Compare the2025 Lincoln NautilusVS 2025 Audi A6 Allroad

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

Safety

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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 A6 Allroad doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 A6 Allroad’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. Audi charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Assist on the A6 Allroad.

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 A6 Allroad doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Nautilus and the A6 Allroad 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, 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 and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Lincoln Nautilus is safer than the Audi A6 Allroad:

	Nautilus	A6 Allroad
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	146	197
Neck Injury Risk	29.7%	30%
Neck Stress	317 lbs.	322 lbs.
Neck Compression	33 lbs.	64 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	359/332 lbs.	292/435 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	333	354
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	35.1%	41%
Neck Stress	192 lbs.	228 lbs.
Neck Compression	37 lbs.	98 lbs.

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

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, results indicate that the Lincoln Nautilus is safer than the Audi A6 Allroad:

	Nautilus	A6 Allroad
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	60	135
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	121 lbs.	174 lbs.
Hip Force	154 lbs.	262 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	491 lbs.	716 lbs.

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

The Lincoln Nautilus has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 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 A6 Allroad has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

Warranty

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Nautilus 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Audi covers the A6 Allroad. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the A6 Allroad ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 55 percent more Lincoln dealers than there are Audi dealers, which makes it much 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 A6 Allroad doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the car’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.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Nautilus 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder Hybrid CVT gets better fuel mileage than the A6 Allroad (30 city/31 hwy vs. 22 city/30 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Lincoln Nautilus uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The A6 Allroad requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Nautilus’ standard fuel tank has a gallon more fuel capacity than the A6 Allroad (20.3 vs. 19.3 gallons).

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 A6 Allroad 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 (6 out of 10) than the Audi A6 Allroad (4). This means the Nautilus produces up to 12.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the A6 Allroad every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Lincoln Nautilus, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the A6 Allroad.

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 A6 Allroad doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Nautilus stops shorter than the A6 Allroad:

	Nautilus	A6 Allroad
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	119 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Nautilus has larger tires than the A6 Allroad (255/60R19 vs. 245/45R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Nautilus offers optional 22-inch wheels. The A6 Allroad’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

Suspension and Handling

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 A6 Allroad doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Nautilus is .4 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than on the A6 Allroad.

For better maneuverability, the Nautilus’ turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the A6 Allroad’s (37.5 feet vs. 40 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Nautilus has a 1.8 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the A6 Allroad Premium Plus (7.9 vs. 6.1 inches), allowing the Nautilus to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Nautilus’ minimum ground clearance is .6 inch higher than on the A6 Allroad Prestige (7.9 vs. 7.3 inches).

Chassis

The Nautilus uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The A6 Allroad doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Nautilus has 12.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the A6 Allroad (113.5 vs. 101).

The Nautilus has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 2.2 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 5.7 inches more rear legroom and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the A6 Allroad.

Cargo Capacity

The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the A6 Allroad with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 30 cubic feet). The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the A6 Allroad with its rear seat folded (71.3 vs. 63.8 cubic feet).

Towing

The Nautilus offers up to a 1750 lbs. towing capacity. The A6 Allroad has no 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 A6 Allroad 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 A6 Allroad doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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 A6 Allroad doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

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 A6 Allroad only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Nautilus has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The A6 Allroad 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’ standard oscillating air vents move back and forth and distribute air evenly inside the vehicle, making everyone more comfortable. The A6 Allroad doesn’t offer oscillating vents.

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 A6 Allroad doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Recommendations

Motor Trend selected the Nautilus as their 2025 Sport Utility of the Year. The A6 Allroad has never been chosen.

The Lincoln Nautilus outsold the Audi A6/S6/RS 6 by over four to one during 2024.

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