Compare the2024 Audi Q7VS 2023 Lincoln Nautilus

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
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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The Q7’s 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.

Both the Q7 and Nautilus have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q7 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Nautilus’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Q7 offers optional Maneuver 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q7. But it costs extra on the Nautilus.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The Q7 has Car-to-X Services, a system that seemlesly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Q7 Prestige 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 Q7 and Nautilus have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Q7 has Automatic Brake Activation (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Nautilus’ Cross-Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Q7 and the Nautilus 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 and available around view monitors.

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 Audi Q7 is safer than the Lincoln Nautilus:

	Q7	Nautilus
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.8 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	128 lbs.	190 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	16 inches

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Audi Q7 is safer than the Nautilus:

	Q7	Nautilus
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	86	208
Neck Tension	223 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Max Deflection	.94 in	1.1 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	6 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	937 lbs.	1160 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	40	260
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	156 lbs.
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	1.5 in
Shoulder Force	134 lbs.	424 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.57 in
Torso Deflection Rate	9 MPH	11 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Audi Q7 achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Nautilus has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Warranty

The Q7’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Nautilus’ (12 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 4 places higher in reliability than Lincoln.

Engine

The Q7 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 11 more horsepower (261 vs. 250) than the Nautilus’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

Regenerative brakes improve the Q7’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Q7 has 4.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Nautilus (22.5 vs. 18 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Q7 has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Nautilus. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Q7’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Nautilus:

	Q7	Nautilus
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	13.8 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	12.4 inches
Opt Rear Rotors		13.6 inches

The Q7’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

For better traction, the Q7 has larger standard tires than the Nautilus (255/55R19 vs. 245/60R18). The Q7’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Nautilus (285/45R20 vs. 265/40R21).

The Q7’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Nautilus’ standard 60 series tires. The Q7 Prestige’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Nautilus’ optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q7 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Nautilus. The Q7 Prestige’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the Nautilus.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the Q7 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Nautilus doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q7’s wheelbase is 5.7 inches longer than on the Nautilus (117.9 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Q7 is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than on the Nautilus.

The Q7 Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the Nautilus Reserve AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q7 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Nautilus Reserve AWD (26.4 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Q7 has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Nautilus can only carry 5.

Cargo Capacity

The Q7’s cargo area provides more volume than the Nautilus.

	Q7	Nautilus
Second Seat Folded	69.6 cubic feet	68.8 cubic feet

The Q7’s cargo area is larger than the Nautilus’ in almost every dimension:

	Q7	Nautilus
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	19.5”/44.7”/80.7”	n.a./41.5”/75”
Max Width	52.5”	45”
Min Width	42.6”	45”
Height	30”	31”

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Lincoln Nautilus is limited to 3500 pounds. The Q7 offers up to a 7700 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Q7 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Nautilus. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Lincoln. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 11% lower rating, Lincoln is ranked 12th.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Nautilus, the Q7 Prestige offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Q7 Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning, navigation instruction and driver assistance information 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 Q7 and the Nautilus have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Q7 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 Q7’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 Q7’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Nautilus’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Q7 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Nautilus doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Laser headlights, optional on the Q7 Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the Nautilus’ LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q7 Prestige offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Nautilus doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the Q7 has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Nautilus doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

A manual rear sunshade and rear side window sunshades are optional in the Q7 (except Premium) to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

When the Q7 is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Nautilus’ mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Q7 55 TFSI Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Nautilus (except Standard)’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Q7 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Q7 with a number “5” insurance rate while the Nautilus is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q7 is less expensive to operate than the Nautilus because typical repairs cost much less on the Q7 than the Nautilus, including $113 less for a water pump and $427 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi Q7 and the Lincoln Nautilus, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Audi Q7/SQ7 outsold the Lincoln Nautilus by 19% during 2023.

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