In 2015, Lincoln confirmed that it's reviving the Continental name and a production car was unveiled in 2016. Since then, we haven't heard much about Ford's premium division, which speaks volumes of how irrelevant Lincoln is nowadays. But the luxury brand is trying really hard to fix that by pushing forward a new naming strategy that involves dropping alphanumeric badges. And even though the facelifted MKC kept its name, the revised MKX was launched at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show as the Nautilus.

Although Lincoln calls it "new" and describes it as a "successor to the MKX," the Nautilus is in fact just a mid-cycle refresh. Granted, the front fascia is new, but it's the same update we've seen on the Navigator and MKX. Specifically, the split grille was replaced by a single-piece unit with extra chrome, while the bumper gained larger intakes. Unlike the MKC, the facelift added new headlamps to the Nautilus. But ignore the front end, and everything else is the same. The profile hasn't changed one bit, while the rear is the same except for a bit of extra chrome on the diffuser and the continuous red light strip above the bumper.

The interior remains the same too, although Lincoln did add some new tech. The main highlight here is the driver-assist package, which includes a lane-centering feature that pairs with adaptive cruise control to help maintain the vehicle’s position in its lane. Another new feature is evasive steer assist, which uses radar and cameras to analyze the gap between slower-moving and stationary cars on the road ahead to decrease the risk of a collision.

Lincoln continues to offer three Black Label interior themes with Venetian leathers, wood veneers, and contrasting colors.

There's bigger news under the hood, where the Nautilus moves forward with two turbocharged engines. There's a 2.0-liter four-pot with 245 horsepower and a 2.7-liter EcoBoost that cranks out 335 horses and 380 pound-feet of torque. Joining these engines is an eight-speed automatic transmission. Auto Start-Stop comes standard for both options.

The Nautilus will hit dealerships in the summer of 2018.

References

Lincoln MKX

Read our full review on the 2016 Lincoln MKX.

Read more 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show news.