C&D Luxury SUV Comparo

[TheIntrepid]

In the new May issue:

8th Place
Land Rover LR3 HSE

Highs:
-Vast Off-Road Prowess
-Quiet Cabin
-A 360-Degree view of the world

Lows:
-Vague steering
-An overwhelmed V8
-Dismal fuel economy

Verdict: Right now - today - Land Rover must learn to slice 1000 pounds from every vehicle it makes.


7th Place
Volkswagen Touareg V6

Highs:
-Light steering
-Supple ride
-Confident off-road

Lows:
-Cramped back seat
-Too many rattles
-No personality

Verdict: In need of a freshening as extensive as the BMW X5's


6th Place
Volvo XC90 Sport

Highs:
-A rocket in the passing lane
-Agile in traffic
-An SUV Ralph Nader could love

Lows:
-Wrong tires
-Jittery ride
-Way too little luxury for 50 grand


5th Place
Lexus GX470

Highs:
-Solid platform
-Fearless off-road
-Full-luxo interior

Lows:
-Scattershot switchgear
-Still not enough power
-Undisciplined body motions

Verdict: Still the luxury SUV for body-on-frame purists, but it's feeling a little old.


4th Place
Mercedes-Benz ML350

Highs:
-A quiet freeway cruiser
-Silky 7-speed transmission

Lows:
-Cheap and dull looking dash
-Mysteriously mushy brake feel

Verdict: Will win a devoted following if it proves more defect-free than its forebear.


3th Place
BMW X5 3.0si

Highs:
-BMW steering
-BMW brakes
-BMW handling

Lows:
-Slim cargo space
-Still too heavy
-World's least intuitive shifter

Verdict: More and more closely resembles a 5-series sedan.

2nd Place
Cadillac SRX AWD V8

Highs:
-Carlike in all its moves
-Sharklike silhouette
-320 horsepower

Lows:
-Narrow footwells
-Restricted off-road potential
-Too much wind noise

Verdict: Still one of the proudest and most unexpected successes in Cadillac's history.


1st Place
Acura MDX Sport

Highs:
-Agile in the hills
-Superior tracking
-Gratifying to drive

Lows:
-Goofy grille
-Cluttered center stack
-No low-range 4WD

Verdict: As much sport as utility, and hey, it's a Honda.

[the Teuton]

Trep, I think you said it best.  The MDX's interior looks like an automotive vagina.  Other than that, I think it was a very good test and I'm surprised that the SRX is aging as well as it is.

[TheIntrepid]

Trep, I think you said it best.  The MDX's interior looks like an automotive vagina.  Other than that, I think it was a very good test and I'm surprised that the SRX is aging as well as it is.

I said the Zonda's interior looks like a vagina...pink and tight. I personally love the interior of the MDX.

[the Teuton]

Also, would it have been a bad thing to include:

-Saab 9-7x 5.3i
-Lexus RX350
-Lincoln MKX
-Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.7
-Porsche Cayenne S

???

[TheIntrepid]

Also, would it have been a bad thing to include:

-Saab 9-7x 5.3i
-Lexus RX350
-Lincoln MKX
-Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.7
-Porsche Cayenne S

???

They already have the Lexus GX470, so the RX350 would be redundant.

The Jeep is not a LUXURY truck

The 9-7x suffers from old architecture.

The Cayenne is too expensive.

The MKX seems fine though.

[ifcar]

Ranking/explanations seem reasonable, but I agree that they left out a few important ones. They may have just wanted to keep the size of the group down.

[Laconian]

The 9-7x suffers from old architecture.

Didn't stop the LX470...

[ifcar]

That's the GX470 in the comparison, not the LX470. The GX is a 4Runner/Tacoma/FJ.

[nickdrinkwater]

The GX470 is a rebadged Toyota Landcruiser.

[ifcar]

The GX470 is a rebadged Toyota Landcruiser.

You have either a different GX or a different Land Cruiser than we do.

GX:


Land Cruiser:

[TheIntrepid]

The GX is essentially a Land Cruiser Prado.

