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Cars.com ranks the best luxury SUVs of 2018

The clear winner was the Volvo XC60.
Credit: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images
A new Volvo XC60 is displayed during the first press day of the Geneva International Motor Show on March 7, 2017 in Geneva.

Among small luxury SUVs, nearly every premium brand has thrown it’s hat in the ring. We put 7 contenders to the test on local roads in suburban Chicago. We also tested acceleration, braking, car seat accommodations and much more, scoring everything on a 1,000-point scale. Take a look at the top three finishers.

The redesigned Infiniti QX50 came in third. Its continuously variable automatic transmission responded well when driven hard but droned like most CVTs in everyday driving. The QX50 also lacks Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but it picked up points for roomy seats and the group’s largest cargo area by our measurements.

The second-place Audi Q5 is an SUV with few drawbacks. Its interior drew praise for understated quality and attention to detail, and it turned in the group’s best braking performance at the dragstrip, with solid acceleration numbers, too — though gas-pedal lag became a constant annoyance around town.

The clear winner was the Volvo XC60. Drivability scores and track numbers were generally mid-pack, but Volvo stole the show everywhere else. The XC60 boasts a high-quality interior with mostly intuitive controls, roomy seats, lots of storage space, top-rated safety and self-driving technology and exceptional visibility. Volvo notched a decisive victory: The XC60 is the best choice here.

Check out full scores and how the other contenders did on Cars.com.

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