Few Qs

[mattpbryant]

Hello All. I don't technically own a Nautilus yet. However, I am looking very soon to pick one up. However, I have been all over the place trying to figure out some answers that many lincoln individuals don't seem to know:

1) Im looking at a 2021 Nautilus 201A with 21 Inch Wheels. The dealer says it doesn't have adaptive suspension (apparently doing 45 minutes of research), and says the "handling modes" have nothing to do with suspension. Other dealers say there are no controls for suspension really and its just built in and does its thing with the camera. Which one is it?
2) In leu of that if it doesn't have the adaptive suspension, Im worried about ride quality! And since my state doesn't have any inventory Im having to go out of state, which means no test drive before we fly out.
3) We live in Colorado and do some camping in the mountains. Im also getting mixed results regarding the 21s and forest service roads. Some say its a ticking time bomb with the wheels cracking/tire blow out. Others say itll be fine so long as Im careful. Then Lincoln basically says in the manual, the vehicle really isn't meant for "off road." No Im not rock crawling, but in Colorado our forest roads have ruts/holes/rocks protruding. Which side is correct?: is it crazy to even think about forest roads with 21s or will I be fine as long as I go slow? Thanks for your advice as we may eventually get some 18 inch wheels but in the meantime don't want to be limited in going camping.

 

[bbf2530]

Hello All. I don't technically own a Nautilus yet. However, I am looking very soon to pick one up. However, I have been all over the place trying to figure out some answers that many lincoln individuals don't seem to know:

1) Im looking at a 2021 Nautilus 201A with 21 Inch Wheels. The dealer says it doesn't have adaptive suspension (apparently doing 45 minutes of research), and says the "handling modes" have nothing to do with suspension. Other dealers say there are no controls for suspension really and its just built in and does its thing with the camera. Which one is it?
2) In leu of that if it doesn't have the adaptive suspension, Im worried about ride quality! And since my state doesn't have any inventory Im having to go out of state, which means no test drive before we fly out.
3) We live in Colorado and do some camping in the mountains. Im also getting mixed results regarding the 21s and forest service roads. Some say its a ticking time bomb with the wheels cracking/tire blow out. Others say itll be fine so long as Im careful. Then Lincoln basically says in the manual, the vehicle really isn't meant for "off road." No Im not rock crawling, but in Colorado our forest roads have ruts/holes/rocks protruding. Which side is correct?: is it crazy to even think about forest roads with 21s or will I be fine as long as I go slow? Thanks for your advice as we may eventually get some 18 inch wheels but in the meantime don't want to be limited in going camping.

Hi mattpbryant and welcome to the Lincoln Forums. Without downloading and looking at the Dealer Order Guide to determine specific model/trim level equipment availability, I will give a shot at providing answers/opinions to what I can:

1- The Adaptive Suspension has Drive configurable settings in the Driver Information Center for settings such as "Handling in S" (Sport), "Performance in S" and others etc.
2- The ride quality will be fine without the Adaptive Suspension. The differences can be noticeable, but it is not what I would consider to be dramatic. and certainly not earth shaking. Some owners notice the difference in test drives, others do not.
3- If you drive slowly, you should be able to drive on moderately bad gravel roads if you do it slowly and carefully. However, yes, there is an elevated risk of tire problems with the quite low profile tires on the 21" wheels if it is more of a dirt trail with protruding rocks etc.

I am sure others will jump in with more advice and help, so keep us updated and good luck.

 

[mattpbryant]

Hi mattpbryant and welcome to the Lincoln Forums. Without downloading and looking at the Dealer Order Guide to determine specific model/trim level equipment availability, I will give a shot at providing answers/opinions to what I can:

1- The Adaptive Suspension has Drive configurable settings in the Driver Information Center for settings such as "Handling in S" (Sport), "Performance in S" and others etc.
2- The ride quality will be fine without the Adaptive Suspension. The differences can be noticeable, but it is not what I would consider to be dramatic. and certainly not earth shaking. Some owners notice the difference in test drives, others do not.
3- If you drive slowly, you should be able to drive on moderately bad gravel roads if you do it slowly and carefully. However, yes, there is an elevated risk of tire problems with the quite low profile tires on the 21" wheels if it is more of a dirt trail with protruding rocks etc.

I am sure others will jump in with more advice and help, so keep us updated and good luck.

Thank you!

 

[tgara]

I’ll take a crack at #1

1) Im looking at a 2021 Nautilus 201A with 21 Inch Wheels. The dealer says it doesn't have adaptive suspension (apparently doing 45 minutes of research), and says the "handling modes" have nothing to do with suspension. Other dealers say there are no controls for suspension really and its just built in and does its thing with the camera. Which one is it?

Both are wrong.

With the 201A (Reserve I) package on the 2021 Nautilus, Adaptive Suspension is included with EITHER the V6 engine OR the 21 inch wheel package.

