10 Premium SUVs for People Who Need Loads of Luxury

2015 Infiniti QX80 ・ Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Premium SUVs are becoming increasingly popular in the current marketplace, partly because they offer an increasingly high level of creature comforts and cutting-edge technologies, and partly because they do so while still providing the kind of versatility that many owners need in their day-to-day lives. Needless to say, these entries here have the whole package, featuring fancy powertrains, richly appointed interiors, and aggressive appearances.

Cadillac Escalade

While the all-new XT5 promises to be an important new player among premium SUVs, it’s not actually due until the 2017 model year. And even then, it’s unlikely to supplant the brand’s big, bad, body-on-frame full-sizer as the category’s icon. In fact, that vehicle, currently represented by the 2016 Cadillac Escalade, is on track to remain the premium SUV par excellence for some time to come. 

Cadillac continues to keep the Escalade lineup right on the leading edge of today’s technology trends, enhancing its CUE infotainment system to now include smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay and, later in the 2016 model year, Android Auto. The vehicle also welcomes lane-keeping assistance to its portfolio of proactive safety measures. Meanwhile, the Escalade’s opulent, three-row cabin is layered in leather and real wood accents, with standard heated and ventilated front seats, a heated second row, and a first-class environment throughout.

Toyota Land Cruiser

No, it doesn’t come from one of the traditional luxury brands, but get behind the wheel of the 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser and you’ll know why it’s often ranked with the industry’s premium SUVs. For example, it’s standard—and only—cabin environment showcases semi-aniline perforated leather as well as heated and ventilated driver and front-passenger seats, a heated 40/20/40 split second row, and a leather-trimmed, heated steering wheel. Despite its positioning as Toyota’s “timeless icon,” the Land Cruiser has been updated for 2016 with a new eight-speed automatic transmission, wireless phone charging, the Entune 2.5 infotainment system and the Toyota Safety Sense-P bundle. The "Sense-P" collection of driver-assistance measures includes both a pre-collision system and frontal collision-avoidance technology that’s supported by a dedicated pedestrian-protection system. As for its available options, well, there aren’t any, since the Land Cruiserpacks everything mentioned here, along with a rear-seat entertainment setup, as standard equipment.

Photo by Toyota

Infiniti QX80

Body-on-frame SUVs aren’t the sole purview of the domestic brands, as evidenced by entries like the 2016 Infiniti QX80. It’s built on the same formidable foundation as the Nissan brand’s full-size pickup, so owners can enjoy up to 8,500 lbs. of towing capability, but it also has the kind of lux amenities needed to run with the rest of the premium SUVs. A definite highlight: the new Signature Edition that will be limited to just 1,000 units for the 2016 model year. That new model is loaded with standard content, of course, complementing its exclusive Saddle Tan cabin with Bose Cabin Surround Sound audio, voice-controlled navigation, heated and leather-appointed seating, and all the goodies offered in the split-bench and driver-assistance packages. As a result, owners also benefit from intelligent cruise control, automatic braking, blind-spot warning with intervention functionality, eight-passenger seating and more.

Lexus LX

The 2016 Lexus LX 570 is nearly 200 inches long, and the brand says nearly every foot of the vehicle’s exterior—except for the door panels—has been restyled for the new selling season. Most obvious: the biggest, boldest example of the Lexus “spindle” grille yet conceived, now set off by satin-chrome trim and a full array of exterior LED illumination, including turn signals and fog lights. Lexus additionally joins the list of premium SUVs to serve up a standard eight-speed automatic transmission, complete with a multi-mode drive system that adjusts not only powertrain responses, but also the performance of the LX 570’s Adaptive Variable Suspension. Other new standard features for this largest of Lexi include upgraded multimedia technology and the brand’s “Safety System+” occupant-protection bundle, boasting a pre-collision system, pedestrian detection, lane-departure alert, automatic high beams, full-speed-range adaptive cruise control, a blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert.

Photo by Lexus

Lincoln Navigator

The 2016 Lincoln Navigator is somewhat of a laggard as compared to other luxury SUVs, since the Lincoln brand hadn’t gotten around to providing product info for it before this list was hitting the Internet. That being said, customers shouldn’t expect much in the way of updates after last year’s refreshing, which did, to be fair, include a new EcoBoost engine as its standard powerplant. With that engine lurking behind its aggressive front grille, the Navigator delivers more output and better fuel-economy ratings than its previous naturally aspirated V8. The tale of the tape for the EcoBoosted SUV: 380 horsepower, 460 lb.-ft. of torque, and EPA grades of up to 22 mpg highway, all matched by a hefty 9,000-lb. towing limit. Lastly, Lincoln sets another benchmark for luxury for 2016 with a Reserve Package that’s resplendent with a hand-wrapped leather instrument panel and real Ziricote wood trim.

