Best suv luxury suv

Best Large Luxury SUVs For 2023

Forbes Wheels independently tests and reviews cars and automotive accessories. We may earn an affiliate commission from links on our site. The analysis and opinions are our own.

Large luxury SUVs exist in a vacuum. Designed and built to coddle the occupants first and foremost, excess is just part of the package. The best contenders feature interiors crafted of curated materials, the latest advances in technology and bold exterior designs with little regard for cost-cutting or fuel efficiency. But beneath that sometimes-ostentatious sheen lies genuine capability. Equipped with some of the best—and often largest—powertrains in a manufacturer’s portfolio, active suspensions and a variety of two- and four-wheel drive systems, these behemoths can move from pavement to mild off-road situations with surprisingly little drama. Should you need it, those same attributes enable them to tow with ease, rated to carry loads in excess of most drivers’ capabilities. Love them or hate them, these are the best luxury SUVs available for 2023.

• 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Still The Genuine SUV Status Symbol
• 2023 Cadillac Escalade Big-Time Luxury
• 2023 BMW X7 Comfortable, Refined And Utterly Unflappable
• 2023 Bentley Bentayga Unbeatable Luxury Bona Fides, Ample Performance, Big Price
• 2023 GMC Yukon Livin’ Large
• 2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Longer, Not Leaner
• 2023 Mercedes Benz GLS Value Beyond Price
• 2023 Lexus LX Urbane Adventurer
• 2023 Audi Q7 A Stylish, Tech-Forward Three-Row Luxury SUV
• 2023 Lincoln Navigator Flagship For A Century Old Brand
• 2023 Infiniti QX80 Full-Size SUV Luxury At A Bargain Price

2023 Land Rover Range Rover

Price Starting From

Why We Picked It

Despite the onslaught of competition, the Range Rover remains the SUV status symbol of choice. Born of agricultural roots, the Ranger Rover transcended its past to arrive at a station representing not just the well-to-do but the well-to-do with a specific interest in horses, fox hunting, bird hunting and, apparently, picnicking elegantly after completing said activities.

While it still maintains those pretensions, the last few generations have evolved into remarkably well-rounded luxury SUVs with all the luxury trappings—leather, wood and metal interior bits—you’d expect from the brand.

It was redesigned for 2022 and takes design, poshness and performance to lofty new heights. The body is streamlined and sumptuous, and the first-ever long-wheelbase versions seat up to seven passengers. The real treat is inside, where upper-crust versions especially deliver luxury and features on virtual par with Bentley or Rolls-Royce SUVs, but for vastly less money.

Two engine options are on tap, a 3.0-liter inline six (with a turbocharger, supercharger and mild-hybrid assist) that produces 395 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque and a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8. The big V8 belts out 523 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. This year a 434-horsepower plug-in hybrid (with 48 miles of electric range) joines the line.

All engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. An adaptive, height-adjustable air suspension affords off-road adventure and helps keep things on an even keel on the pavement.

Pros & Cons

• Peerless design sophistication, intoxicating luxury
• Idyllic blend of performance, quiet and comfort
• Much-improved infotainment

• Already high prices skyrocket for upper-crust versions
• Relatively thirsty V8
• Not the most spacious in short-wheelbase form

2023 Cadillac Escalade

Price Starting From

Why We Picked It

The Cadillac Escalade is in some ways archetype for the domestic luxury-laden beast. Though the Ranger Rover beat it to market, it remained a vehicular apparition in the U.S. until the 90s. The Escalade, on the other hand, came out of the gate loud and proud in 1998 alongside its now longtime nemesis, the Lincoln Navigator. Though the two sold in equal measure at the start, the Escalade pulled a lead around 2009 and hasn’t relinquished it yet.

Now in its fifth generation, the Escalade is powered by a 6.2-liter V8 or a turbodiesel inline-six that delivers an impressive for a land-yacht 23 combined mpg (27 highway!). The good news is, however, tempered by the high cost of diesel. The 6.2-liter V8 gasoline engine is no slouch, cranking out 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. There’s also a new 682 hp Escalade V variant for the truly power-hungry.

Regardless of the powertrain, the Escalade’s interior impresses with a trio of screens that combine to form 38 inches of screen area. An available augmented reality-enabled navigation uses live street views with directional indicators to create a truly surreal feeling, and an AKG audio system builds resonant sound with 19 speakers to start and ramps up to a notable 36 speakers at the top of the range.

The Escalade is plush, but the segment thrives on one-upmanship, and its competitors are quickly striving to outshine Cadillac’s largest SUV, so even in this rarified segment you’ll want to shop around.

Pros & Cons

• Generous cargo space
• 682-horsepower Escalade V variant
• Stylish, upscale interior

• Poor fuel economy
• Lacks luxury touches in third row
• Some tech features unnecessarily complicated

Also Featured In

2023 BMW X7

Price Starting From

Why We Picked It

The X7 is a spring chicken compared to some of the nameplates on the list that go back decades. Introduced stateside for the 2018 model year, the X7 delivered right out of the gate with typical BMW trappings and style. Refreshed for 2023, the big BMW SUV adopts the front-end styling of the brand-new 7 Series and a useable third row. (It’s based on a stretched version of the X5 whose rear seat is tiny.) It also brings a prettier interior, new technology and updated mild-hybrid engines.

