2021 Lincoln Nautilus vs 2021 Volvo XC40

The 2021 Volvo XC40 had a traditional SUV styling with a tall, flat roof and upright rear hatch, fitting nicely with the rest of the Volvo lineup. It featured “Thor’s Hammer” LED headlights and a simple oval grille, with gasoline models offering a white contrasting roof for a retro look. The XC40 Recharge was distinguished by a blanked-off grille, subtle “Recharge” badging, and model-specific alloy wheels. It also had a gloss black roof and mirror caps, a slightly different rear bumper, and a model-exclusive color—Sage Green Metallic. The interior was minimalist with high-quality materials, including real metal trim and a combination of Nappa leather and Nubuck textile upholstery. The design was coherent, with elements like the portrait-oriented touchscreen and air vents melding together seamlessly.

The 2021 Lincoln Nautilus, previously known as the MKX, had a facelift in 2019 and embraced more attractive styling. For 2021, the exterior carried over, but the cabin was updated with a sharp new dash design featuring clean lines, soft materials, and a large, crisp touchscreen. The “Piano Key” shifter-button layout was easy to use, though the stop-start button was a bit tricky to find. The standard 13.2-inch SYNC 4 touchscreen system was user-friendly and similar to Ford’s SYNC 3, with almost no learning curve. The screen was glossy, reflecting the bright work in the center console, so sunglasses were recommended. The Nautilus came in three trims: Standard, Reserve, and Black Label, each offering a range of features from synthetic leather upholstery to a 19-speaker premium stereo system and adaptive suspension.

The 2021 Volvo XC40 had a three-tiered powertrain lineup, with the electric Recharge on top. The two gasoline options included a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine and eight-speed automatic transmission. The base FWD T4 had 187 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque, while the AWD T5 had 248 hp and 258 lb-ft. The Recharge shared its powertrain with the Polestar 2, featuring one electric motor for each axle, enabling AWD and a combined 402 hp and 486 lb-ft. The 78-kilowatt-hour battery pack provided electricity, with 75 kWh of usable capacity. Volvo quoted zero to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds for the Recharge, 6.1 seconds for the T5, and 8.1 seconds for the T4. All versions were electronically limited to 112 mph. The Recharge emphasized quiet and comfort, with excellent ride quality even on winter-ravaged roads. It was capable of one-pedal driving and had a towing capacity of 2,000 pounds.

The 2021 Lincoln Nautilus came standard with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. The Reserve and Black Label trims offered a twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V6, making 355 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque. Both engines used an eight-speed automatic transmission. The four-cylinder engine had standard FWD or available AWD, while the twin-turbo V6 came standard with AWD. The V6 provided terrific power, especially at highway speeds, with smooth and controlled acceleration. The adaptive suspension nearly eliminated bumps, and the Nautilus felt firm and planted through corners. The engine stop-start feature conserved fuel but had a slight delay in response. Overall, driving the Nautilus was pleasant in nearly all scenarios.

The 2021 Volvo XC40 had no difference in passenger or cargo space between the Recharge and gasoline models. However, it had less legroom and headroom compared to the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E, and a smaller cargo area. The frunk was also small, with much of the space occupied by powertrain hardware. The gasoline XC40 was more competitive on interior space compared to rivals like the Audi Q3 and BMW X1. Volvo compensated with clever storage solutions, such as a removable trash bin in the center console, a bag hook in the glovebox door, and extra-large door bins. The storage cubby ahead of the shifter was well-shaped to hold a phone, with a wireless charging pad optional and a single USB-C port standard. However, second-row occupants didn’t have phone-charging options.

The 2021 Lincoln Nautilus provided up to 68.8 cubic feet of cargo space, more than the Lexus RX 350 and Cadillac XT5. With the rear seats in use, it had 37.2 cubic feet of cargo space. A power liftgate was standard, with a hands-free option available. The Nautilus emphasized two-row comfort, with plenty of head- and legroom in the rear seats, and optimal front seats with available 22-way multi-contour power-adjustable units. The soft-touch center console and door handles made resting your arms relaxing. The center console bin was reasonably large, with deep in-door pockets for large water bottles and other items. The floating center controls design allowed for additional storage below the radio and climate controls.

The 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge featured the Android Automotive OS infotainment system, with Google apps like Google Assistant and Google Maps. It included conventional Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity. The standard hardware setup included a 9-inch touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The Recharge also had OTA update capability for the infotainment system and other vehicle functions. It lacked a start button, instead allowing the driver to simply get in and shift out of park. The related Polestar 2 would soon get a Digital Key feature, but Volvo hadn’t confirmed it for the XC40.

The 2021 Lincoln Nautilus came with a 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with high-definition graphics and a sensible menu layout. It supported wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with large icons and no repackaging of CarPlay. The available wireless charging pad made phone-car integration easier. The Revel 19-speaker premium audio system provided incredible sound quality. The system was user-friendly, with a helpful home button to navigate back to the main screen if needed.

The gasoline 2021 Volvo XC40 received the highest “Top Safety Pick+” rating from the IIHS and a five-star overall crash-test rating from the NHTSA. These ratings didn’t apply to the electric XC40 Recharge, but Volvo expected it to perform well in crash tests. The XC40 came with a long list of standard safety features, including lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking, and rear parking sensors. Optional features included traffic-sign recognition, reverse automatic emergency braking, and Volvo’s Pilot Assist driver-assistance system. The Recharge model had Volvo’s latest sensor suite, scalable for future advanced driver aids.

The 2021 Lincoln Nautilus came with the standard CoPilot360 package, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Additional available features included adaptive cruise control, front parking sensors, surround-view parking monitor, and adaptive headlights. However, the standard backup camera was low-quality, making it hard to see in low-light scenarios.