Best SUVs of 2022 and 2023

RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Today we are looking at the Mercedes-Benz GLS and a fully redesigned Range Rover. These are two statement SUVs for rolling around in style. And they've both got three rows. That's right, the GLS comes standard as a three row. And the Range Rover has now followed suit with a third row option, which we have here. The question is, which is better? After all, the GLS is one of the highest-rated vehicles that we've scored in recent years. But the arrival of a new Range Rover is always a momentous occasion. Let's find out which of these super luxury SUVs best lives up to its billing as the ultimate status symbol. We'll investigate which one has the best space and comfort, which one has the coolest flashy features, and which one breaks the bank. And while you're here, do me a favor and hit that Like button and click Subscribe so you can see all of our Edmunds content before your friends do. Also, if you want to sell your car, go to edmunds.com/sellmycar, and you'll get a cash offer on your car right now. [MUSIC PLAYING] First up is the Mercedes-Benz GLS 450. Under the hood, it's got a mild hybrid system connected to a turbocharged 3-liter Inline-6 engine. Pricing for the GLS starts just under $79,000, including destination. And this one, with a couple of extra options, comes to right about $88,000. And then, there's the Range Rover. This one is an SE P400 Trim, and that means it's got the same powertrain, a mild hybrid system paired to a turbocharged 3-liter Inline-6 engine. Funny how that works. The Range Rover was fully redesigned for 2022, and this is its fifth generation. Now, you take one look at it, and you can tell it's ultra modern. But there's also a hint of nostalgia in there. The new Range Rover starts at around $105,000. Yes, you heard that right, $105,000. And those are for short wheelbase, two-row versions. The one we have today is a long wheelbase with the optional third row. That starts at $110,000. And with the options that are loaded up in this thing, figure it's closer to $120,000. What do you say we keep a tally? Let's see which SUV gets the bigger status symbol rating in each category. For me, this time, it's got to go to the Range Rover. This thing has a ton of presence and makes a great first impression. Plus, a Range is always the talk of the yacht club. And the fact that this one now comes with an optional third row seals the deal. Yes, its price is high, but this one's pretty clear. It goes to the Brits. [MUSIC PLAYING] We're out here at the Edmunds test track. And now the introductions are out of the way, let's put them on the track and see how they do. Here on our test track, both SUVs put up some impressive numbers. The race to 60 miles an hour, super close. Into the quarter mile, it's even closer. These figures are incredibly fast for the standard engine in a luxury three-row SUV. What's interesting is we're seeing the Range Rover's advantage in power equalized by the GLS's advantage in weight. But check out the breaking number for the Mercedes. Stopping from 60 miles per hour in 105 feet is sports car territory and far shorter than what the Range Rover managed. This status symbol battle goes to the Benz. [BELL] For my money, the interior is what really makes or breaks a luxury SUV. After all, at this price, you want to be lavished upon. You want to feel like royalty. I mean, think about it. Even the queen of England herself is driven around in a Range Rover. So how does this Mercedes compare? I'll be looking for clues of things like build quality and attention to detail to find out. So let's get to it. Right off the bat, the GLS makes a really strong impression. But first, let's talk about what's new. Standard on the 2022 GLS, you now get both heated and ventilated front seats, as well as four-zone climate control on every model. As you get inside the GLS and start to settle in, there are two main components that stand out right away. And the first is design and styling. You've got some big, bold elements in here, like these giant screens, these cool four AC vents, and these big old grab handles with metal outlining around them. Everything is really crisp and clean and feels like it's exactly where it should be. But without being boring, there's definitely an element of excitement in here that will make you forget that you're, basically, in a family SUV. The other important aspect is the materials inside this car. This GLS has the standard upholstery, which looks a lot like pebble full-grain leather. But it's actually MB-Tex, which is Mercedes's vinyl material. And even though it's not real leather, the seats are really plush. And all the touch points that have this material are very soft, so it does a great imitation of more luxurious leather. On top of that, there is a lot of metal in here. Basically, all of your touchscreen points are authentic metal, everything from this little switch to the steering wheel controls and your door handles, a very nice, classy touch that elevates the cabin as a whole. Time to talk tech. Mercedes, as a whole, has some of the best technology features that we've really enjoyed testing over the years. And in the GLS, it is more of the same. First off, you've got this set of 12.3-inch screens right in front of you. They are really responsive to your commands. As you can see, things move really quickly with no problem. And the way to operate them is just as nice. For the driver display, there's a touchpad right here that will quickly scroll through things. And when it comes to the center touch screen, you actually have three different ways of controlling it. You can use a similar touchpad on the steering wheel. You can use a mouse pad down here. Or you can just go ahead and click it on the screen itself. