Dumb idea? Car camping in a Nautilus

[blastdoor]

I moved to the Pacific Northwest and want to take advantage of the region's national parks etc. I currently have a small city car that's (a) not very comfortable for road trips and (b) completely unsuitable for car camping and trips that require any kind of outdoor equipment.

To address (b) I'm thinking of getting an SUV with larger cargo space and higher ground clearance, and for (a) looking at more intelligent, luxury vehicles that will be more comfortable for long rides. (BlueCruise is also appealing for this but coverage in my area is not great.)

I like the Nautilus but I'm still unconvinced it's a practical choice for what I'm interested in. Will it be ridiculous camping in a brand new Lincoln surrounded by more rugged vehicles? Am I going to be paranoid about damaging my car on rough mountain roads?

 

[bbf2530]

I moved to the Pacific Northwest and want to take advantage of the region's national parks etc. I currently have a small city car that's (a) not very comfortable for road trips and (b) completely unsuitable for car camping and trips that require any kind of outdoor equipment.

To address (b) I'm thinking of getting an SUV with larger cargo space and higher ground clearance, and for (a) looking at more intelligent, luxury vehicles that will be more comfortable for long rides. (BlueCruise is also appealing for this but coverage in my area is not great.)

I like the Nautilus but I'm still unconvinced it's a practical choice for what I'm interested in. Will it be ridiculous camping in a brand new Lincoln surrounded by more rugged vehicles? Am I going to be paranoid about damaging my car on rough mountain roads?

Hi blastdoor and welcome to the Lincoln Forums. This is a tough question to answer without more information.

The biggest question/issue may be just how “rough” are the “mountain roads” you plan on driving? And how far would you be driving on these “rough” mountain roads?

CUV’s like the Nautilus, and their AWD systems, are not really designed for heavy duty off-roading.

So the question would be: Does the rough off-road consist of miles of rocky trails, more suitable for a proper 4WD setup? Or is it more like slightly potholed, gravel roads that an AWD system is designed to handle?

At a minimum, for anything more than gravel roads, you would likely be looking at needing more suitable tires, and possibly also wheels, since the factory wheel/tire setups are essentially passenger car/on road wheels/tires. Especially the larger diameter factory wheels.

I’m sure others will jump in to help, so keep us updated and good luck.

 

[blastdoor]

Thanks for that info. I am not thinking of heavy duty off-roading, but I've had to drive up *significantly* potholed gravel roads to get to the trailheads, a few miles. None of the parks or trails I've been to (in my sheltered, city-centric existence) have been places my Golf couldn't reach, but it's been bumpy.

The Jet Appearance Package bumps you from 21" to 22" so I guess I might want to avoid that? I've never paid much attention to wheel diameter.

 

[bbf2530]

Thanks for that info. I am not thinking of heavy duty off-roading, but I've had to drive up *significantly* potholed gravel roads to get to the trailheads, a few miles. None of the parks or trails I've been to (in my sheltered, city-centric existence) have been places my Golf couldn't reach, but it's been bumpy.

The Jet Appearance Package bumps you from 21" to 22" so I guess I might want to avoid that? I've never paid much attention to wheel diameter.

Hi blastdoor. Okay, blind Internet advice.

The larger the wheel diameter, the shorter the sidewall ratio (apples to apples). That means a big wheel with a short sidewall. That is not a good combination for “significantly potholed gravel roads”. Especially with the 21”-22” wheel/tire combination.

I’m not trying to avoid answering, it’s just difficult to offer an informed opinion without a more precise idea of the types of rough mountain roads, how far you would be driving on them, etc. etc.
This is because (just one example) there are potholed gravel roads, and then their are POTHOLED gravel roads, if you know what I mean.
Then there is the fact that driving a half mile or mile on that type of road may be doable. However, driving 5-10-20-50 miles on that type of road may not/would not be. And those distances are not scientifically exact, they are simple generalizations for explanation sake.

Perhaps what you stated in your first post may be a good indicator. If all of the other vehicles driving to the campsites you are thinking about are “…more rugged vehicles…”, and likely 4WD (versus AWD), it may be a good idea to heed that warning from the locals.

I don’t want to persuade you not to get a Nautilus. It’s a beautiful vehicle and I am a Lincoln /Ford enthusiast. It just may not be the best choice for what you plan on sometimes using it for.
Or perhaps it will be okay. Although according to the circumstances, probably not when equipped with the factory 21”-22” wheels/tires. They simply are not designed for off-road, rough potholed road use.

A better source of information may be to go to a website like “The Tire Rack”, and use their information database to learn a bit more about on-road/off-road tire choices.

I’m sure others will jump in to help.

Keep us updated and good luck.

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[Billz]

My opinion is that you are describing exactly what the Bronco was designed for. I would not drive a Nautilus for your application

 

[blastdoor]

I'm not to digging my heels in on a decision I've already made, on which I'm hoping to get external validation. (Ok, maybe a little.)

While I think the Bronco looks like a lot of fun, on Bronco-oriented forums, the fans say "why are you driving a car designed for off-roading in the city?" It seems to swing the other way, optimizing off-roading performance, a removable hard top, etc. No BlueCruise or massaging seats, to be sure.

I think that 95% of the time, or more, my driving would be in city or highway conditions. Every once in a while a rougher road. I don't know how rough, but it sounds like I should really do my homework on that.

 

[markfm]

From a clearance/angles standpoint, I'd expect the Nautilus to be decent to travel on unimproved (dirt/gravel/crushed stone) roads. I've been driving Lexus RXs on such roads in NY since the original RX300 came out:

• The new Nautilus has clearance/approach angle/departure angle specs that are very close to those of the Toyota Highlander (Nautilus is 0.1 less clearance, approach the same, departure 1 degree larger [better]).
• Compared to a Gen 4 Lexus RX350 (what I have right now), the Nautilus has 0.3" less clearance, 1 degree better approach angle, 1 degree less departure angle.
• I drive my RX on unimproved roads - fire lanes and trail head parking areas in NY (potholes, worn grooves from vehicles passing over the same tracks, moderately steep grades traveling to/from some places), no issues. Not constantly, but a couple dozen times a year, several miles on those roads each time.

From a wheels/tires standpoint, I've always gone for the smaller wheels, higher Aspect Ratio tires, for more sidewall compared to rim. On my RX I have 235/65R18 weatherready tires (3 Peak Mountain Snowflake/3PMS rated). On a Nautilus I'll be going for the 19" wheels, P255/60R19, which will have about the same amount of sidewall as my current vehicle. More sidewall translates to better resistance to curb hits/potholes/rocks.

If you have your heart set on a Reserve or Black Label, those come with 21" wheels (non-Jet Appearance Reserve) or 22" (Black Label or Reserve with the Jet Appearance package). The 21" have 1" less sidewall, while the 22" have 1.5" less, than the 19" wheels - need to be more careful about curb hits/...

 

[angore]

I would be sure to take jumper when in remote places.

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