People often mistake the words simple and easy. Things that are simple can APPEAR easy but often aren’t and things that are EASY can often present as simple but the same rules apply. The 2025 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve proves this point that simple concepts are not easy to execute and easy ideas are not simple in their proper formation and elevation to physicality. We mean all this to say that the concept of Lincoln being the luxury brand of the Ford Motor Company has been, ummm, made complicated over the years. This easy idea of having an elevated version of existing production models should have been an uninterrupted success, but it wasn’t. In fact, it’s easy to say that Lincoln has spent some time in the woods, proverbially. At one point in the last decade or so they were running TV ads with the literal persona of Abraham Lincoln shown in them. No joke, it was bad. The good news? This car is an indicator that those days are over.
What do we want, heck what does anyone want out of a Lincoln? They want an elevated experience, better materials, more technology, enhanced styling, and an overall more rich experience than having a Ford. As time has shown us through the Town Car, Mark VII, VIII, and on, this is a reasonable concept. Things got weird for a time though. The Blackwood truck, the LS, the first generation Aviator, mistakes can and would be made. Big ones. Potentially brand sinking mistakes. Lincoln was not alone, Cadillac went through this phase as well a while back.
The fact is that the brand has stabilized, the ethos has returned. Lincoln has swagger back and the 2025 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve is proof.
The Lincoln Nautilus is built on the same platform, architecture as the Ford Edge. This is in the same way as the 1970s Lincolns were built on the same platform as Ford Thunderbirds, and on and on. When you look at the above images from the styling which is sleek and cool and then the interior which is next level altogether, you do not see or feel a Ford Edge. This is what the Lincoln should look like, what it should feel like and sure as heck what it should look like.
The back seat has plenty of room and those seats are comfortable but let’s go to where the cool is, up front. Take a look at the driver and passenger seats to start with, their view, the wildly cool dash, and how cleanly it is all executed and pulled off. There’s gaudy styling out there, in your face styling out there, but there is little in the form of classy styling out there like we see here. That wonderful wrap around dash and the additional adjustable material layer on the seats is next level good. These seats are among the best we have ever experienced and are adjustable in more ways than any currently known to mankind.
These images may not seem to have any direct correlation to each other but they really do. For starters we have the functionality of the rear storage area. There’s plenty of room back there, not to anyone’s surprise in an SUV of any proportion but the 2025 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve is not lacking in that area.
The second image shows the engine, a 2.0L four cylinder that in this model is hooked to an electric motor to deliver more than 300hp. 310hp to be exact and the performance is delivered through one of the best tuned CVT inits we have ever experienced. This thing was smooth as glass, delivered instant performance at the application of the throttle and kept a seemingly complex package right in the band of peak power when it was called upon. With a 0-60 time just under six seconds and a quarter mile time knocking on the high 14s there’s some fun to be had here. More importantly there is 30mpg city and 31mpg highway happening here. That’s really impressive mileage for the rig this size, especially around town.
The third image represents one of those Lincoln touches that we appreciated. These door grabs in the upper door trim are amazing and they are just so classy the motif is perfect. This is what a Lincoln should be. Elegant and subtly so. These are that 100%.
The closing points here are simple. As you can see above, the interior matches the class and refinement of the rest off the 2025 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve. There’s the nice interactive screen, the push button gear selector, and the the simple to operate, nice feeling thumb style switches to handle many functions of the car. The wheel you see in the middle is a great and easy option to use while driving to scroll through the screen options, which are many.
Lincoln exists again as it should. For years we all wondered where it was going. We all wondered where the simple, easy idea of elevating Fords had gone to. While it’s back and it’s worth your time to look into if you are shopping for a sedan or SUV this year.