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto comes standard on the GLS, so that you can easily connect to your smartphone. But honestly, Mercedes' system is so good, that if you just want to use those, that's great, too. And the last thing that I want to show you within the screen itself is the amount of different camera angles that you have at your disposal. If you put the car into reverse or just hit this camera button right here, you get a range of different options. For instance, this is looking out to the front. And you can see the definition and resolution is really, really strong. Even in a luxury class, this stands out, which is great. That provides us with a nice bridge to talk about safety systems. Now, Mercedes has some of the best advanced driver assistance features that we've tested. Its adaptive cruise control is really easy to use and comes to a nice, smooth stop. And it can also do stop and go in traffic. We also like the lane keep assist. Basically, this is a really buttoned-up system, just like the rest of the technology inside the GLS. This is how it should be. Bang, second row-- now, I was very comfortable in the front seat. There was a lot of headroom, and as we talked about, the seats were very comfortable. And it's more of the same in the second row. I have a lot of headroom-- at 6 feet tall, it's no problem-- and a ton of leg room. Sitting behind my own driving position, fitting my gangly legs back here is no problem at all. Also, the seats are really comfortable, just like in the front. Now, you will notice we have captain's chairs back here. The GLS comes standard with a three-seat bench in the second row. This one has the captain's chairs, which are a no-cost option. The biggest advantage of that is that it makes it really easy to get into the third row. All you have to do is dive back there like this. [CRASHING] Here's the hard way. The GLS has power folding second row seats, which sounds great, right? Except they're pretty slow. It takes quite a while for them to get all the way up there, and my kid is already distracted. Now, once they are up, you've got all this metal componentry down here, which is exposed and frankly, looks pretty sharp and scary. Let's test entry and see how that goes. So I can get in OK. I do have to twist a little bit. But it's not that bad. And then once I'm seated, in order to get the seat back to where someone can sit in it, instead of just pressing that button, you have to hold it the whole time, which is kind of a pain. OK, so now it's all the way back. And surprisingly, space isn't that bad. I've still got some headroom, my arm has a resting place right here, and my feet are a little cramped. But it's not that big a deal. I could sit back here comfortably for a while, which is surprising. I was not expecting that. [MUSIC PLAYING] It's time to talk Range Rover. First impression inside of this new SUV is it is very stately. I don't know. It's handsome. It's reserved, but also very, very nice. The first thing I want to talk about is the materials. There are very lovely materials in here, everything from these big swaths of real leather, genuine leather, unlike the Benz, and big, flat areas of wood to all the way down the sides here. Same with the doors, lots of leather and then lots of metal trimming all the way around, which is very nice. I really, really like the seats in here. They are so comfortable. And just the structure of them themselves feels great. The bolstering really helps to keep you in place, which is really nice. Standard on the Range Rover is heated seats in all three rows. You do not, however, get standard ventilation in the front row, like you did in the Benz. In this particular model, we have upgraded seats. Now, that means that in addition to the heating, you also get ventilation. You also get that genuine leather that I talked about. And you get a massage function-- mwah, ah, so nice. When it comes to technology features inside the Range Rover, there is actually a lot to like here. First of all, you get a 13-inch touch screen front and center, which looks really nice. The graphics are really crisp and clear. But more importantly, there are all kinds of cool features all over the place. For instance, if you have your screen set on this setting, you can see the status of your locking differential. You can see your off-road settings and angles. And you can even see the air quality of the air outside. Plus, you can hit a button that will purify the air inside the cabin. How cool is that? To keep the list of good things going, the Range Rover also comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. However, they are wireless here, which is a nice little bonus. We also like all of the camera views in here. And there are some special added treats. For instance, take this view. In this 3D view, you can look all the way around the outside of the car. And when you turn the wheels, they do that in the graphic, too. It's just fun