Compare the2026 Lincoln NautilusVS 2025 Nissan Murano

Both the Nautilus and Murano 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 Murano’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.

The Nautilus has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Murano doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Nautilus. But it costs extra on the Murano.

Both the Nautilus and Murano have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Nautilus has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Murano’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Nautilus and the Murano 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, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Nautilus comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Murano’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 Nissan covers the Murano. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Murano 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 Murano doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

The Nautilus’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (250 vs. 241) and 20 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 260) than the Murano’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Nautilus’ optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 44 more horsepower (285 vs. 241) and 35 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 260) than the Murano’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Nautilus 4 cyl. hybrid gas is faster than the Nissan Murano:

	Nautilus	Murano
Zero to 60 MPH	6.8 sec	7.7 sec
Quarter Mile	15 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	98.5 MPH	91.2 MPH

On the EPA test cycle the Nautilus gets better mileage than the Murano:

			MPG
Nautilus
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	29 city/31 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/29 hwy
Murano
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Nautilus Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Murano doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Nautilus has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Murano (19.8 vs. 18.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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 Murano 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 Murano doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Nautilus stops shorter than the Murano:

	Nautilus	Murano
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

The Nautilus’ optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Murano’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Nautilus offers optional 22-inch wheels. The Murano’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

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 Murano’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 Murano doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Nautilus’ wheelbase is 3 inches longer than on the Murano (114.2 inches vs. 111.2 inches).

The Nautilus’ front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the Murano’s (58.7% to 41.3%). This gives the Nautilus more stable handling and braking.

The Nautilus Black Label handles at .79 G’s, while the Murano Platinum AWD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Nautilus has .1 inches more rear headroom and 6.8 inches more rear legroom than the Murano.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Nautilus’ rear seats recline. The Murano’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Murano with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 32.9 cubic feet). The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Murano with its rear seat folded (71.3 vs. 63.5 cubic feet).

Maximum trailer towing in the Nissan Murano is limited to 1500 pounds. The Nautilus offers up to a 1750 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Nautilus uses the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Murano doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The power windows standard on both the Nautilus and the Murano have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Nautilus is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Murano prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

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 Murano doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its NissanConnect Services can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Nautilus’ rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Murano’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Nautilus’ headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Murano’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

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

The Nautilus’ standard rear and 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 Murano offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Lincoln Nautilus has power folding mirrors that offer unparalleled convenience while maneuvering in tight places or parked. With the mirrors folded it’s easier to walk past and help prevent parking damage. The mirrors can be quickly unfolded when the driver is ready to leave. Power folding mirrors are only offered on the Murano Platinum.

The Nautilus has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Murano SL/Platinum.

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

The Lincoln Nautilus has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the driver’s visor. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Homelink® is only available on the Murano SL/Platinum.

The Nautilus offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Murano doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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 Murano doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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

The Lincoln Nautilus outsold the Nissan Murano by 89% during 2024.