Compare the2022 Lincoln NautilusVS 2022 Acura RDX

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Lincoln Nautilus have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Acura RDX doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Nautilus are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The RDX doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nautilus has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The RDX doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the Nautilus and the RDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Lincoln Nautilus is safer than the Acura RDX:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

There are almost 3 times as many Lincoln dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Nautilus’ warranty.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lincoln 2 places higher in reliability than Acura.

The Nautilus’ optional 2.7 turbo V6 produces 63 more horsepower (335 vs. 272) and 100 lbs.-ft. more torque (380 vs. 280) than the RDX’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Nautilus turbo V6 is faster than the Acura RDX:

The Nautilus has almost a gallon more fuel capacity than the RDX (18 vs. 17.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Nautilus’ brake rotors are larger than those on the RDX:

The Nautilus stops much shorter than the RDX:

For better traction, the Nautilus has larger standard tires than the RDX (245/60R18 vs. 235/55R19). The Nautilus’ optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RDX (265/40R21 vs. 255/40R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Nautilus offers optional 21-inch wheels. The RDX’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Nautilus’ wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than on the RDX (112.2 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

The Nautilus Reserve AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the RDX AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Nautilus Reserve AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the RDX AWD (27.1 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

The Nautilus has 4.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the RDX (108.3 vs. 104).

The Nautilus has .3 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 1.2 inches more rear legroom, 5.7 inches more rear hip room and 2.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the RDX.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Nautilus’ rear seats recline. The RDX’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume than the RDX with its rear seat up (37.2 vs. 31.1 cubic feet).

The Nautilus’ standard towing capacity is much higher than the RDX’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Acura RDX is only 1500 pounds. The Nautilus offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

The Nautilus 2.7 Turbo can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Nautilus can be unhitched and driven around locally. The RDX can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Optional Trailer Sway Control on the Nautilus uses the AdvanceTrac™ sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The RDX doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Nautilus’ exterior PIN entry system. The RDX doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its AcuraLink can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Nautilus offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The RDX doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Nautilus (except Standard) also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Nautilus Reserve/Lincoln Black Label offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the RDX.

The Nautilus Reserve/Lincoln Black Label offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The RDX doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Nautilus (except Standard)’s optional Enhanced Active Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The RDX doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Nautilus is less expensive to operate than the RDX because it costs $154 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Nautilus than the RDX, including $214 less for front brake pads, $383 less for a starter, $58 less for fuel injection, $170 less for a fuel pump, $18 less for front struts and $216 less for a power steering pump.