2006 COTY: Best New SUV/CUV
over $60,000
November 9, 2006 - Story and photos by John LeBlanc

Niagara Falls, Ontario – First Place: Audi Q7 4.2 Premium $83,500* - Based purely from the driver’s seat, the biggest Audi nudges the Acura—but only just. A long-wheelbase version of the VW Touareg/Porsche Cayenne unibody platform, the Q7 adds room for seven. As per Audi’s mantra, your living room furniture should look as good as the Q7’s cockpit, with an excellent driving position and ergonomics straight from the luxury liner A8. Like the all-wheel-drive Acura, the Audi was designed more as a sporting, all-weather travel-all, not a true off-roader. And compared to the more practical Mercedes-Benz GL 450, the Audi suffers from lack of cargo and third-row passenger room. Although the Q7’s six-speed manumatic with steering wheel mounted paddle-shifters is well matched to the 350 horsepower, 325 pound-feet of torque 4.2-litre V8, this smooth drivetrain sometimes feels strained hauling around 2,390 kilograms.

Second Place: Acura MDX Elite $61,900* – The seven-seater Acura matches the more expensive Audi in performance, and with livelier steering and handling. Beyond the benefits of its Honda Odyssey related unibody platform, credit for this fun-to-drive SUV can go directly to a sophisticated torque-balancing all-wheel drive system first seen on the RL sedan and an adjustable magnetic shock system that comes with the MDX’s Elite package. Acura’s sophisticated AWD system allows adjustable front- and rear-torque distribution and side-to-side proportioning at the back as well. When cornering hard, the majority of torque is moved to the rear tires. Nail the throttle and power goes directly to the outside rear tire—the most heavily loaded—driving you through the apex. Neat, huh? So why did I rank the MDX second? The 300 h.p., 275 lb.-ft. of torque 3.7-litre V6 has excellent response, and a smooth delivery of power, but lacks the torque and aural qualities of Audi’s V8. Plus there’s one less gear in the MDX’s manumatic and no paddle shifters. The MDX’s overall driving position is very good, but the driver’s instrumentation is buried in tunnels making them hard to read, the seats lack thigh and lateral support, and the overall execution of cockpit design, build and material quality can’t match the über-Audi SUV.

Third Place: Mercedes-Benz GL 450 $83,712* - Using the more comprehensive COTY scoring criteria, the well rounded GL 450 was my first choice in this category. Sharing a unibody platform with the five-seat ML Class and six-seat R Class, the seven-seat GL 450’s interior is roomy and comfortable, even for those in the third row. And it uses more luxurious materials than the Acura. The fully automatic four-wheel drive doesn’t intrude, and the air-suspension delivers a luxury sedan ride. The combination of the GL 450’s 335 h.p., 339 lb.-ft. of torque 4.7-litre V8 and smooth, seven-speed manumatic with paddle-shifters, and a relatively low curb weight means, in a straight line at least, the big 'Benz is the quickest in this group. However, the same reasons that make the GL 450 such an accommodating vehicle for folks and flotsam is also why it ranks third as a driver’s car. Steering and handling are more tuned for luxury than sport. But if you’re using your large SUV for it’s true purpose, and you don’t need to play Boy Racer, nothing currently betters the classy and practical GL 450.

Others: Cadillac Escalade ($88,695), Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer MAX ($64,519), GMC Yukon Denali ($62,750), Lincoln Navigator ($77,999)

* All prices as tested.

- John LeBlanc, Publisher, www.straight-six.com