Ford Escape vs Lincoln Nautilus

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus was available in three trims: Premiere, Reserve, and Black Label. It debuted with a sophisticated and streamlined exterior design, featuring a new grille that echoed the bifurcated design commonly seen on Mercedes-Benz models. The grille also included LED lighting that extended through it and illuminated the Lincoln star logo, creating a stunning visual effect.

The Nautilus continued this horizontal aesthetic at the rear with a full-width animated LED light bar and dual exhaust ports. One notable design twist was the placement of the door handles up high, incorporating them into the beltline, which added to the car’s sleek profile.

The interior of the Nautilus was luxurious, boasting high-quality materials such as polished metal, open-pore wood, and fine leather. The crown jewel of the interior was a full-width screen, which we will discuss later in detail. The piano key shifter style, a traditional Lincoln element since the 1950s, persisted, even if it wasn't universally loved. For an additional $3,000, a Jet Appearance Package offered two-tone paint, black exterior trim, and black 20- or 22-inch wheels, along with a few unique interior bits.

In contrast, the 2024 Ford Escape underwent significant updates in 2023, which carried over into 2024. The SUV's front end was restyled, new wheel designs were introduced, and the technology was updated. The "wide-eyed, toothless smile" look of the previous model was replaced with a more aggressive appearance, although the overall design remained soft and generically appealing.

The 2024 Escape was available in several trims, including Active, ST-Line, ST-Line Select, ST-Line Elite, Platinum, and Plug-in Hybrid. Ford dropped the Base trim for this model year, with prices ranging from $29,345 to $40,500, not including the destination charge.

The test vehicle, an ST-Line Elite, featured extra-cost Rapid Red paint, black 19-inch wheels, the Premium Technology Package, and a Panoramic Vista Roof, bringing its price to $43,650, including the destination charge. Inside, the ST-Line Elite featured diamond-stitched, perforated leather seats and all the tech upgrades, but the excessively glossy surfaces and unusually stiff upholstery felt out of place for its price point.

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus came standard with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. This combination ensured smooth power delivery and unobtrusive gear shifts. While the standard engine didn't feel underpowered, the hybrid setup, available for an extra $1,500, was recommended. The hybrid version offered 310 horsepower, 295 lb-ft of torque, and an EPA estimated 30 mpg in combined driving, compared to 24 mpg for the gas-only engine. The hybrid also featured an impressive range of over 600 miles on a full tank.

Every Nautilus had all-wheel drive (AWD) and five drive modes: Normal, Excite, Conserve, Slippery, and Deep Conditions. To fully benefit from these modes, the available adaptive suspension was necessary. The hybrid came with a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which, surprisingly, did not hinder driving enjoyment. While the Nautilus wasn't a driver's car, it could satisfy some sporty inclinations.

The 2024 Ford Escape ST-Line Elite offered a choice between a 192-horsepower hybrid powertrain, expected to achieve 39 mpg in combined driving, and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine delivering 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque with an average of 26 mpg in combined driving. The test vehicle had the turbo engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard AWD, which featured a driveline disconnect to improve fuel economy.

The AWD system provided multiple driving modes, including Eco, Normal, Sport, and Slippery, but lacked an Off-Road mode. The turbocharged engine allowed the Escape to tow up to 3,500 pounds. However, despite the ST-Line moniker, the SUV's driving dynamics were not particularly sporty. The ride was soft and compliant, handling was nimble under typical conditions but allowed too much body motion, and the steering felt sluggish and numb.

Given these characteristics, the turbo engine seemed wasted in this application. The lower-tier Escape models with a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine, rated at 180 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque, offered a more competitive balance of power and performance for the segment.

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus offered power-adjustable, heated, and cooled front seats across all trims, with the Black Label model boasting Lincoln's 24-way Perfect Position front seats. These seats were exceptionally comfortable, thanks to features like a continuous massage function and prolonged heating. The rear seats, though less luxurious, provided a generous 43 inches of legroom, making it spacious even for taller passengers.

The Lincoln Rejuvenate feature combined massage, lighting, and screen images to create different moods, adding a layer of relaxation to the cabin. Cargo space in the Nautilus measured 36 cubic feet behind the second row and 71 cubic feet with the seats folded down in the Premiere trim, though this decreased slightly in the Reserve and Black Label trims. It’s worth noting that the Nautilus was available only with seating for five, unlike some competitors that offered a third row.

