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Best luxury SUVs of 2022 and 2023

Once upon a time, the idea of a luxury SUV meant a Range Rover, and even that was pretty agricultural by modern standards. Then Jeep Grand Cherokees and Ford Explorers started offering fancy, range-topping versions followed soon by Lexus, BMW and Mercedes dipping their toes in the water. And then the floodgates opened. Today, there is a staggering number of luxury SUVs available in every shape, size and price point. There are electric luxury SUVs like the Tesla Model X and Jaguar I-Pace, as well as gas-swilling, high-performance SUVs like the BMW X5 M and Cadillac Escalade V. Sports car makers Porsche, Aston Martin and Lamborghini have even dived in.  But of this great many, which are the best luxury SUVs? We sat down, scoured our reviews, took some votes, had some discussions and came up with the luxury SUVs we view as the best. They are listed alphabetically within the six segments listed below.  Best Subcompact Luxury SUV   |   Best Compact Luxury SUV   |   Best Midsize Luxury SUV (Two-Row) Best Midsize Luxury SUV (Three-Row)   |   Best Flagship Luxury SUV (Two-Row)   |   Best Flagship Luxury SUV (Three-Row)  Best subcompact luxury SUVs Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class Why it stands out: Outstanding space and versatility; legit luxury interior; amusing GLB 35 versionCould be better: Overwhelming and confusing tech interface Most subcompact luxury SUVs are a dubious value, with cramped interiors of marginal quality and unrefined driving dynamics. You'd be much better off paying less money for a loaded, non-luxury compact SUV. The Mercedes GLB is different, though. Its boxy design provides space few other subcompact SUV can match (luxury or otherwise), while its cabin design and feature content are in keeping with pricier Mercedes models. The quality's not exactly up to GLC standards, nor is driving refinement, but the difference is appropriate for how much you're saving and still perfectly acceptable. There's nothing dubious about buying a GLB.     Volvo XC40 Why it stands out: More features for the money; spacious and versatile interior; distinctive design; electric versionCould be better: Fuel-efficient base engine only available with FWD Most subcompact luxury models feel a bit like cheap knockoffs of their bigger, pricier brand mates. The XC40, by contrast, is a break from the Volvo norm in a good way.

Lexus LFA successor with PHEV drivetrain in the works?

Reports out of Japan say that a successor to the Lexus LFA is in the works. While this news should come with a planet-sized grain of salt, there is a non-zero chance. And since the LFA is one of the best sports cars we've driven, it bears at least considering, so let's look at the mere possibility of a successor. Best Car magazine claims to have in their upcoming Dec. 10 issue a scoop about the new "super sports" car. They say that the successor is a plug-in hybrid with a front-midship layout (the heavy motor behind the front axle) under a carbon fiber body. The gas side of the equation is said to be a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 generating approximately 937 horsepower. It's supposedly scheduled for a 2025 debut. This seems to be a different car than the rumored Gazoo Racing Super Sport, which is based on the Toyota's entrant in the WEC's new Le Mans Hypercar class. That car would have to resemble the race car somewhat, and as such would have a twin-turbo hybrid V6. We find it highly unlikely that Toyota would build two super-expensive cars at the same time. Also, note the rumored engine is a 4.0-liter V8, a displacement that doesn't exist in any modern Lexus. Perhaps that could mean a replacement for the current 5.0-liter V8? Or maybe just a sign that this is all much ado about nothing.  However, we have seen an LFA prototype with modified bodywork lapping the Nurburgring in late 2018, some six years after the original ended production. The same car was spotted in summer of 2019 as well, the same year Lexus' then vice-president, now president Koji Sato told Autocar, "We need strong requests for a new LFA from the media. This can help us proceed.” Well, if that's what it takes then consider this another vote in the yes column, even though we've described its 4.8-liter V10's 552-horsepower output as not very impressive on paper by the time it came out and covered how it wasn't a hot seller, with new examples still being offered for sale as new in 2018. In the years since, though, it seems the collector market seems to have taken a liking to the LFA. At Monterey Car Week this year, a regular LFA sold for $819,000, more than doubling its original $375,000 sticker, while a 1 of 50 Nurburgring Edition sold for $1.6 million. If the GR Super Sport really is canceled as some rumors suggest, perhaps there is room in the Toyota family for another LFA. We still wouldn't hold our breaths, though.

BMW reclaims US luxury sales crown from Mercedes

The numbers, they are in: BMW has reclaimed the luxury-sales crown from Mercedes by a margin of 9,347 cars. Mercedes donned the king's headgear in 2013 after a strong final quarter of 2013 when the new CLA and S-Class poured out of dealerships. This year, led by the 3 Series/4 Series and X5, BMW sold 339,738 units – a 9.8-percent increase year-on-year. Mercedes, led by the C-Class and M-Class, saw its sales go up by 5.7 percent to 330,391 units. We'll have to wait a bit to see if there's another registrations-vs-sales challenge as in 2012, when BMW was anointed US luxury ruler. Behind them, a dark horse named Lexus nudged closer to the leading Teutons, selling 311,389 cars. The Japanese luxury automaker also had the biggest gain among the top three, its sales rising by 13.7 percent compared to 2013. Audi had the biggest sales of anyone among the top five, though, with a 15.2-percent gain to 182,011, which moved it a spot ahead of Cadillac; the Wreath-and-Crest brand dropped 6.5 percent to 170,750. Acura (167,843), Infiniti (117,300), and Lincoln (94,474) took the final positions. Speaking of Lincoln, sales at the once-mighty luxury marque stand as the mightiest jump of any on this list, up 15.6 percent. That's the power of Matthew McConaughey... and better cars and a new crossover, sure. So now that we're back to Round One of 2015, in case no one else has said it yet: "Ok, fight!"