Though Europe still gets diesels, the U.S. gets two basic powertrains: the X7 xDrive40i and the X7 M60i fettled by its M Sport division. The xDrive40i uses an inline six-cylinder with 375 hp and 398 pound-feet of torque, whereas the M60i’s twin-turbo V8 cranks out 523hp and 553 lb-ft. (Call us old-fashioned, but we’ll take out BMWs with one of their trademark silky inline six-cylinders as long as they make them.) BMW says details on the tuned-up Alpina XB7 will be out later this year, but we do know that it will use a tuned version of the 4.4-liter V8 making 630 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque.

The updated visuals may be controversial, but they can’t detract from the X7’s cutting edge and the impeccable driving dynamics.

Pros & Cons

• Exquisite body control for such a big vehicle
• Torque-rich powertrains
• Wonderfully comfortable seats

• Climate control functions are messy
• Some nice design features have disappeared
• Not much luggage space with six passengers aboard

Also Featured In

2023 Bentley Bentayga

Price Starting From

Why We Picked It

By far the priciest vehicle on this list with a starting price above $200,000, the Bentley Bentayga is a genuine luxury item, not a frilly pretender, and it shows in the execution. But as rarified as its price may be, the Bentayga is a big seller for Bentley and a vehicle that can actually be used as a competent daily driver, both on road and off. It also has few equals for on-road performance in this class and sports a brawny 7,716-pound tow rating to boot.

Bentayga buyers can choose from one of three powertrains, a 3.0-liter V6 mated to an electric motor in the plug-in hybrid (now with 456 horsepower and up to 27 miles of electric range), a 542-hp twin-turbo V8 or Bentley’s all-conquering 626-hp W12. Where previous years had only one body style, 2023 gets two, with the EWB extended-wheelbase model (V8 only) joining the regular-wheelbase version and adding limousine-like accommodations for rear passengers.

Despite its size and weight, the Bentayga is a fun vehicle to drive and lighter on its feet than you’d think. It can also be tailored to the buyers’ individual tastes, with more than 24 million trim, color and upholstery combinations. The downsides? On regular-wheelbase models the best driver assist gear still costs extra, and the executive-style seating in most versions means far less cargo room than the competition. That said, the Bentayga looks and feels a cut above any of its mass-market rivals while offering almost as much practicality.

Pros & Cons

• Powerful and fun to drive
• Tailored luxury feel and brand gravitas rivals can’t match
• Supremely comfortable and surprisingly easy to live with day to day

• Huge price
• Somehow the best driver assist gear is optional rather than standard
• Limited cargo space in most trims

2023 GMC Yukon

Price Starting From

Why We Picked It

Redesigned in 2021, the GMC Yukon offers an alternative take on the full-size luxury approach, landing somewhere between the Chevrolet Suburban and Cadillac Escalade. It’s a stylish, high-quality and capable large SUV that can tow up to 8,400 pounds. Like the Escalade, it can be fitted with GM’s excellent new inline-six-cylinder turbo diesel.

Unfortunately, the diesel isn’t available on all models, and some of the Yukon’s highest-end trims feel a little less special than the price suggests. But opt for a lower trim or the off-road-themed AT4, and you get a very satisfying and hugely roomy SUV for much less outlay than the top-drawer Denali and new-for-2023 Denali Ultimate.

Pros & Cons

• Only a full-size van, or maybe a big minivan, has more room
• Luxurious appointments, with a minimum of cheap plastic
• Quick, smooth and balanced for such a big vehicle, but also stops in a hurry

• Potent but thirsty gas engines, diesel not available on AT4
• Upmarket trims get very spendy
• Big third row is cumbersome to access

Also Featured In

2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

Price Starting From

Why We Picked It

The new Jeep Grand Wagoneer was inevitable. While nearly every other domestic manufacturer had been playing in the full-size luxury SUV segment for decades, Stellantis (formerly Fiat-Chrysler), Jeep’s parent company, had not a single worthy contender in its portfolio. The previous Grand Wagoneer departed in 2019, and although there were high-lux versions of the Grand Cherokee, they were in a different league size-wise. That’s where the 2023 Grand Wagoneer comes in.

The Grand Wagoneer, like the Navigator and Escalade, comes in two lengths (the wheelbase is 123 inches for the regular version and 130 for the L, while the overall length is 214.7 inches and 226.7 inches for the L). But the real news is the new twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder “Hurricane” 510 engine. Standard on the Grand Wagoneer Series II and up, it’s rated for 510 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque at 3,400 rpm. We get that some owners will always take a V8 (the base Series I GW uses the aging 471-horsepower, 6.4-liter V8), but the Hurricane’s torque peak arrives 1,000 rpm lower in the rev range, and it just feels more attuned to the job.

Inside, the Grand Wagoneer offers the usual array of leather and real wood finishes and manages to blaze its own path in terms of layout and design. If you’ve already come to terms with the bulk and inefficiencies typical of the segment, the Grand Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer L bring a fresh take—and oodles of storage, comfort and tech—to a sometimes staid formula.

Pros & Cons

• Velvety air-suspension ride
• Loads of cargo space, especially in the long wheelbase “L” version
• A fresh take on the standard luxury-SUV interior, distinctive grille

• Dismal fuel economy, though it’s average for the segment
• Size a demerit in urban areas
• “If you have to ask you can’t afford it” price

Источник