Jeep Grand Cherokee

Few premium SUVs are as worthy of the name as the 2016 Jeep Cherokee. After all, not only can it furnish a surprisingly opulent occupant environment—particularly in its range-topping Summit trim—but it also honors the Jeep tradition of supplying a true “trail-rated” model. Indeed, all Grand Cherokees earn that badge of distinction when configured with the brand’s off-road option groups. Luxury owners, however, will want to opt for the available Quadra-Lift air suspension, backed by five different ride-height settings for optimum performance in multiple driving scenarios. Summit models are further distinguished by “Natura-Plus” leather, with a heated and ventilated front row, and a Harmon Kardon audio system, with 19 speakers and 825 watts of power. Oh, and on the topic of power, the Grand Cherokee offers a pair of premium engine choices, including a 360-horsepower gas-fired V8 and robust 3.0-liter turbodiesel that delivers 30 mpg highway.

Land Rover Range Rover

The short story here: In its new SVAutobiography trim, the 2016 Land Rover Range Rover is the most luxurious and powerful series-production model ever launched for the nameplate. Thus, the SVAutobiography doesn’t merely cater to front-row occupants—although it does do that, with 20-way power-adjustable seating and full semi-aniline perforated leather upholstery. But back-seat passengers also luxuriate in a premium environment of their own, replete with foot/calf rests, reclining functionality, power-deploying leather-surfaced tables and a refreshment-cooling compartment complete with glasses. A rear-seat entertainment system is standard as well, as is a 1,700-watt Meridian sound system and numerous high-tech safety systems. For motivation, engineers have managed to squeeze an extra 40 horsepower and 41 lb.-ft. of torque from the Ranger Rover’s supercharged V8, so that owners can unleash 550 of the former and 502 of the latter. Yet the SVAutobiography still retains Land Rover legendary off-road capabilities, too.

GMC Yukon Denali

Putting a Professional Grade spin on GM’s current crop of body-on-frame SUVs is the 2016 GMC Yukon, and it’s the Yukon Denali that demands our attention today. True, it’s not quite as lavish as the Cadillac Escalade, but it does check the boxes for a number of popular lux cues, like a hands-free rear liftgate, mobile wi-fi capability, 4G LTE connectivity, an eight-speed automatic transmission, LED lighting, wireless phone charging and more than merely the usual safety technologies. For instance, the Yukon Denali can deploy the industry’s first front-center airbag to provide added protection in certain side-impact situations. Also on the menu from the safety department: side blind-zone alert, lane-change alert, rear cross-traffic alert, forward-collision alert, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control and crash-imminent braking. The Yukon Denali also packs the power you expect in premium SUVs, courtesy of a standard 6.2-liter, 420-horsepower V8 capable of trailering up to 8,400 lbs.

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

The Gelandewagen name is long gone, as M-B’s hardcore off-road model has been renamed to better fit in with the rest of the brand’s modernized nomenclature. That doesn’t mean it’s foregone its old-school capability, though. The G550 entry model is a case in point, with 8 inches of wheel travel, 8 inches of standard ground clearance and three sequentially lockable differentials. On the other hand, the functional shape of the G-Class is wrapped around a cabin “crafted almost entirely by hand,” according to the automaker, and owners enjoy Nappa leather seating and polished wood accents, along with some of M-B’s top infotainment and safety technologies. The G-Class also will stand out as the most powerful of the premium SUVs for 2016, thanks to Mercedes’ in-house performance partners at AMG—who furnished the new G65 with a bi-turbo V12 that belts out 621 horsepower and 738 lb.-ft. of torque.

Photo by Mercedes-Benz

Acura MDX

The 2016 Acura MDX may be last on today’s list, but it is No. 1 on the sales leaderboard for three-row premium SUVs. The MDX is also likely to remain in that position for at least a little bit longer, especially since it’s been fitted with a newly standard nine-speed automatic transmission. Notably, this advanced transmission does away with a traditional shifter altogether, allowing owners to switch gears with a push-button selector; as a bonus, the transmission revision means there’s also more space in the cabin. Drivers will also delight in a new seat system that automatically slides their chair backward by 35 mm, to make it easier to get in and out of the MDX. Finally, to help the MDX itself get out of slippery spots, a new generation of Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive debuts, doubling down on tractive performance with a twin-clutch design.