Lincoln's New Nautilus Finally Includes Properly Modern Technology

The new Lincoln Nautilus has arrived, with brand new, innovative and amazing technology that absolutely hasn’t been offered on loads of other, cheaper cars for ages. Honest.

Lincoln would like you to believe that lane-centring tech is new and exciting, gently nudging the new Nautilus’ steering wheel to keep the car, as the name suggests, in the centre of its lane. No one mention all the compact hatchbacks and affordable saloons that have had this for years…

In the new mid-size SUV it pairs with adaptive cruise control that can bring the car to a complete halt and set off again in traffic. If the car in front hits the anchors and there’s not enough space to pull up, the lane-keeping tech can also help you attempt to swerve around it.

More sensors check your blind spots, for pedestrians and will even trigger automatic brake hold in traffic, so drivers don’t need to sit with their foot on the brake. Quelle horreur. While it isn’t Lincoln’s fault, is it just us or is car design becoming driven by consumer laziness?

Anyway, back to the point. The Nautilus, which is named after (take your pick) a mollusc, a series of naval vessels or a 1982 Atari video game, is powered by one of a pair of turbocharged petrol engines. The cheaper entry point is a 2.0-litre four-pot with 245bhp, but the more American option is the 335bhp, 380lb ft 2.7-litre blown V6.

Neat tricks up the car’s sleeve, most of which have been seen elsewhere already, include ‘embrace’ lighting when the key-holder approaches the car, seats with 11 channels of two-way adjustment, giving you hours, days and weeks of enjoyment and/or frustration as you try to get the damn chair just how you want it. The backrest will massage your cares away, and on high-spec models you can access heating and cooling.

The instruments are now fully digital, using a 12.3-inch screen akin to those that have been used on premium German motors for a few years. The gear shift is a push-button affair, there’s a hidden wireless charging pad and, of course, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration.

As a bizarre footnote, Nautilus buyers will also be given a six-month membership to the CLEAR scheme, allowing them to “speed through security at participating airports and major arenas nationwide.”