Compare the2025 Lincoln NautilusVS 2024 GMC Terrain

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

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 GMC Terrain doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Lincoln Nautilus are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The GMC Terrain doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Nautilus and Terrain have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Nautilus 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 Terrain’s 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.

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 Terrain doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Nautilus has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Terrain doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Nautilus has standard Reverse Brake Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Terrain doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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

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. A system to reveal vehicles in the Terrain’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Nautilus has standard Cross-Traffic Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Braking automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. GMC charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Terrain and the Terrain’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

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 Terrain doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Nautilus and the Terrain have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.

The Lincoln Nautilus weighs 654 to 1295 pounds more than the GMC Terrain. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Lincoln Nautilus is much safer than the Terrain:

	Nautilus	Terrain
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	64	131
Neck Tension	201 lbs.	290 lbs.
Neck Compression	89 lbs.	112 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.71 in	1.73 in
Shoulder Force	223 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.02 in	1.69 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Injury Criterion	152	733
Head Peak Forces	no contact	101 G’s
Neck Compression	89 lbs.	491 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.02 in	1.65 in
Shoulder Force	290 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.57 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

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 Terrain is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Warranty

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

The Nautilus’ corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Terrain’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

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 Terrain doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lincoln 1 place higher in reliability than GMC.

Engine

The Nautilus’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 75 more horsepower (250 vs. 175) and 77 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 203) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Nautilus’ optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 135 more horsepower (310 vs. 175) and 92 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 203) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Nautilus
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	30 city/31 hwy
Terrain
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy

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

The Nautilus Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 5.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain FWD’s standard fuel tank (20.1 vs. 14.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Nautilus’ standard fuel tank has 4.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain AWD’s standard fuel tank (20.3 vs. 15.6 gallons).

The Nautilus Hybrid has a standard locking fuel door. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Terrain. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Transmission

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 Terrain doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Nautilus	Terrain
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	11.3 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Nautilus has larger tires than the Terrain (255/60R19 vs. 225/65R17). The Nautilus’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Terrain (255/60R19 vs. 235/50R19).

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 Terrain SLE/AT4’s standard 65 series tires. The Nautilus’ optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Terrain’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Nautilus has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Terrain SLE/AT4. The Nautilus’ optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Terrain.

Suspension and Handling

The Nautilus has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Nautilus flat and controlled during cornering. The Terrain’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

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

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 Terrain doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Nautilus’ wheelbase is 6.9 inches longer than on the Terrain (114.2 inches vs. 107.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Nautilus is 2.9 inches wider in the front and 2.8 inches wider in the rear than on the Terrain.

For greater off-road capability the Nautilus has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Terrain SLE (7.9 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Nautilus to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Nautilus has 10.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Terrain (113.5 vs. 103.2).

The Nautilus has 2.6 inches more front legroom, 2.4 inches more front hip room, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom, 3.4 inches more rear legroom, 4.5 inches more rear hip room and 2.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Terrain.

Cargo Capacity

The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Terrain with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 29.6 cubic feet). The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Terrain with its rear seat folded (71.3 vs. 63.3 cubic feet).

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the GMC Terrain is limited to 1500 pounds. The Nautilus offers up to a 1750 lbs. towing capacity.

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 Terrain can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Servicing Ease

The Nautilus uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Terrain 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’ front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Terrain’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Nautilus the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Terrain can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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 Terrain doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its OnStar® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Nautilus’ 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 Terrain’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Nautilus has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Terrain doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Nautilus also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

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 is only available on the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali.

The Nautilus Reserve/Black Label has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Terrain.

The Nautilus has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Terrain.

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

The Lincoln Nautilus has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the driver’s visor. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Homelink® is only available on the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali.

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. Only the Terrain Denali offers wireless charging.

The Nautilus’ Active Park Assist 2.0 can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Terrain Denali’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.