While Lincoln’s full-size Navigator is perfect for big families and towing, the recently redesigned Lincoln Nautilus It should have wider appeal for SUV customers. It’s a mid-size SUV that seats five, has distinctive styling, plenty of premium features and an eye-catching curved screen that runs the width of the dashboard. So how does this Lincoln keep up with the competition? To find out, the auto experts at Edmunds compared it to this vehicle: Mercedes-Benz GLCA benchmark for luxury SUV excellence.

Power and fuel economy

Nautilus offers two engines, one with a turbocharged four-cylinder producing 250 horsepower and the other with a hybrid version of the same engine that increases the power to 310 horsepower. The non-hybrid engine returns an EPA-estimated 24 mpg in combined city/highway driving. Choosing the hybrid will get you 30 mpg overall. These are reasonable figures for a luxury SUV. But Edmunds found the Nautilus’ acceleration to be very impressive. At the Edmunds test track, the hybrid Nautilus went from zero to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds.

The base version, GLC 300, is also powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It produces 255 horsepower and gets an estimated 26 mpg combined. It is also faster than Nautilus; It reached 60 mph in 6.1 seconds. New for 2025, the GLC 350e is a 313-horsepower plug-in hybrid model. The EPA has yet to release fuel economy estimates as of this writing, but Mercedes says it provides 54 miles of all-electric driving before switching to operating like a regular hybrid when the battery runs low. Mercedes also offers a high-performance version of the 416-horsepower AMG GLC 43.

We like that Lincoln offers an available hybrid, but the GLC’s superior acceleration and fuel efficiency help it win this category.

Winner: GLC

Interior and technical specifications

The Nautilus’ interior is dominated by a large instrument panel-wide display. Displays the instrument panel and other information such as navigation instructions and music. It also has full Google integration, allowing you to use useful features like the voice-based Google Assistant while driving. But all this impressive technology is let down by functionality. The button layout on the center console is confusing, and the lower touchscreen controls just about everything, including the air vents. Unlabelled steering wheel controls are also difficult to use.

GLC offers a more elegant and luxurious interior thanks to a wide range of leather upholstery and wood veneers. Display screens are smaller, but the interface they display is much easier to use. The same goes for the GLC’s button layout, navigation and voice assistant systems.

In terms of comfort, both luxury SUVs have extremely quiet interiors. The GLC provides a smoother ride that absorbs bumps better. Edmunds found the Nautilus to ride a little too firmly on rough surfaces.

Winner: GLC

Utility

If you have a lot of stuff you need to carry, the Nautilus is a better choice. Cargo space offers 36.4 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats. That’s way more than the GLC can fit. The rear seats also fold completely flat to provide more space. Storage space for small personal items is also impressive, thanks to the generous storage space under the center console, large enough for a handbag or purse, and the large door pockets.

The GLC’s 21.9 cubic feet of cargo space is less than what the Nautilus can carry, but its rear seats also fold nearly flat. Large door pockets and a decent-sized glove box provide adequate storage for small items, but still not as much as you can fit in the Nautilus.

Winner: Nautilus

Pricing and value

The base Premiere trim of the Nautilus starts at $53,485 (including destination), and the hybrid engine adds $2,000. The Reserve package adds about $10,000, while the top-of-the-line Black Label model rises to $76,645. If you opt for the Premiere trim, the Nautilus offers a lot of value because it comes with a long list of features, including many advanced driver aids and the hands-free highway driving system BlueCruise. However, higher trims are expensive and offer less value.

The GLC 300 has a starting price of $50,400, while the GLC 350e plug-in hybrid model has a starting price of $61,050. The GLC doesn’t come standard with that many features, but if you add most of the optional packages and features to a GLC 300, it’ll set you back around $65,000, which is about the same price as the mid-level Nautilus Reserve.

Winner: draw

Edmunds says

Lincoln has revealed one of its most interesting SUVs to date with the new Nautilus. It’s also worth considering if you want an SUV that’s stylish and roomy. Otherwise, Edmunds thinks the GLC’s superior fuel efficiency, acceleration and ease of use make it the winner of this comparison.

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This story was submitted to: Associated Press by automotive website Edmunds.

Michael Cantu Contributes to Edmunds.