Compare the2025 Lincoln NautilusVS 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser

Both the Nautilus and Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser’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.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Nautilus uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Land Cruiser uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Nautilus and the Land Cruiser 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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 Land Cruiser has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

The Nautilus comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Land Cruiser’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Nautilus 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Land Cruiser. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Land Cruiser ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

As tested in Car and Driver the Lincoln Nautilus is faster than the Toyota Land Cruiser:

On the EPA test cycle the Nautilus gets better mileage than the Land Cruiser:

Both the Nautilus and Land Cruiser have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The Nautilus has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Nautilus Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 2.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Land Cruiser (20.1 vs. 17.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Nautilus’ standard fuel tank has 2.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Land Cruiser (20.3 vs. 17.9 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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a CVT.

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

The Nautilus stops much shorter than the Land Cruiser:

For better traction, the Nautilus has larger tires than the Land Cruiser (255/60R19 vs. 245/70R18).

The Nautilus’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Land Cruiser 1958’s standard 70 series tires. The Nautilus’ optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Land Cruiser’s optional 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Nautilus has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Land Cruiser 1958. The Nautilus’ optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Land Cruiser.

For superior ride and handling, the Lincoln Nautilus has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Toyota Land Cruiser has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Nautilus offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Land Cruiser’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Nautilus’ wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the Land Cruiser (114.2 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

The Nautilus Black Label handles at .77 G’s, while the Land Cruiser pulls only .69 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Nautilus Black Label executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Land Cruiser (28.8 seconds @ .59 average G’s vs. 29.7 seconds @ .55 average G’s).

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

The Lincoln Nautilus may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 to 1000 pounds less than the Toyota Land Cruiser.

The Nautilus is 3.2 inches shorter than the Land Cruiser, making the Nautilus easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Nautilus is 7.5 inches shorter in height than the Land Cruiser, making the Nautilus much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Nautilus’ center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Land Cruiser doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

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

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the Nautilus Black Label is quieter than the Land Cruiser (66 vs. 68 dB).

The Nautilus has 10.5 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom and 16.4 inches more rear legroom than the Land Cruiser.

The Nautilus has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Land Cruiser with its rear seat folded (71.3 vs. 55.5 cubic feet).

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Nautilus’ rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Nautilus’ available liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

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 Land Cruiser can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Nautilus uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Land Cruiser uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Nautilus’ standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. An easy entry system costs extra on the Land Cruiser, and is not available on all models.

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Nautilus has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Land Cruiser 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.

Both the Nautilus and the Land Cruiser offer available heated front seats. The Nautilus also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Land Cruiser.

The Nautilus Reserve/Black Label has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Land Cruiser.

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

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Lincoln Nautilus has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Land Cruiser.

The Nautilus’ Active Park Assist 2.0 can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its October 2024 issue and the Lincoln Nautilus Black Label won out over the Toyota Land Cruiser.

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

The Lincoln Nautilus outsold the Toyota Land Cruiser by 33% during 2024.