Compare the2025 Lincoln NautilusVS 2024 Mercedes GLE

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics

Safety

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Both the Nautilus and GLE 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 GLE’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.

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 GLE 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 GLE doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

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

	Nautilus	GLE
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-23 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-24 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-22 MPH
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
Warning Issued-Brights	2.1 sec	1.8 sec
37 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-8 MPH
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.7 sec	.9 sec

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 GLE doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Nautilus’ standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLE.

Both the Nautilus and the GLE have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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 safer than the GLE:

	Nautilus	GLE
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.71 in	.87 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.02 in	1.34 in
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	803 lbs.	1026 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	152	232
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	825 lbs.	1116 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

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

There are over 39 percent more Lincoln dealers than there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Nautilus’ warranty.

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 GLE 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 Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lincoln 6 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Nautilus gets better mileage than the GLE running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
Nautilus
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	30 city/31 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/29 hwy
GLE
	AWD	350 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	21 city/28 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/26 hwy
		4.0 turbo V8 Hybrid	15 city/20 hwy

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

The Nautilus Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLE 450e’s standard fuel tank (20.1 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Lincoln Nautilus higher (7 out of 10) than the Mercedes GLE (5 to 7). This means the Nautilus produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GLE every 15,000 miles.

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 GLE doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Nautilus’ standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the GLE:

	Nautilus	GLE
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	13 inches

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Nautilus’ turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the GLE’s (37.5 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

Chassis

The Lincoln Nautilus may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 1050 pounds less than the Mercedes GLE.

The Nautilus uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The GLE doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Nautilus has 3.2 inches more front legroom, 2.9 inches more rear headroom and 2.2 inches more rear legroom than the GLE.

Cargo Capacity

The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume than the GLE with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 33.3 cubic feet).

Towing

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 GLE can’t be towed flat on the ground.

A Trailer Sway Control is standard on the Nautilus, using the AdvanceTrac® 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 GLE.

Ergonomics

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 GLE doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Mercedes-Benz Emergency Call 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 GLE only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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 GLE.

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