[93JC]

The 100-series Land Cruiser:



The 120-series Land Cruiser:



The GX470:

[ifcar]

In any event, it's the one whose architecture dates to 2003 that's in the comparison, not the one that dates to 1997.

[Raza]

Acura/Honda.  C&D's other god.

XC90 for me.

[goldenlover1101]

I just read this last night. I agree with most of their findings but I would of set the Acura farther back. I would personall take the XC90 or SRX. They are the perfect size for me and the best looking of the group IMO Not a bad comparison though, but they could of included some other notable contenders.

[ro51092]

Gimme the BMW.

[Raghavan]

LOL, it's a Honda.

[nickdrinkwater]

You have either a different GX or a different Land Cruiser than we do.

GX:


Land Cruiser:

Your GX is sold here as a Toyota Landcruiser.
Your Landcruiser is sold here as a Landcruiser Amazon.

[MX793]

Also, would it have been a bad thing to include:

-Saab 9-7x 5.3i
-Lexus RX350
-Lincoln MKX
-Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.7
-Porsche Cayenne S

???

The Jeep's not luxury enough, the Lincoln I think might actually be too inexpensive to play with this crowd, and they mentioned why they excluded the Cayenne (it had already lost in a prior comparo, same reason the FX45 was excluded).  No idea why they didn't include the Saab.  The Lexus, well, they already had one.  Also, the RX might not get up high enough in the pricing to compete with this crowd.

[omicron]

Omi, I think you said it best. The MDX's interior looks like an automotive vagina. Other than that, I think it was a very good test and I'm surprised that the SRX is aging as well as it is.

[TheIntrepid]

I think that's what was in Mark's signature for a bit.



Personally I'd take the Touareg or the XC90.

[ro51092]

They wouldn't take a Cayenne V6, because they already had the Touareg V6, which is the same car, and they didn't take the Cayenne S, because it was over the price limit.

[93JC]

I think that's what was in Mark's signature for a bit.

Still is.

[sandertheshark]

In the new May issue:

2nd Place
Cadillac SRX AWD V8

Highs:
-Carlike in all its moves
-Sharklike silhouette
-320 horsepower

Lows:
-Narrow footwells
-Restricted off-road potential
-Too much wind noise

Verdict: Still one of the proudest and most unexpected successes in Cadillac's history.

The Shark says "What?"





anyway, I'd take the SRX over any of the others.

[the Teuton]

That's right, what about the FX?

[850CSi]

Gimme the X5.

[nickdrinkwater]

The SRX is now available in the UK in Right Hand Drive.

Predicted Sales: 7.

[cawimmer430]

You have either a different GX or a different Land Cruiser than we do.

GX:


Land Cruiser:

Wow, both of them are so damn FUGLY.

As long as the Benz placed infront of the POS Lexus, I am happy.


By the way, what gives with the placing. The first three SUV's are the SPORTIEST SUV's while the SUV's from 4th to 8th place are the MOST OFFROAD CAPABLE. C&D is so God damn sports biased it kills me. The Cadillac, BMW and Acura are the first to get stuck in the parking lot once it rains. 

[TheIntrepid]

By the way, what gives with the placing. The first three SUV's are the SPORTIEST SUV's while the SUV's from 4th to 8th place are the MOST OFFROAD CAPABLE. C&D is so God damn sports biased it kills me. The Cadillac, BMW and Acura are the first to get stuck in the parking lot once it rains. 

And they're Honda biased.

[JYODER240]

Wow, both of them are so damn FUGLY.

As long as the Benz placed infront of the POS Lexus, I am happy.


By the way, what gives with the placing. The first three SUV's are the SPORTIEST SUV's while the SUV's from 4th to 8th place are the MOST OFFROAD CAPABLE. C&D is so God damn sports biased it kills me. The Cadillac, BMW and Acura are the first to get stuck in the parking lot once it rains.?

You're awfuly tough on Lexus for never driven them

Whats wrong with the placing? C&D is an enthusiasts magazine and they judge from that viewpoint. Besides none of the owners of these SUV's are going to be taking them offroad beyond what the Caddy, Bimmer, and Acura are capable of.