Compare the2024 Ford EdgeVS 2023 Lincoln Nautilus

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Edge. But it costs extra on the Nautilus.

The Edge’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Edge and the Nautilus have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available front and rear parking sensors.

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

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

There are over 4 times as many Ford dealers as there are Lincoln dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Edge’s warranty.

The Edge has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. With 7 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Ford higher than Lincoln.

The Edge ST’s standard 2.7 turbo V6 produces 85 more horsepower (335 vs. 250) and 100 lbs.-ft. more torque (380 vs. 280) than the Nautilus’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Edge ST 2.7 turbo V6 is faster than the Lincoln Nautilus turbo 4 cyl.:

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

The Edge ST’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.

The Edge stops shorter than the Nautilus:

The Edge’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Nautilus doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Edge ST handles at .88 G’s, while the Nautilus Reserve AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Edge ST executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Nautilus Reserve AWD (26 seconds @ .7 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

The front grille of the Edge 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.

The Edge has 5.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Nautilus (113.9 vs. 108.3).

The Edge has .3 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 1 inch more rear legroom, 1.9 inches more rear hip room and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Nautilus.

The Edge has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Nautilus with its rear seat up (39.2 vs. 37.2 cubic feet). The Edge has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Nautilus with its rear seat folded (73.4 vs. 68.8 cubic feet).

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

The power windows standard on both the Edge and the Nautilus have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Edge 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 Edge’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.

The Edge’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Nautilus’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Edge 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.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Edge is less expensive to operate than the Nautilus because typical repairs cost less on the Edge than the Nautilus, including $200 less for a water pump and $105 less for a power steering pump.

The Ford Edge has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

The Ford Edge outsold the Lincoln Nautilus by over four to one during 2022.