SUV of the Year

Pros Ample cargo space Massive infotainment screen The hybrid’s fuel economy Cons Tight third row The hybrid’s ride V-6’s lack of low-end punch Aside from those made in China for local consumption, every Toyota Highlander (and Kluger, as it is known in Japan and Australia) is built in a factory in Gibson County, Indiana, that employs 7,296 Hoosiers. For 2020, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana retooled to build the fourth-generation Highlander and Highlander Hybrid around Toyota’s TNGA-K architecture and two powertrain combinations. Non-hybrid models receive Toyota’s ubiquitous 295-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 and eight-speed automatic transmission. Meanwhile, the Highlander Hybrid uses a new system based around the tried and true 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle I-4, two...

Pros More power Great looks Comfortable cabin Cons MBUX sux Decreased efficiency on volume model Failure to break new ground When the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class won our SUV of the Year award back in 2017, we acknowledged that it wasn’t the sexiest choice, but it was the smartest. “The design is solid, the interior is first-class, the engineering is as good as small SUVs get, and the value proposition is strong … and despite surprising all of us with its power output, displacing just 2.0 liters means that the engine is also scarily efficient.” For our 2021 SUV of the Year competition, the revised Mercedes-Benz GLC seeks to join a select club of midcycle-update repeat winners. See all 26 photos It’s not all bad for those stateside; American GLC shoppers will find revampe...

Pros Carlike drive with crossover capability Smooth new hybridized engine Seats for seven Cons Stuffy interior Overweight sensation Tight third row There’s a sense of gatekeeping that comes with proper SUVs. These four-wheel-drive body-on-frame vehicles are SUVs, but those unibody all-wheel-drive vehicles are fugazis—lifted hatchbacks, mere crossovers, wagons in drag. We much prefer to let the manufacturers provide their own interpretations of the genre, whereupon we prove them right (or oftentimes wrong) during our SUV of the Year competition. The 2021 Mercedes-Benz E 450 All-Terrain is bound to make the former group unhappy and the latter quite pleased. Curbside, the biggest changes are a lightly nipped and tucked nose and tail (to match the refresh given to the rest of the E-Class...

Pros Thrilling driving experience Comfortable day-to-day driving Fancy technology Cons Cargo room Ingress/egress to/from tight third row Need a family SUV that’s comfortable to drive around town but has a dose of performance? The Audi SQ7 will deliver exactly that. With its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, Ingolstadt is delivering the more powerful version of its three-row crossover to American families for the first time and giving enthusiast parents the chance to combine their wants and needs. As part of its midcycle update, the Q7 is getting a host of important changes. Starting with its face, the SUV gets a new grille, which replaces the horizontal slats with vertical ones while keeping its octagonal shape. New LED headlights bring part of the Q8 styling to the Q7, and higher trims can ...

Pros Fun to drive Deceptively roomy inside The monster M version Cons Polarizing looks Inscrutable infotainment Brutal ride on the M version “What can be said about the X6 M that hasn’t been said before?” That’s what features editor Christian Seabaugh wondered about the third generation of BMW’s slope-roofed midsize SUV. Turns out, a lot. For one, we collectively felt that this third-gen BMW X6 is the best one BMW has ever built. Still hailing from Spartanburg, South Carolina, the X6 feels very solid, as if it was hewn from a single block of a heavy, precious metal. For two, it still makes you question why it exists. “I mean, I kind of get it,” features editor Scott Evans said. “You definitely stand out in a crowd. It’s not for me, but ...

Pros Handsome sheetmetal Gorgeous interior Carlike qualities Cons Dated powertrain Fussy secondary controls Carlike qualities Square pegs don’t fit into round holes. Yes, due to some sort of legalese, the Audi A6 Allroad is technically an SUV. But you know it’s not an SUV, we know it’s not an SUV, even dogs know it’s not an SUV, probably because they can jump in the cargo area without a ramp. The only people unsure as to what the current-generation A6 Allroad is—an ever so slightly lifted station wagon—are the fine folks at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The problem becomes, what do we do with a raised wagon at an SUV of the Year party? Well, we let it in because we’re not heathens. “As the lines blur between SUVs and cars, the lifte...

Pros Baby Blazer looks Fancy optional equipment Huge back seat Cons Ridiculous as-tested MSRP Stiff ride Loud interior Every full-line automaker needs a strong portfolio of SUVs in every shape and size to be competitive in today’s market. Although Chevrolet has had a subcompact SUV in the Trax for years, that car has failed to gain meaningful, ahem, traxion with consumers. Riding to the rescue is the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer, which avoids many of the missteps made by the Trax but doesn’t go far enough to achieve class leadership. Leave aside any baggage associated with the Trailblazer name (if you can), and the all-new and entirely different model makes a good case for itself on paper. Its $19,995 starting price is noteworthy, its rear seat is enormous for the class, and it o...

Pros Nice to look at Premium-feeling cabin Sporty steering feel Cons Underpowered Poor ride Small-for-segment interior Mazda is in a state of transition. Not just from “Zoom Zoom” to “Driving Matters,” but from a builder of affordable, fun-to-drive cars and crossovers to what it considers a proper premium marque with sights set on the likes of Acura, Genesis, and Lexus. The 2020 Mazda CX-30, for better or worse, straddles that transition point between mainstream and luxury. Design might be the most elegant part of the CX-30, a crossover nominally built to slot in the narrow white space between the slightly cheaper subcompact CX-3 and slightly more expensive compact CX-5. Although not breaking any new ground for Mazda, the CX-30 nevertheless stands out in its segment...