Compare the2023 Lincoln NautilusVS 2023 Chevrolet Equinox

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Chevrolet Equinox doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Lincoln Nautilus are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Equinox doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 Equinox doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Equinox 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.

The Nautilus has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Equinox’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Nautilus has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Equinox.

Both the Nautilus and the Equinox have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Lincoln Nautilus weighs 653 to 1271 pounds more than the Chevrolet Equinox. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Chevrolet Equinox:

	Nautilus	Equinox
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	282	376
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches
Neck Compression	44 lbs.	51 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	145/201 lbs.	264/236 lbs.

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 Chevrolet Equinox:

	Nautilus	Equinox
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	84	109
Chest Movement	1.1 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	190 lbs.	195 lbs.
Hip Force	192 lbs.	357 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	103	288
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	55 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	257	377
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	425 lbs.	730 lbs.

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Nautilus the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Equinox has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

The Nautilus comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Equinox’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Nautilus 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Chevrolet covers the Equinox. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Equinox ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Nautilus’ corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Equinox’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

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 27 points higher than the Equinox.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lincoln 10 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

The Nautilus’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 75 more horsepower (250 vs. 175) and 77 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 203) than the Equinox’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Nautilus’ optional 2.7 turbo V6 produces 160 more horsepower (335 vs. 175) and 177 lbs.-ft. more torque (380 vs. 203) than the Equinox’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Nautilus is faster than the Chevrolet Equinox:

	Nautilus turbo 4 cyl.	Nautilus turbo V6	Equinox
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	5.8 sec	9.2 sec
Quarter Mile	15.6 sec	14.4 sec	16.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88.8 MPH	95.8 MPH	81.2 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Nautilus has 3.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Equinox FWD’s standard fuel tank (18 vs. 14.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Nautilus has 2.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Equinox AWD’s standard fuel tank (18 vs. 15.6 gallons).

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Lincoln Nautilus, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Equinox.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Nautilus	Equinox
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	12.4 inches	11.3 inches
Opt Rear Rotors	13.6 inches

The Nautilus stops shorter than the Equinox:

	Nautilus	Equinox
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	120 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Nautilus has larger standard tires than the Equinox (245/60R18 vs. 225/65R17). The Nautilus’ optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Equinox (265/40R21 vs. 235/50R19).

The Nautilus’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Equinox LS/LT’s standard 65 series tires. The Nautilus’ optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Equinox’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Nautilus has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Equinox LS/LT. The Nautilus’ optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Equinox.

Suspension and Handling

The Nautilus has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Nautilus flat and controlled during cornering. The Equinox’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Nautilus offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Equinox’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Nautilus’ wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Equinox (112.2 inches vs. 107.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Nautilus is 2.6 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than on the Equinox.

The Nautilus Reserve AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the Equinox LT AWD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Nautilus Reserve AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Equinox LT AWD (27.1 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Nautilus has 5.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Equinox (108.3 vs. 103.2).

The Nautilus has 1.9 inches more front legroom, 2.2 inches more front hip room, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 3.9 inches more rear hip room and 3.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Equinox.

Cargo Capacity

The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Equinox with its rear seat up (37.2 vs. 29.9 cubic feet). The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Equinox with its rear seat folded (68.8 vs. 63.9 cubic feet).

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

	Nautilus	Equinox
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	41.5”/75”	34.9”/67.4”
Max Width	45”	53.7”
Min Width	45”	40.7”
Height	31”	31”

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Nautilus. The Equinox doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Chevrolet Equinox is limited to 1500 pounds. The Nautilus offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The Nautilus uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Equinox uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The Nautilus’ front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Equinox’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Nautilus the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Equinox can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Nautilus Reserve/Black Label’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Equinox’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Nautilus offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Equinox 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 optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Equinox.

The Nautilus has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Equinox and isn’t available on the Equinox LS.

The Nautilus’ standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Equinox LS doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Nautilus is less expensive to operate than the Equinox because it costs $527 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Nautilus than the Equinox, including $336 less for a muffler, $120 less for front brake pads, $288 less for a starter, $265 less for fuel injection and $377 less for a fuel pump.

Recommendations

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