Compare the2024 Cadillac XT6VS 2023 Lincoln Nautilus

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

Safety

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The XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Nautilus doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Nautilus doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the XT6 and the Nautilus have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 Cadillac XT6 is safer than the Lincoln Nautilus:

	XT6	Nautilus
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	167	212
Neck Stress	187 lbs.	229 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	161/358 lbs.	165/596 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	155 lbs.	197 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	9/6 lbs.	145/201 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 Cadillac XT6 is safer than the Lincoln Nautilus:

	XT6	Nautilus
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	117 lbs.	190 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	41 G’s
Hip Force	249 lbs.	635 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	16 inches

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

Warranty

The XT6’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Nautilus’ (6 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the XT6 first among upper midsize premium suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Nautilus was rated second in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 38 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln 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 Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in long-term dependability. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Lincoln is rated lower.

Engine

The XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 60 more horsepower (310 vs. 250) than the Nautilus’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport 3.6 DOHC V6 is faster than the Lincoln Nautilus turbo 4 cyl.:

	XT6	Nautilus
Zero to 60 MPH	6.8 sec	7.3 sec
Quarter Mile	15.2 sec	15.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93.1 MPH	88.8 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XT6 gets better mileage than the Nautilus:

			MPG
XT6
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy
Nautilus
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/25 hwy
		2.7 turbo V6	19 city/25 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the XT6’s fuel efficiency. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The XT6 FWD’s standard fuel tank has a gallon more fuel capacity than the Nautilus (19 vs. 18 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The XT6 AWD’s standard fuel tank has 4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Nautilus (22 vs. 18 gallons).

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Cadillac XT6, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Nautilus.

Brakes and Stopping

The XT6’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Nautilus are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

The Cadillac XT6’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Lincoln Nautilus only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The XT6 has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Nautilus doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XT6 is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than on the Nautilus.

The XT6 Sport AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Nautilus Reserve AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The XT6 Sport AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Nautilus Reserve AWD (27.2 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the XT6’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Nautilus’ (38.7 feet vs. 39.3 feet).

Chassis

The front grille of the XT6 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Nautilus doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The XT6 has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Nautilus can only carry 5.

The XT6 has 41.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Nautilus (149.9 vs. 108.3).

Cargo Capacity

The XT6’s cargo area provides more volume than the Nautilus.

	XT6	Nautilus
Third Seat Folded	43.1 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	37.2 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	78.7 cubic feet	68.8 cubic feet

The XT6’s cargo area is larger than the Nautilus’ in almost every dimension:

	XT6	Nautilus
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	15.5”/48”/80.2”	n.a./41.5”/75”
Max Width	50”	45”
Min Width	43”	45”
Height	32.5”	31”

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Lincoln Nautilus is limited to 3500 pounds. The XT6 offers up to a 4000 lbs. towing capacity.

A Trailer Sway Control is standard on the XT6, using the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the Nautilus.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Cadillac service is better than Lincoln. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac second in service department satisfaction. With a 26% lower rating, Lincoln is ranked 12th.

Ergonomics

The XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the XT6 and the Nautilus have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the XT6 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Nautilus prevents the driver from operating the rear windows just as it does the other passengers.

The XT6’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Nautilus’ cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the XT6 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Nautilus only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

When the XT6 is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Nautilus’ mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport’s optional Automatic Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting and stopping automatically, with the driver only responsible for switching from reverse to drive. The Nautilus (except Standard)’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the XT6 is less expensive to operate than the Nautilus because typical repairs cost less on the XT6 than the Nautilus, including $5 less for a fuel pump, $83 less for front struts and $200 less for a power steering pump.

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