Lincoln Nautilus vs Nissan Rogue

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus made a statement with its exterior design. Offered in Premiere, Reserve, or Black Label trim, the Nautilus featured a sophisticated and streamlined look, signaling a potential new direction in Lincoln design. The new grille resembled the bifurcated design seen on Mercedes-Benz models, but with a distinct twist: LED lighting extended through the grille and illuminated the Lincoln star logo, creating a stunning effect.

The rear also echoed this horizontal aesthetic with a full-width animated LED light bar and dual exhaust ports. Lincoln cleverly integrated the door handles into the beltline, placing them higher on the car’s profile.

The interior of the Nautilus was where it truly shined. The immersive full-width screen was the focal point, but the rest of the interior didn't disappoint. High-quality materials, ambient lighting, and textures like open-pore wood and fine leather added to the luxurious feel. The piano key shifter style, a Lincoln tradition since the mid-1950s, remained a hallmark of the design.

Buyers could enhance the Nautilus with the Jet Appearance Package for an additional $3,000. This package offered two-tone paint, black exterior trim, and depending on the model, black 20- or 22-inch wheels, along with unique interior elements.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue received its first major styling update since its 2021-model-year launch. Maintaining the same lineup of trim levels–S, SV, SL, and Platinum–the Rogue now sported a larger grille that blended seamlessly with its distinctive stack headlights and daytime running lights. The rear fascia saw subtle changes, mainly redesigned inner taillight elements. Exterior updates included satin-finish badging, new 18-inch wheels for the Rogue SV, and 19-inch machined-finish wheels for the Rogue Platinum, which also featured more black exterior trim and an optional black roof.

Inside, the Rogue’s dashboard was redesigned to accommodate a new 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, giving it a more premium feel. The trim also saw upgrades, particularly in the SV models that received new materials on nearly every interior surface. The Platinum model, with its leather seats featuring new Chestnut brown color and quilted stitching, offered a refined and upscale cabin.

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus came standard with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, delivering 250 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. This setup provided smooth power delivery and unobtrusive shifts. However, the hybrid option, for an additional $1,500, offered 310 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque with an EPA estimated 30 mpg in combined driving, compared to 24 mpg for the gas-only engine. The hybrid's range exceeded 600 miles on a full tank. Every Nautilus featured all-wheel drive (AWD) and five drive modes, with the adaptive suspension enhancing driving dynamics.

In "Normal" mode, the ride was cushy and steering relaxed. "Excite" mode tightened steering and throttle response while reducing body roll. "Conserve," "Slippery," and "Deep Conditions" modes catered to different driving situations. The hybrid's continuously variable transmission (CVT) avoided the typical droning, but the Nautilus was not marketed as a driver’s car. For a sportier drive, alternatives like the Porsche Cayenne or BMW X5 were recommended.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue's powertrain was a marvel of engineering with a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing 201 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque. This VC-Turbo engine varied its compression ratio to enhance power or fuel economy as needed. Despite having one less cylinder than competitors, it outperformed many with its torque, surpassing the Toyota RAV4’s and even non-hybrid Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage powertrains.

However, the Rogue's CVT detracted from this performance. The transmission's slow response muted the engine’s eager thrust. Available in both front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD), the Rogue didn’t excel as a driver’s car. The suspension of the Rogue Platinum test car was firmer than expected, compromising ride quality without improving handling. It did maintain a quiet cabin, offering solace in an otherwise underwhelming driving experience.

In terms of comfort, the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus excelled. All trims featured power-adjustable, heated, and cooled front seats. The Black Label model's 24-way Perfect Position front seats, complete with massage functions, were among the most comfortable in its class, even outperforming Mercedes-Benz and Genesis offerings. These seats kept heating and massaging indefinitely, unlike competitors' systems which timed out after several minutes.

The rear seats, although less luxurious, provided 43 inches of legroom—more than the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE. Lincoln’s Rejuvenate feature combined massage, lighting, and screen images to create different moods. Cargo-wise, the Nautilus offered 36 cubic feet of space behind the second row and 71 cubic feet with seats folded down. However, the Black Label trims sacrificed some cargo space. The Nautilus seated five, whereas some competitors offered a third row that was often too small for adults.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue's interior was competitive, offering nearly identical passenger spaces across the segment. It differed mainly in legroom: the Forester offered more front legroom, while the Tucson had more in the second row. The Rogue’s cargo space stood at 36.5 cubic feet with the rear seats in place and 74.1 cubic feet with them folded, less than the CR-V and Tucson but more than the Forester.

Nissan’s Divide-N-Hide system provided flexible cargo space options, including a flat floor with hidden storage or a lower floor to increase height. The Rogue also featured a molded space for grocery bags and options like a power liftgate on SV models and a motion-activated liftgate on SL and Platinum models.

The center console had a pass-through space for added flexibility, but reaching it was awkward and items placed there might be easily forgotten.

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus showcased a 48-inch curved display that was a visual delight. The left side served as a digital dash and could be customized to display various information such as weather, audio, and fuel economy. The smaller 11.1-inch touchscreen on the center console handled basic infotainment tasks with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Although accessing HVAC controls was straightforward, adjusting vents via the screen was overly distracting. The unlabelled steering wheel controls required getting used to, making it initially distracting.

Lincoln incorporated Google Maps and Alexa Built-in for voice controls, and over-the-air updates ensured the system remained current. Wireless charging and multiple USB-A and USB-C ports throughout the cabin ensured device connectivity and charging options.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue featured an 8-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on lower-level trims, while SL and Platinum trims received a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless connectivity and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The Rogue was the first Nissan to feature Google built-in software, including Google Maps, Google Assistant voice control, and the Google Play app store. Nissan offered free connectivity for five years, but third-party app usage required a data plan.

The dual 12.3-inch screen setup significantly improved usability, but the touchscreen was occasionally slow to boot. The Rogue included numerous charging options: two USB-C ports standard on base models, with additional ports and wireless charging on higher trims. Nissan Connect Services' free trial period was extended to three years, offering features like remote lock/unlock, engine start/stop, vehicle health reports, and emergency calling.

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus came equipped with a robust 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. Notably, Lincoln included Blue Cruise 1.2 technology, offering hands-free driving on pre-mapped highways. This feature was standard on the Black Label trim and available as a trial on other trims, with a subscription needed post-trial.

The 2024 Nautilus had not been rated by NHTSA at the time, but the 2023 model received five stars for frontal and side crash protection and four stars for rollover protection. The IIHS gave the Nautilus top "Good" ratings in crashworthiness.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue received commendable safety ratings, including a five-star overall rating from NHTSA and top "Good" scores from the IIHS in several crash tests. The Rogue's safety features included automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, automatic high beams, and rear automatic emergency braking. Adaptive cruise control was available on higher trims.

Nissan offered ProPilot Assist, which provided automated lane centering and adaptive cruise control, though drivers still needed to maintain control. The more advanced version on higher trims used navigation data to proactively adjust speed for curves and interchanges.