With the Canadian price of the brand spankin' new Volvo XC60 revealed yesterday, ripe became the time for a Top 5 article on the best small luxury SUVs and crossovers. See, quite tellingly, Volvo hits heavily with the XC60 on at least two fronts: power is rated at no less than 281 horses; and price positions the XC60 above obvious competitors. Volvo priced ahead of the German trio? In this category, yes.Price isn't everything, of course. BMW's X3 was thrashed at the first annual Bad 8 Supersize. Meanwhile, the Audi Q5 was exalted in the first annual Good 12 Supersize. Something tells me four other vehicles will be forced to fill the glaring void. Keep reading to discover The Good Car Guy's Top 5 Small Luxury SUVs.
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#5 - LAND ROVER LR2: Quality problems with Land Rover persists. Even while improving, Land Rover consistently performs at or near the bottom of J.D. Power and Consumer Reports reliability surveys. That being said, Land Rovers have an element of desirability that stems from a safari you want to - but never will - take in the Sahara. The Land Rover LR2 is not powerful enough to find itself at the top of this class, and at $44,900 in Canada, is priced as though it ought to be the King of the Hill. Decent, but not great, in a class of excellent vehicles just ain't decent enough.
#4 - ACURA RDX: The small Acura, priced at $43,225 in Canada, is small in too many ways. Although fun, the Acura wants to be a sports car and thus rides too firmly and is not substantial enough to firmly distinguish itself with a U in SUV. As for the small, a turbocharged 4-cylinder sounds terrific in theory but guzzles fuel like a small-block V8 and doesn't separate the Acura from the pack, powerwise. Though tidy in dimensions, the Acura RDX must be purchased instead of an Acura TSX. Where's the beef?
#3 - VOLVO XC60: On principle alone, the XC60 is not supposed to cost more than its German competitors. Why? Volvo is perceived as semi-premium/entry-luxury, and while it may be more powerful and better equipped than the BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Audi. Moreover, though the Volvo might'n't need options as badly as the Germans, the story still rings true. Customers pay for badges and logos, not just the vehicles behind them. However, the Volvo XC60 is awfully good looking and tremendously capable. One wishes for a slightly lower point of entry.
#2 - MERCEDES-BENZ GLK350: On looks alone, the Benz elbows its way into second place. Strong and muscular with the proportions of a linebacker, this Mercedes GLK fills the role of small luxury SUV as well as Julia Roberts playing herself in Oceans Thirteen. Add an umphy 3.5L V6 and the three-pointed star, and the Benz becomes a winner.
#1 - AUDI Q5: Somewhat predetermined with its Good 12 Supersize-winning performance in December, The Q5 finishes at the top for a variety of reasons. The Good Car Guy is passionate about Audi, firstly. Audi's fighter is also capable, towing over 4,000 pounds and carrying 55 cubic feet of cargo behind the front seats. Most importantly, the Q5 emerges as a youthful alternative, springing up as new money whilst boring old people try to look cool in the RDX; as middle-aged lawyers buy the BMW because they think they should; as seniors lease a GLK because.... they can; just as 39 year-old doctors step into the Land Rover because of a trip they can't actually take and 44 year-old mothers opt for the Volvo because of City Safety. No, the Audi Q5 is for the rest of us; not necessarily the best of us.
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