Compare the2025 Lincoln NautilusVS 2024 Audi Q8

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Nautilus are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q8 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Q8 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

With its standard Co-Pilot 360 Assist+, the Lincoln Nautilus is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Audi Q8, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

The Nautilus’ 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 Q8 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Nautilus and the Q8 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, all wheel drive, 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 and rear cross-path warning.

The Lincoln Nautilus has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Q8 has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Nautilus 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q8. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Q8 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 75 percent more Lincoln dealers than there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Nautilus’ warranty.

The Nautilus 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 Q8 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’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. With 18 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Lincoln higher than Audi.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 24 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Lincoln higher than Audi.

On the EPA test cycle the Nautilus gets better mileage than the Q8:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Lincoln Nautilus uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Q8 requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

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 Q8 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Lincoln Nautilus higher (7 out of 10) than the Audi Q8 (4). This means the Nautilus produces up to 13.2 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Q8 every 15,000 miles.

The Nautilus has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Q8 doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Nautilus’ 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 Q8 doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better maneuverability, the Nautilus’ turning circle is 6.1 feet tighter than the Q8’s (37.5 feet vs. 43.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Nautilus has a 2.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Q8 (7.9 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the Nautilus to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Lincoln Nautilus may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 700 pounds less than the Audi Q8.

The Nautilus is 3.4 inches shorter than the Q8, 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 Q8 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Nautilus has 2.5 inches more front headroom, 1.9 inches more front legroom, 1.7 inches more rear headroom and 2.9 inches more rear legroom than the Q8.

The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q8 with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 30.5 cubic feet). The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q8 with its rear seat folded (71.3 vs. 60.7 cubic feet).

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Nautilus’ rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Q8 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Nautilus Hybrid 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 Q8 can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Nautilus uses the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q8 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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 Q8 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Audi Connect CARE can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Nautilus has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q8 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Nautilus’ headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Q8’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Q8’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Nautilus’ standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

The Nautilus has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Q8.

The Nautilus’ standard oscillating air vents move back and forth and distribute air evenly inside the vehicle, making everyone more comfortable. The Q8 doesn’t offer oscillating vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Lincoln Nautilus has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Q8.

The Nautilus offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Q8 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Lincoln Nautilus outsold the Audi Q8/SQ8/RS Q8 by 80% during 2023.