it by the dealership to see if there are any updates needed for the Android system, I imagine it has over the air updates but I would still have the dealership confirm it's on the latest version.

[Barb nuchereno]

I have had my Nautilus black label hybrid for a week now. It is amazing. It’s beautiful. Spacious without being bulky. I was worried about the lack of serious horsepower and/or torque but did not need to be. The car is so smooth. The pick up is perfect. It’s quiet and responsive. I haven’t loved a car this much in a long time. Kudos!