Do you go to dealerships for no reason? I do. I always have. Why? I like to walk the lot and see what’s interesting. And I like collecting literature. I have, in fact, quite a stash of car brochures, some going back to the 1950s. But I digress. Anyway, as a result I usually check out the Cadillac, Lincoln and Volvo dealers on a regular basis, say once a month.
Sometimes, I see new stuff. Like today. After work, I decided to check out Strieter Lincoln, and see if there was anything interesting on the lot. As I cut through the Panera Bread to access their lot, I did indeed see something new: The 2019 Nautilus.
Yes, Lincoln is bringing back names, after approximately ten years of acronyms. Isn’t it great? Anyway, the 2019 Nautilus is essentially a refreshed Lincoln MKX, with a new schnozz and other refinements.
I prefer sedans to crossovers and SUVs, but this is a nice looking car. Which is kind of rare in 2019 vehicles, as the latest trend seems to be ‘willfully ugly.’
Take the Lexus RX for instance. Right up until about 2015, I thought the Lexus RX was a nice looking mini-me SUV, if not really my cup of tea-or glass of Scotch. Then it was redesigned into something that is a combination of tortured sheetmetal, angles, planes and odd stamped steel dewlaps. Now it looks like a pissed off Nissan Murano.
So while I’d rather nab a certified pre-owned MKZ or Continental sedan, I do appreciate the fact that Lincoln’s crossovers look appealing-a rarity in this category!
The interior had an interesting two-tone effect with off-white (Cappuccino, per the brochure) and Coffee leather seats, with wood trim on console and door handle surrounds. These will be available with a 2.0L four or 2.7L twin-turbo six, according to the brochure I nabbed from the rack on my way out, haha. Standard Select and Broughamier Reserve trim levels will be available, and it’s likely there will be a neo-Designer Edition Black Label version as well, same as the earlier MKX. As this car just came off the truck mere hours before I photographed it, I didn’t drive it, but there will probably be a road test of one of these in the future!
Lincoln is abandoning alphabet soup while the others double-down on their efforts to confuse their customers? Curious.
Tom,
It looks as good as a vehicle requiring these proportions can look. For those of us raised on design parameters created in the 50s-60s, crossovers/SUVs will always look like truncated toys. The huge wheels don’t help. Having said that, it’s probably the most elegant of the bunch, so far. Hope it sells!
” Now it looks like a pissed off Nissan Murano.”
Pure gold. I think they all do.
Two observations: Not bad looking for a SUV. I have to echo Glenn Kramer’s thought that all of these things look like truncated toys. Also, real names! Navigator, Nautilius, Continental… I know what each of these are. MKX? MKC? WTF?
George,
I agree, I’ve never lusted after a vehicle that was named after its license plate number.
2002tii, 300SL 911S 300F 2000GT, 507, S2000, XK120, XKSS, 250GTO, 246GTS: I can’t say the same.
I have nothing against proper names for vehicles, but the Nautilus badges on the front doors are not attractive. I don’t really see anything about the styling of this vehicle that elevates it above the Lexus. The fascia appears tacked on, and it seems unlikely that much cooling air travels through that garish grill. The character lines above the wheel openings look like they represent a cry for help from a designer frustrated in his desire to craft Monte Carlos. Sure, other companies are building graceless products too. I still see no reason to offer even faint praise to the emperor’s tailor for this blob.
Airflow, Zephyr, Bel Air, Riviera, Corvette, Javelin, Mustang, Challenger, Cordoba, Rabbit, Caravan, Taurus, Accord, Corolla, Grand Prix… Those are just some of the iconic (and not so iconic) names that fell out of my head. If you’ve been alive in North America for the last five decades, these should conjure images of certain cars, good and bad. But, those names represent something and are easily memorable. Sure 300SL and 300F mean something, but one has to translate them. Is a 300SL better than a 300F because it has more letters? How about a S2000 vs. a 2002tii? Hell, I dig German nomenclature, but really? tii?
And honestly, I wouldn’t hold up Lexus’ design language right now as a standard with which to pillory other vehicles. All of these “S/C/XUVs” do little for me.