Compare the2025 Audi Q5VS 2025 Lincoln Nautilus

The Q5’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Nautilus doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Q5’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Nautilus doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Q5 and the Nautilus have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Q5 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 121 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Nautilus has not been fully tested, yet.

The Q5’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Nautilus’ (12 vs. 5 years).

The Audi Q5’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the Nautilus’ engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 4 places higher in reliability than Lincoln.

The Q5 has more powerful engines than the Nautilus:

As tested in Car and Driver the Q5 55 TFSI e is faster than the Lincoln Nautilus 4 cyl. hybrid gas:

On the EPA test cycle the Q5 running on electricity gets better mileage than the Nautilus:

On the EPA test cycle the Q5 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Nautilus:

The Q5 55 TFSI e can travel with zero emissions for 23 miles. The Nautilus can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The Q5 offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Nautilus doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Q5’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Nautilus doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Q5 55 TFSI e’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Nautilus:

The Q5’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Nautilus are solid, not vented.

The Q5 stops much shorter than the Nautilus:

The Q5 Prestige’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Nautilus’ optional 45 series tires.

The Q5 55 TFSI e has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Q5’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The Q5 55 TFSI e Premium Plus handles at .83 G’s, while the Nautilus Black Label pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Q5 45 TFSI Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Nautilus Black Label (27.2 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.8 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Q5 55 TFSI e has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Nautilus (8 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Q5 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Q5 45 TFSI’s minimum ground clearance is .3 inch higher than on the Nautilus (8.2 vs. 7.9 inches).

The Audi Q5 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 50 to 250 pounds less than the Lincoln Nautilus.

The Q5 is 8.9 inches shorter than the Nautilus, making the Q5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Q5. The Nautilus doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Q5’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Nautilus’ (2750 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Lincoln Nautilus is only 1750 pounds. The Q5 offers up to a 4400 lbs. towing capacity.

The engine in the Q5 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Nautilus. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The Q5 Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Nautilus doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Q5’s standard Audi Advanced Key allows you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the vehicle, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Intelligent Access standard on the Nautilus doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Q5 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Nautilus doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q5 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Nautilus doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Q5’s standard rear view mirror and optional side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Nautilus has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Audi Q5/SQ5 outsold the Lincoln Nautilus by over three to one during 2023.