Compare the2023 Lincoln NautilusVS 2022 Toyota Highlander

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
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 Toyota Highlander doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row 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 Highlander doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Nautilus has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Nautilus has standard Cross-Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum offers rear cross-path warning.

Both the Nautilus and the Highlander have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, 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 Toyota Highlander:

	Nautilus	Highlander
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	212	292
Neck Injury Risk	22.4%	38.2%
Neck Stress	229 lbs.	347 lbs.
Neck Compression	21 lbs.	55 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	282	328
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches
Neck Compression	44 lbs.	90 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	145/201 lbs.	545/323 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 Toyota Highlander:

	Nautilus	Highlander
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	192 lbs.	300 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	103	114
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	257	366
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	41 G’s
Hip Force	425 lbs.	664 lbs.

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

Warranty

The Nautilus comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Highlander’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 Toyota covers the Highlander. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Highlander ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Nautilus first among midsize premium suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Highlander 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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

Engine

The Nautilus’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 17 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 263) than the Highlander’s 3.5 DOHC V6. The Nautilus’ optional 2.7 turbo V6 produces 40 more horsepower (335 vs. 295) and 117 lbs.-ft. more torque (380 vs. 263) than the Highlander’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Nautilus is faster than the Toyota Highlander:

	Nautilus turbo 4 cyl.	Nautilus turbo V6	Highlander
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	5.8 sec	7.4 sec
Quarter Mile	15.6 sec	14.4 sec	15.7 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

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 Highlander doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

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

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Nautilus	Highlander
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	13.3 inches

The Nautilus stops much shorter than the Highlander:

	Nautilus	Highlander
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

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

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 Highlander L/LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires. The Nautilus’ optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Highlander XSE/Limited/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

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

Suspension and Handling

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 Highlander’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Nautilus Reserve AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the Highlander Platinum AWD pulls only .79 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 Highlander Platinum AWD (27.1 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

Chassis

The Nautilus is 4.9 inches shorter than the Highlander, 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 Highlander doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Nautilus has .8 inches more front legroom and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Highlander.

The front step up height for the Nautilus is 1.5 inches lower than the Highlander (17.5” vs. 19”). The Nautilus’ rear step up height is 1.2 inches lower than the Highlander’s (18” vs. 19.2”).

Cargo Capacity

The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume than the Highlander with its rear seat up (37.2 vs. 16 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 Highlander’s liftover is 31.2 inches.

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

Towing

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 Highlander can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Servicing Ease

The Nautilus uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Highlander 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’ standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Highlander doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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 Highlander doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Nautilus’ standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Highlander offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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 Highlander.

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 Highlander doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Nautilus is less expensive to operate than the Highlander because typical repairs cost much less on the Nautilus than the Highlander, including $346 less for a starter, $250 less for fuel injection, $205 less for a fuel pump and $777 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

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