The 2023 Lincoln Nautilus stands as a testament to luxury and sophistication in the SUV market. For discerning drivers, safety is paramount, and understanding a vehicle’s safety performance is a crucial part of the purchase decision. This article delves into the safety ratings and crash test results for the 2023 Lincoln Nautilus, providing a comprehensive overview based on rigorous evaluations. We will explore various safety aspects, from crashworthiness in different scenarios to advanced safety features designed to prevent accidents and protect occupants.
The data presented here is derived from standardized testing procedures, offering objective insights into how the 2023 Lincoln Nautilus performs in real-world collision scenarios. It is important to note that these ratings apply to models from 2019-2023, encompassing the period after the Lincoln MKX was restyled and renamed the Lincoln Nautilus in 2019. Furthermore, the Ford Edge, sharing the same body and bumper structure since 2019, also falls under these safety assessments. This extensive analysis provides a broad understanding of the vehicle’s safety capabilities, helping you make an informed choice.
Small Overlap Front Crash Test: Assessing Frontal Impact Safety
The small overlap front crash test is designed to simulate a collision where only a small portion of the vehicle’s front end impacts another vehicle or a rigid object. This is a particularly challenging test as it concentrates crash forces on a smaller area, bypassing the main energy-absorbing structures of the vehicle. The 2023 Lincoln Nautilus underwent both driver-side and passenger-side small overlap front tests, and the results provide valuable insights into its structural integrity and occupant protection.
Driver-Side Small Overlap Front Test
In the driver-side small overlap front test, the 2023 Lincoln Nautilus achieved a “Good” rating, the highest possible. This “Good” rating extends across all evaluation criteria, including structure and safety cage, driver injury measures, and driver restraints and dummy kinematics.
Action shot during the driver-side small overlap frontal crash test of the Lincoln Nautilus, highlighting vehicle deformation and safety system deployment.
The structural performance was commendable, with the safety cage maintaining its integrity well during the impact. Driver injury measures were also rated “Good” across all categories – head/neck, chest, hip/thigh, and lower leg/foot – indicating a low risk of significant injuries in this type of crash. The restraint systems and dummy kinematics were also rated “Good,” demonstrating that the airbags and seatbelts effectively controlled the occupant’s movement during the crash, minimizing potential injury.
Post-crash dummy position in the Lincoln Nautilus driver-side small overlap test, showing effective survival space maintenance and airbag deployment.
Technical measurements from the driver-side test further illustrate the vehicle’s robust performance. Occupant compartment intrusion was minimal, with maximum intrusion at the lower hinge pillar measuring 9 cm. Driver injury measures were also low, with a Head Injury Criterion (HIC-15) of just 69 and no head contact with hard surfaces. Chest compression was measured at 26 mm, and femur forces were also low, indicating effective energy absorption and occupant restraint.
Frontal and side curtain airbag deployment in the Lincoln Nautilus during the driver-side small overlap test, demonstrating comprehensive head protection.
Leg and foot protection in the Lincoln Nautilus driver-side small overlap test, showcasing maintained occupant space and minimal lower extremity injury risk.
Passenger-Side Small Overlap Front Test
The passenger-side small overlap front test is equally critical, evaluating how well the vehicle protects the front passenger in a similar frontal offset collision. The 2023 Lincoln Nautilus also earned a “Good” rating in the passenger-side small overlap test, mirroring its driver-side performance.
The overall evaluation, structure and safety cage, and passenger injury measures all received “Good” ratings. Crucially, driver injury measures are also assessed in the passenger-side test, and these too were rated “Good” across the board, highlighting consistent protection for both front occupants.
Technical measurements for the passenger-side test were comparable to the driver-side test, with similar levels of occupant compartment intrusion and low injury measures. This consistent performance in both driver and passenger side small overlap tests underscores the robust frontal crash protection of the 2023 Lincoln Nautilus.
Moderate Overlap Front Crash Test: Assessing Frontal Impact Across a Wider Area
The moderate overlap front crash test simulates a more typical frontal collision where a larger portion of the vehicle’s front end impacts a barrier. In this test, the 2023 Lincoln Nautilus again achieved a “Good” overall rating.
The structure and safety cage held up well, earning a “Good” rating. Driver injury measures were also rated “Good” across all categories evaluated in this test, including head/neck, chest, and leg/foot (both left and right sides). Driver restraints and dummy kinematics were also rated “Good,” indicating effective occupant protection in this common type of frontal crash.
Technical measurements from the moderate overlap test showed minimal footwell intrusion and steering column movement. Driver injury measures remained low, with a HIC-15 of 189 and chest compression of 26 mm. Femur forces and tibia index values were also within acceptable limits, further confirming the “Good” rating for driver injury protection.
Side Crash Tests: Evaluating Protection in Side Impact Scenarios
Side impacts represent a significant risk in real-world collisions. The 2023 Lincoln Nautilus has undergone both the original side crash test and the updated side crash test (Side 2.0), providing a comprehensive evaluation of its side impact protection.
Original Side Crash Test
In the original side crash test, the 2023 Lincoln Nautilus achieved a “Good” overall rating. This “Good” rating extended to structure and safety cage, driver injury measures, driver head protection, rear passenger injury measures, and rear passenger head protection.
Driver injury measures were rated “Good” across head/neck, torso, and pelvis/leg categories. Rear passenger injury measures also received “Good” ratings for head/neck, torso, and pelvis/leg. These results indicate a high level of protection for both front and rear occupants in a side impact scenario according to the original test standards.
Technical measurements from the original side crash test showed minimal B-pillar intrusion into the occupant compartment. Driver and passenger injury measures were low, with HIC-15 values of 89 and 68 respectively, and torso and pelvis injury measures also indicating good protection.