You can check by going into the vehicle settings. If your car has adaptive suspension, you should see settings for it in the menus.

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[Black Label]

I’ll take a crack at #1



Both are wrong.

With the 201A (Reserve I) package on the 2021 Nautilus, Adaptive Suspension is included with EITHER the V6 engine OR the 21 inch wheel package.

You can check by going into the vehicle settings. If your car has adaptive suspension, you should see settings for it in the menus.

 

[peterk9]

........................................................

You can check by going into the vehicle settings. If your car has adaptive suspension, you should see settings for it in the menus.

Perhaps the Nautilus and Aviator are different in that aspect. I have adaptive suspension but there is no mention of it in the settings. It isn't something that can be turned ON/OFF. It is just part of the suspension.

Peter

 

[peterk9]

Hello All. I don't technically own a Nautilus yet. However, I am looking very soon to pick one up. However, I have been all over the place trying to figure out some answers that many lincoln individuals don't seem to know:

............................................................... Other dealers say there are no controls for suspension really and its just built in and does its thing with the camera. Which one is it?
...............................................................

Welcome to the Forum.
I believe what they are referring to is the Adaptive Suspension with Road Preview. I'm not sure if that feature is still there for the newer models.
If you want a PDF copy of the Owner's Manual, here it is; https://www.fordservicecontent.com/...-Owners-Manual-version-1_om_EN-US_12_2020.pdf
BTW, the word "Adaptive" appears 107 times and is not linked to the word "suspensiion".

Peter

 

[tgara]

Welcome to the Forum.
I believe what they are referring to is the Adaptive Suspension with Road Preview. I'm not sure if that feature is still there for the newer models.
If you want a PDF copy of the Owner's Manual, here it is; https://www.fordservicecontent.com/...-Owners-Manual-version-1_om_EN-US_12_2020.pdf
BTW, the word "Adaptive" appears 107 times and is not linked to the word "suspensiion".

Peter

With my reference to Settings, I was mistakenly thinking of Drive modes. So scratch that.

The 2021 Nautilus did not have Road Preview as far as I know, but my statement in post 3 about it is straight out of the order guide.

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[Action]

3) We live in Colorado and do some camping in the mountains. Im also getting mixed results regarding the 21s and forest service roads. Some say its a ticking time bomb with the wheels cracking/tire blow out.

If you are going on forest roads at speeds greater than 20mph, you will have issues with the tires and wheels. I do not think the wheel will crack, however bending the rim at the outer edge if a pot hole is big enough can happen. However, in general the factory tires/wheels/suspension can handle more than most passengers can handle.

For that kind of camping keep it under 10mph.

Action

 

[John in Bismarck]

We have a 2020 Nautilus Reserve 2.7 and love it, but I wish it didn’t have 21 inch wheels. I am not sure why the manufacturers put 21‘s and 22’s (or even 20’s) on vehicles that might be taken off paved roads. That being said, the ride on the 21’s is surprisingly good.

We have a place that‘s about 10 miles off paved roads, and although we have had the Lincoln out there a few times, I’m a lot more comfortable taking our Toyota 4Runner or F150. Another factor taking the Nautilus off paved roads is that even though the all wheel drive works very well, it doesn’t have a lot of ground clearance.

 

[bbf2530]

Hi gang. Just some thoughts/opinions on the entire off road subject: These CUV's are not meant as true off-road vehicles in the least. The reality is they are nothing more than high-center-of-gravity cars which are designed to go no further "off-road" than parking lots or perhaps moderately rough gravel roads (at very careful, low speeds), or hard packed beach sand etc. etc. A modern American interpretation of the traditional station wagon, which most Americans don't consider to be "cool enough" to drive anymore (although European manufacturers and buyers still produce and buy traditional station wagons).

In fact, our CUV's are built off of sedan-type platforms. Yes, they may have a bit more ground clearance than a traditional sedan, but that is about it. Again, simply high center-of-gravity sedans/station wagons. This is why, for the most part, they are equipped and optioned in the same manner as traditional cars/sedans, including wheels and tires.

If an owner wants to use a CUV like the Corsair/Nautilus/Aviator as a true off-road vehicle, they need to plan ahead when purchasing, and order a model equipped with more suitable wheels/tires. And in most cases, the owner will need to replace the passenger car tires with more off-road oriented light truck/SUV tires. Even then, the ground clearance and suspension are not designed for true off-road driving.

Of course, ordering one with smaller diameter wheels and taller sidewall ratio tires is a problem, due to the way options are bundled for the higher trim levels. Essentially, we can't get smaller diameter wheels and taller sidewall tires on the higher end models. And again, the reason for that is because these types of vehicles are not designed to be off-road vehicles.

Hope this information may help others in the future.

Good luck.