Detailed Photos of the 2019 Lincoln Nautilus

The entire fascia has been redone with new headlamps (and available full-LED adaptive lighting), a new hood, and restyled front fenders. The rear lighting treatment and lower bumper also have been tweaked, and turbine-style wheels similar to those seen on the Navigator are newly available.

The substantive changes are chiefly under the hood. The previous base engine, a 3.7-liter V-6, has been broomed in favor of a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four. Horsepower drops from 303 to 250, but torque nudges up from 278 lb-ft to 280, with the full complement arriving at 3000 rather than 4000 rpm.

The saving grace, however, is probably the new eight-speed automatic transmission, which offers a wider ratio spread than the previous six-speed.

Despite the horsepower reduction, the powertrain proves to be perfectly adequate and well mannered. The turbo four's throttle response is linear, the gearbox is perfectly willing to downshift, and the engine is barely audible in most circumstances. Paired together, the standard powertrain will get an all-wheel-drive Nautilus to 60 mph in a reasonable 6.8 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 15.3 seconds at 92 mph.

The EPA's fuel-economy estimates for the four-cylinder Nautilus climb by 4 mpg in the city to 21 mpg (with front-wheel drive); the highway rating remains 25 mpg. With all-wheel drive, the 2.0T's estimates are 20 mpg city and 25 highway, up from 16/23 mpg with the V-6.

The upgrade engine is a twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6, which spins out a hearty 335 horsepower and 380 lb-ft; it adds $2070 to the bottom line and is available on all but the base models. It, too, now pairs with an eight-speed automatic, and it's a happy combination. This engine is strong although not particularly characterful—it's a mostly silent runner capable of serious shove when asked. In our testing, the 2.7-liter in combination with all-wheel drive hustled the Nautilus to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 14.4 seconds at 97 mph.

Both the 2.0-liter and the 2.7-liter examples we drove had all-wheel drive, which is a $2495 upcharge with either engine. Even if you don't live in the Snowbelt, we'd recommend it for the 2.7-liter, as our previous experience in the MKX with that engineis that it suffers serious torque steer when powering only the front wheels.

New bushings and adaptive dampers on all Nautilus models aim to improve ride comfort. Reserve and Black Label trim levels also get selectable driving modes—Comfort, Normal, and Sport—which alter the damping and the steering effort. Somewhat strangely, those settings are tied to the gear selection—D or S, chosen via Lincoln's vertically stacked buttons—but at least a menu in the instrument cluster does allow some customization of your preferred setup, so you don't have to re-select them each time you turn the car on.

Comfort mode doesn't offer the body control, roll or otherwise, that we'd prefer. Most buyers probably won't venture out of Normal mode, which we found taut enough to keep us from getting queasy on winding mountain roads yet able to provide a blissful ride on the freeway.

The roomy interior environs are mostly carried over from those of the MKX. The chief difference is the move to a digital gauge cluster, a 12.3-inch unit that is standard across the lineup.

The second display, the touchscreen in the center of the dashboard, is only an 8.0-inch unit. That's small in this class, although its ease of use is commendable (typical of most current Ford products), as is that of the knobs and switches below. While the interior design didn't push the envelope even when it was unveiled back in 2015, Lincoln is offering some interesting color and trim selections that go beyond the usual gray and beige.

Most are part of the Black Label series, which returns with three design themes: Chalet (off-white leather with dark-brown accents and silver wood trim), Gala (deep maroon leather with black accents and aluminum trim), and Thoroughbred (black leather with brown accents and Chilean Maple wood trim).

In Lincoln's view of luxury, customer coddling augments a cosseting driving experience—for a price. Witness the as-tested stickers of our well-equipped examples, both of which cost more than $60K. While the Nautilus is not as grandiose as the Continental or the Navigator, this mainstream model burnishes its credentials as a quiet, comfy crossover with a veneer of upscale polish.