Updated Side Crash Test (Side 2.0)
The updated side crash test (Side 2.0) is a more demanding evaluation, using a heavier barrier and higher impact speed to simulate a more severe side impact. In this updated test, the 2023 Lincoln Nautilus achieved an “Overall evaluation” rating of “Good”.
While the structure and safety cage and driver head protection maintained a “Good” rating, driver pelvis injury measure received a “Marginal” rating, and rear passenger torso injury measure was rated “Acceptable”. Rear passenger head and pelvis injury measures remained “Good”. These results indicate that while still providing overall good protection, the updated, more stringent side crash test revealed areas where side impact protection could be improved, particularly for pelvis protection for the driver and torso protection for rear passengers.
Technical measurements from the updated side crash test showed slightly higher injury measures compared to the original test, particularly in pelvic and torso regions, reflecting the more severe nature of the updated test.
Roof Strength Test: Assessing Rollover Protection
Roof strength is a critical factor in rollover crashes. The roof strength test evaluates the roof’s ability to withstand forces in a rollover scenario, protecting occupants from injury. The 2023 Lincoln Nautilus achieved a “Good” rating in the roof strength test.
With a strength-to-weight ratio of 5.21, the roof of the 2023 Lincoln Nautilus demonstrated excellent resistance to crushing forces. This high strength-to-weight ratio indicates that the roof is significantly stronger than the vehicle’s weight, providing robust protection in a rollover accident.
Head Restraints & Seats: Whiplash Protection
Head restraints and seats play a vital role in preventing whiplash injuries in rear-end collisions. The 2023 Lincoln Nautilus earned a “Good” overall rating for head restraints & seats. Both dynamic rating and seat/head restraint geometry were rated “Good”, indicating effective design in minimizing whiplash risk.
Technical measurements confirmed the effective geometry and dynamic performance of the head restraints and seats, contributing to the “Good” rating and indicating a low risk of whiplash injuries in rear impacts.
Headlights: Visibility Performance
Headlight performance is crucial for nighttime driving safety. The 2023 Lincoln Nautilus offers two different headlight variations, each with its own rating.
For the Reserve trim equipped with the Ultimate package and the Black Label trim, the headlights received a “Good” overall rating. These trims feature LED projector low and high beams, and high-beam assist. Visibility was generally good on straightaways and curves, with high-beam assist compensating for some limitations of the low beams.
For the Base, Select, and standard Reserve trims, equipped with LED reflector low and high beams and high-beam assist, the headlights received an “Acceptable” overall rating. Visibility was good on straightaways and right curves, but only fair on left curves. These headlights produced some glare. While “Acceptable” is still a positive rating, the “Good” rated LED projector headlights on the higher trims offer superior visibility performance.
Front Crash Prevention: Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Pedestrian
Advanced front crash prevention systems are increasingly important for mitigating and avoiding collisions. The 2023 Lincoln Nautilus offers both standard and optional front crash prevention systems, both of which earned “Superior” ratings for vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention.
The standard Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking, part of the standard Lincoln Co-Pilot360 package, and the optional Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking, part of the optional Lincoln Co-Pilot360 Plus package, both successfully avoided collisions in 12 mph and 25 mph vehicle-to-vehicle tests. Both systems also meet forward collision warning requirements.
For pedestrian front crash prevention (daytime), both the standard and optional systems earned “Advanced” ratings. In tests involving crossing children and adults, and a parallel adult, both systems demonstrated significant impact speed reduction or collision avoidance. While “Advanced” is a strong rating, it is not the highest “Superior” rating, indicating room for potential improvement in pedestrian detection performance compared to the vehicle-to-vehicle system.
Child Seat Anchors (LATCH): Ease of Use
Child seat anchors (LATCH) are essential for safe and secure installation of child safety seats. The 2023 Lincoln Nautilus received varying ratings for LATCH ease of use depending on the trim level.
For the Select trim, the LATCH system received an “Acceptable” rating. While the vehicle has two rear seating positions with complete LATCH hardware and an additional position with a tether anchor and ability to borrow lower anchors, some aspects were noted as less than ideal. Specifically, lower anchors in positions 1 and 3 were noted as being too deep in the seat, and other hardware could be confused for anchors.
For the Reserve trim, the LATCH system received a “Marginal” rating. Similar to the Select trim, it has the same LATCH hardware configuration, but lower anchors in positions 1 and 3 were noted as being too deep in the seat and requiring too much force to attach to. These “Marginal” and “Acceptable” ratings indicate that while LATCH hardware is present, it may not be the easiest to use compared to systems with “Good” ratings.
Conclusion: 2023 Lincoln Nautilus – A Safe Choice
The 2023 Lincoln Nautilus demonstrates strong safety performance across a range of crash tests and safety evaluations. It consistently achieved “Good” ratings in critical crashworthiness categories like small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side impact (original test), roof strength, and head restraints & seats. Advanced front crash prevention systems also earned “Superior” and “Advanced” ratings for vehicle-to-vehicle and pedestrian scenarios, respectively.
While the updated side crash test (Side 2.0) revealed some areas for potential improvement in side impact protection, and LATCH system ease of use received “Acceptable” or “Marginal” ratings depending on trim, the overall safety profile of the 2023 Lincoln Nautilus is undeniably robust. For buyers prioritizing safety in a luxury SUV, the 2023 Lincoln Nautilus stands as a highly rated and safe option, offering peace of mind for drivers and passengers alike. When considering your next vehicle, the safety ratings of the 2023 Lincoln Nautilus are a compelling factor, reinforcing its position as a leader in its class.
