Compare the2023 Lincoln NautilusVS 2023 Audi Q8

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 Q8 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Lincoln Nautilus has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q8 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the Nautilus and the Q8 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, 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 Audi Q8:

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Lincoln Nautilus is safer than the Audi Q8:

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

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Nautilus the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Q8 has not been fully tested, yet.

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Nautilus 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q8. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Q8 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Lincoln dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Nautilus’ warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Nautilus’ reliability 23 points higher than the Q8.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Nautilus first among midsize premium suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Q8 isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln above average in initial quality. With 72 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln above average in long-term dependability. With 12 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Audi is rated below average.

The Nautilus’ optional 2.7 turbo V6 produces 11 lbs.-ft. more torque (380 vs. 369) than the Q8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Nautilus turbo V6 is faster than the Audi Q8:

On the EPA test cycle the Nautilus gets better mileage than the Q8:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Lincoln Nautilus uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Q8 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Nautilus has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Q8 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Lincoln Nautilus higher (6 out of 10) than the Audi Q8 (5). This means the Nautilus produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Q8 every 15,000 miles.

The Nautilus stops much shorter than the Q8:

For better maneuverability, the Nautilus’ turning circle is 4.2 feet tighter than the Q8’s (39.3 feet vs. 43.5 feet).

The Lincoln Nautilus may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 850 pounds less than the Audi Q8.

The Nautilus is 6.6 inches shorter than the Q8, making the Nautilus easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Nautilus uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Q8 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Nautilus has 2.8 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more rear headroom and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q8.

The front step up height for the Nautilus is 2 inches lower than the Q8 (17.5” vs. 19.5”). The Nautilus’ rear step up height is 1.8 inches lower than the Q8’s (18” vs. 19.8”).

The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q8 with its rear seat up (37.2 vs. 30.5 cubic feet). The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q8 with its rear seat folded (68.8 vs. 60.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Nautilus easier. The Nautilus’ cargo hatch lift-over height is 30 inches, while the Q8’s liftover is 33.7 inches.

The Nautilus’ cargo area is larger than the Q8’s in almost every dimension:

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Nautilus’ rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Q8 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

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 Q8 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 Q8 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 Q8 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Audi Connect CARE can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Nautilus’ headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Q8’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Nautilus offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Q8 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/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 Q8 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Nautilus is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q8 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Nautilus owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Nautilus will cost $3420 to $6755 less than the Q8 over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Lincoln Nautilus will be $18832 to $26918 less than for the Audi Q8.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Lincoln Nautilus, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Lincoln Nautilus outsold the Audi Q8/SQ8/RS Q8 by over two to one during 2022.