Automotive Engineering - June 2023 - 16

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Lincoln unveils redesigned 2024 Nautilus SUV
With aviation-inspired design elements,
new powertrains and a larger footprint,
Lincoln's redesigned 2024 Navigator
comes to showrooms early in 2024 to
compete in the luxury midsize SUV segment
crowded with conventionally
powered, hybrid and EV models. With
parent Ford promising to invest $30
billion on vehicle-electrification development
by 2025, the new Nautilus offers
a hybrid variant to be counted in
that program.
Previously on Ford's aged CD midsize
architecture, the 2024 Nautilus moves
to " a modified version " of Ford's ubiquitous
C2 unibody platform - the foundation
for current models such as the
Ford Escape, Maverick and Bronco
Sport - according to vehicle engineering
manager Dan Boxeth. Despite moving
from a " midsize " platform to what is
regarded as a compact-vehicle architecture,
the 2024 Nautilus grows in every
exterior dimension: it's 3.2 in. (81
mm) longer at 193.2 in. (4907 mm)
overall and its 114.2-in. (2901-mm)
wheelbase is 2-in. (51-mm) longer than
the outgoing Nautilus. The 2024
Nautilus also is 1.1 in. (28 mm) wider
and 2 in. taller.
At a recent media showing, Lincoln
did not reveal the 2024 Nautilus' curb
weight, but Boxeth said despite the upsizing
of its footprint, the new model's
The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus shifts to new architecture and is larger in every exterior dimension.
weight is " comparable " to the current
Nautilus (4165 lb. to 4545 lb/ 1889 kg to
2062 kg). He told SAE Media that in the
switch to the C2 architecture, some hard
points had to change, but the 2024
Nautilus continues with a front strut and
independent rear multilink suspension.
Ford's decision to retool the current
Nautilus' assembly plant in Oakville,
Ontario, Canada for EV production
means North American Nautilus models
will be built at Ford's plant in Changan
Hangzhouin China, where a Chinamarket
version of the Nautilus already
is assembled.
Lincoln designers offer that the
2024 model's all-new sheetmetal espouses
the brand's " Quiet Flight 2.0 "
design language, using aircraft inspiration
in its lines and detailing. The most
visible example of this perhaps being
the vivid horizontal line running from
the rear edge of the headlight assembly
along the bodyside to the taillight.
Reinforcing the aero-driven motif is the
Nautilus' Jet Experience Package available
for any of the Premier, Reserve or
Black Label trim levels.
Lincoln said the turbocharged 2.0-L
Tech focus of
Nautilus cabin is its
48-in. dash-wide
LCD screen; flat-top
steering wheel aids
visibility of that
screen.
16 June 2023
4-cyl. base engine is all-new, even with
an identical bore and stroke and 10:1
compression ratio and 250 hp and 273
lb-ft (373 Nm) power rating that is quite
similar to that of the current Nautilus'
2.0-L engine. The hybrid variant of the
new Nautilus adds a 100-kW (134-hp)
motor integral with its CVT to generate
a total of 310 hp and an undisclosed
total torque from its 2.0-L engine. The
base engine is connected to an 8-speed
automatic transmission and all models
have all-wheel drive as standard.
The Nautilus' 5-occupant cabin leverages
a high degree of premium surfaces
and materials, but its signature feature
is a 48-in. (1219-mm) LCD screen standing
more than 4 in. (102 mm) tall across
the entire width of the dashboard. The
unit effectively is two not-quite-24-in.
displays seamlessly blended, while an
11.1-in. (282-mm) control touchscreen
within the front-seat occupants' reach
augments the giant " coast-to-coast "
dash display.
Bill Visnic
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
BOTH IMAGES: LINCOLN

Automotive Engineering - June 2023

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