2025 Lincoln Nautilus Interior Review: How Nice Is the Black Label Interior?
Let's take a tour inside our new yearlong review Nautilus.
Some cars welcome you more than others. The Lincoln Nautilus is certainly the former. Our long-term 2025 Nautilus five-passenger SUV is a delightful place to spend time. We first came to this conclusion when we proclaimed the Nautilus the 2025 MotorTrend SUV of the Year. But first impressions can fade. We have only had our yearlong review Nautilus for a short time, but every trip, long or short, has reinforced that first experience. This interior hasn’t gotten old yet, and it continues to delight.
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There’s something about the mix of traditional materials—leathers, wood trim, and metals—and the high-tech of the eye-popping 48-inch screen that spans the width of the vehicle. Neither dominates nor overwhelms. They abide in harmony. Our long-term vehicle is a top trim Black Label, so, yes, it should be top shelf. We ordered our SUV in Whisper Blue Metallic with a Chalet Venetian Leather interior package, a predominantly white interior that’s warm and inviting while still feeling fresh and airy.
Interior Deep Dive
Taking a deeper dive into the interior, the first thing you see is that screen, and it lights up to greet you with giant letters spelling out “Nautilus.” The well-positioned screen stretches across the front of the car, in the line of sight just under the windshield and above the heated flat-top steering wheel. The main screen is large enough to provide wow factor but not so dominant that it takes over the cockpit and becomes distracting. After the hello, the screen reverts to the widgets you have chosen to put there, which are easy to customize. I have this section configured with the time on the far right, then local weather in the middle and audio source and song on the left. In the middle is navigation and the PRNDL. Directly ahead are driver displays, and to the left is the fuel gauge. Controls are on a separate touchscreen within reach on the center stack.
Classy Color and Material Choices
The Nautilus’ dashboard is two-tone black and white leather, a color scheme that continues to the doors, which are downright fancy with illuminated, color-changing swirls and elegant perforated metal speaker covers.
The Lincoln’s headliner is a soft white microsuede that extends down the B-pillar to the beltline and then continues as a black column. The headliner console houses a compartment for sunglasses, overhead light and sunroof controls, and a button to keep the interior lights from coming on when you open the door, say, to prevent waking sleeping children.
The seats are a matching white Venetian leather with an elaborate diamond-stitched design, black piping, and a modern headrest design. They’re also heated and ventilated and offer a choice of five massage settings. Making the seat belts white instead of the traditional black is a nice touch, too.
The center console is ringed with leather, with integrated grab handles on each side. Rose gold/bronze trim encases the console, piano-key gearshift, and large crystal volume knob for the Revel Ultima 28-speaker audio system. A strip of rich-looking wood surrounds the toggle switches for functions such as stop/start, hazard lights, camera, parking brake, max defrost, and drive modes.
Places for Your Devices
Lincoln designed the Nautilus’ wireless phone charger on an angle, so it takes up less real estate than a flat shelf. As an added bonus, its rubber cover comes out for easy cleaning. There is the obligatory pair of cupholders, USB-A and USB-C ports, and a power outlet above a tray that can hold a wallet. The whole area can remain open or be hidden away with an attractive cover with a sturdy metal handle. A second covered portion has more outlets inside the soft lined storage area.
Back Seat and Cargo Area
The Nautilus’ back seat is surprisingly roomy for a vehicle of its size, with lots of head- and legroom. Unlike some rivals, there’s no scrimping on materials in the Lincoln; they’re the same premium quality as those in the front. You can seat three in the second row or pull down the center section for a table and armrest with sturdy pop-out cupholders. Rear passengers also have storage pouches, air vents, and the controls for outboard heated rear seats of their own.
In back is a sizable cargo area with a hands-free liftgate, spare tire, and a couple clips for grocery bags. There are buttons to release the 60/40 split rear seats for a large fold-flat area, though you must return them to their upright position manually. Righting the narrow portion of the seat is surprisingly easy; the wider side takes a bit more effort but is not difficult.
Lincoln says it designed this third-generation Nautilus to be a sanctuary, and on that front it succeeds. It goes so far as to offer special features for relaxation, something we will explore in another update.
More on Our 2025 Lincoln Nautilus Long-Termer:
Alisa Priddle joined MotorTrend in 2016 as the Detroit Editor. A Canadian, she received her Bachelor of Journalism degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, and has been a reporter for 40 years, most of it covering the auto industry because there is no more fascinating arena to cover. It has it all: the vehicles, the people, the plants, the competition, the drama. Alisa has had a wonderfully varied work history as a reporter for four daily newspapers including the Detroit Free Press where she was auto editor, and the Detroit News where she covered the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies, as well as auto trade publication Wards, and two enthusiast magazines: Car & Driver and now MotorTrend. At MotorTrend Alisa is a judge for the MotorTrend Car, Truck, SUV and Person of the Year. She loves seeing a new model for the first time, driving it for the first time, and grilling executives for the stories behind them. In her spare time, she loves to swim, boat, sauna, and then jump into a cold lake or pile of snow.
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