The 2024 Ford Escape ST-Line had an all-black interior with cloth inserts and artificial leather bolsters, accented by red stitching. While leather was optional on the ST-Line Elite trim, the test model's leather felt unpleasant. The test vehicle included various features such as ambient interior lighting, dual-zone automatic climate control, power-adjustable front seats, heated front seats, and a heated steering wheel, though ventilated seats were missing.

The Escape's front seats were large and soft, providing good support over time, and the back seat was comfortable, especially when slid into its rearmost position. The interior allowed easy access through all four doors. In terms of storage, the front offered ample space, but rear passengers had less storage available. Cargo volume was 37.5 cubic feet behind the back seat (34.4 cubic feet for the hybrid) and 65.4 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down (60.8 cubic feet in the hybrid). Additional storage areas on either side of the cargo load floor and a handy grocery bag hook added practical touches.

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus impressed with a massive 48-inch curved display, featuring a customizable digital dash for the driver and an 11.1-inch touchscreen on the center console for basic infotainment tasks. The digital dash could display various information, including weather, audio, fuel economy, tire pressure, and trip mileage. Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto connectivity, and Google maps were standard, along with voice controls via Alexa Built-in. However, adjusting the air vents required navigating through menus, which was highly distracting. The unlabelled steering wheel controls could also be distracting until users became familiar with them. Wireless charging and USB-A and -C ports throughout the cabin were additional conveniences.

The 2024 Ford Escape came with digital instrumentation, with upper trims featuring a 12.3-inch display. The standout feature was the 13.2-inch Sync 4 infotainment system, which presented next-generation technology in a landscape format, making it less distracting. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM 360L satellite radio, and FordPass Connect services were included, with the larger display adding Amazon Alexa and a three-year subscription to connected navigation. However, the color theme appeared washed out, and the fonts were difficult to read at a glance. Integrating climate controls into the screen was also not ideal.

The Escape’s available Bang & Olufsen premium sound system was damaged in the test vehicle, hindering sound quality assessment. Sync 4 exhibited some lag, and the wireless smartphone charger caused overheating. However, the voice recognition system was excellent, and the infotainment system was generally intuitive. The optional head-up display (HUD) projected information onto a clear piece of plastic from the dashboard, which was part of the Premium Technology Package that also included leather, the Bang & Olufsen sound system, and Active Park Assist 2.0.

Active Park Assist 2.0 allowed semi-autonomous parking, helping the driver maneuver the Escape into parallel or perpendicular parking spaces and exit tight spots. While the system worked well, it was impractical in busy areas or crowded parking lots.

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus came with a comprehensive suite of standard safety features under the Lincoln CoPilot 360 banner, including lane-keeping assist, park assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and emergency braking. The Nautilus also featured Blue Cruise 1.2 technology, which provided hands-free driving on pre-mapped highways in North America. This technology was included on all trims: as a 90-day trial on Premiere and Reserve trims and standard for four years on the Black Label. After the trial period, the subscription cost was $75 per month or $800 per year. Blue Cruise included adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, automatic lane-change assist, and In-Lane Repositioning, which added space between the Nautilus and adjacent vehicles on the highway, though users desired a larger gap.

The 2024 Nautilus had not yet been rated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but the 2023 model received five stars for frontal and side crash protection and four stars for rollover protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the Nautilus a top score of “Good” in crashworthiness but had not yet rated the latest model in front crash prevention or seat belt and child restraint systems.

The 2024 Ford Escape also offered a robust set of standard safety features through the Ford Co-Pilot360 system, including post-collision automatic braking, forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic high-beam headlights. The ST-Line Elite trim added adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability and predictive speed assist, evasive steering assist, lane-centering assist, and a 360-degree surround-view camera system.

During testing, the lane-keeping systems displayed inconsistent behavior, and the predictive speed assist slowed the vehicle excessively for curves, causing irritation. Adaptive cruise control and lane-centering systems also shut down mysteriously at one point. However, these systems were more effective and smoother on freeways.

The NHTSA gave the 2024 Escape favorable crash-test ratings, including five stars across most tests and a four-star rating for rollover resistance. The Plug-in Hybrid version also received a four-star rating for driver protection in frontal-impact collisions. The IIHS had not yet rated the 2024 model, but in 2023, the Escape earned Good ratings in most categories, except for a Marginal score in a new side-impact safety test.