The Lincoln Nautilus will get a little update three years into its model life cycle. In the interest of keeping its popular midsize SUV fresh against rivals like the sterling Lexus RX and the stylish Infiniti QX65, Lincoln will give the Nautilus some minor cosmetic changes, a few added creature comforts, and more power for the optional hybrid engine.
Is that enough to keep the now-three-year-old luxury crossover design relevant to modern buyers? We think so.
The Nautilus Gets Some Plastic Surgery
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In contrast to its immediate predecessor, the 2027 Lincoln Nautilus receives a less sculptural front fascia, including smaller, boxier headlights with LED accents that no longer meet at the star emblem in the middle. The American luxury automaker also seems to be taking a page from Mercedes-Benz, with gloss black plastic trim on the front fascia that makes the already-enlarged grille look even bigger.
Cars with the Jet Appearance Package, like the gray vehicle seen in photos here, reuse the pre-facelift Nautilus’ bumper with triangular vent openings on the corners, trimmed, as the name suggests, in glossy black. All others get a new lower fascia that features a wide, skinny vent with a subtle strip of matte silver garnish along the chin.
Around back, the full-width taillight motif remains, but it makes use of a pair of narrow LED strips instead of a single wider one; we first saw that look on the reintroduced 2027 Corsair small crossover. The Lincoln name once again appears in block script on the taillight panel. The 2026 model’s simulated exhaust openings are gone, replaced with an unusual fluted garnish that runs across the entirety of the rear bumper.
What Else Is New For 2027?
2027 Lincoln NautilusLincoln
One of the most significant changes belongs to the Nautilus hybrid, which accounts for about 60 percent of the current SUV family’s sales. Although the standard powertrain remains a combustion-only turbocharged EcoBoost 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 250 horsepower, the hybrid option adds a whopping 60 ponies to the equation – the previous hybrid only added 35. Observant types will notice that the smaller, hybrid-exclusive Corsair has a similar powertrain layout but with 305 hp instead; still, those who are okay spending less should get better performance and fuel economy from the compact SUV than its midsize Nautilus sibling.
Interior changes are minimal. The flagship Black Label trim gets two new color schemes called Eminent Hour and Elyisian Light. The first is basically a fancy name for brown upholstery with black accents and copper trim, while the latter receives gray seat upholstery in a dark blue interior environment. Not content to be left out, the base and Reserve trims also get a new interior color scheme called Afterglow, which has light, warm gray upholstery and a black interior.
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Certain buyers will also be pleased to learn that there are more luxury features available on lesser Nautilus trims. For example, the Renew package, which includes 24-way adjustable front seats and the Lincoln Rejuvenate system, which integrates seat position, climate controls, audio, and ambient light into a built-in meditation app via a partnership with Calm.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
The 2027 Lincoln Nautilus is an important car. In the second quarter of 2026, it was the brand’s best-selling vehicle, and its more than 10,000 customer deliveries made for the model’s most successful year on record while also accounting for 65 percent luxury conquest sales. That means that a very large portion of Nautilus owners are new to Lincoln entirely, and the company needs to make sure they’re happy so that they become repeat buyers.
The 2027 changes are mostly successful – your author isn’t a huge fan of the boxy, plastic-heavy front fascia, but the rear light bars are cool – and the extra hybrid power and efficiency will be appealing to those who tick that option box. At their core, though, the incremental changes don’t seem likely to spoil any of the midsize luxury SUV’s success.
Source: Lincoln