and creative. However, there are a few things that we don't like as well. For instance, the screen just is not as responsive as it is in the Benz. Sometimes, you have to press a selection two or even three times before the computer understands what you're looking for. And I mentioned that there are lots of cool, splashy features in here. But a lot of times, they are buried in this morass of different choices, and it's really hard to find what you're looking for. One more thing is that to operate the screen, you will be touching it the entire time. There are no steering wheel controls. There is no little mouse pad or dial of any kind. You are poking and prodding and swiping the whole time. Personally, that's not my favorite thing to do. Speaking of controls, let's talk about the actual switches and mechanisms that you'll be using here. They are basically all plastic. Up here, to control the driver display, these are each one piece of plastic. And they can be very confusing. On the left side here, there's just a bunch of symbols and shapes that aren't clearly labeled. And it's not immediately clear what they do. Moving over here, where you have your climate and HVAC controls, again, this is one giant piece of plastic. And when you press one button, it moves the whole thing-- just doesn't feel very nice. Take these two dials as well. If you want to control your seat settings, you push this giant dial. And if you want to control the fan settings for the entire air system, you pull this dial. It's a neat concept to have one control that does multiple functions, but in operation, it's just confusing and hard to learn. That's a common theme when it comes to technology features inside the Range Rover. There are multiple things that are just confusing to learn or not intuitive, in general. I'm frankly surprised that they didn't pay special attention to making sure it was easy to use. But if you can hop into this thing and immediately understand what everything means and how you're supposed to use it, well, you should be reviewing cars, frankly. I actually really like the advanced safety features inside the Range Rover. The adaptive cruise control works great. There's even a steering assist feature, which works surprisingly well to give you just a little bit of help going around turns and things like that. It's not too much, not too little. My only advice would be, please remember you are in a very large, very heavy vehicle. Be ready to take over the controls at any time. But for the last few days, I've been testing the Range Rover and have been very impressed by all of its semi-automated features. That's a big win. Back seat of the Range Rover-- now, according to our measurements, the Range Rover in the second row has slightly less headroom and leg room then the Mercedes. But you may notice it sure seems like I have a lot more space back here. I'm clearing plenty of room on my head. My legs have a lot of room to spread out. And if you get the two-row version of the Range Rover, there's even more leg room. This is really, really impressive so far. You may have noticed that I'm also sitting under this gigantic panoramic sunroof, which is very cool. These handles, which are very nice, soft leather, this is the type of small attention to detail that I'm looking for in a luxury SUV. Make me feel like I'm getting something cool, you know what I mean? Now let's talk getting into the third row. Just like the Benz, you press a button down here, and the second row moves automatically. Now, the Range Rover only comes with a bench seat, so you have to do it this way. But it was much faster, and the space is bigger, and there's no exposed metal, dangerous sharp things, which is great. So once I'm back here, there's a button down here next to my leg. You do have to hold it down, but it will bring the seat back to its original position. And now I'm in the third row. However, I'm quite a bit more scrunched than I was in the Benz. My knees are resting up against the back of the second row, and my head is touching the ceiling. So I could ride back here for a little while, but I don't want to do it for very long. So there is a lot to talk about when it comes to the interior of the Range Rover. This cabin is defined by its big, flashy features and really nice, sumptuous materials. There is certainly a lot of it in here. However, I would not say that this interior is really about the attention to detail. And that's backed up by my last few days of driving, where I did notice quite a bit of squeaking, groaning, rattling. Nothing is really coming apart, but it does seem like the Benz is a more well put together vehicle. So which interior comes out on top in our status symbol competition? For me, there's really no question. It's the GLS. In that, you get more space, better attention to detail, and better usability, plus, at least at first glance, seemingly better build quality as well. [MUSIC PLAYING] We've seen what the GLS can do on the track. Now let's take a ride through the suburbs. The first thing that's noticeable is the buttery smoothness of this powertrain. Like I mentioned before, it's a mild hybrid Inline-6. And that combination gives you really smooth power delivery. When it comes to ride comfort, it's more of the same. This car can handle a lot in the corners, but what it's really good at is staying composed and measured and comfortable through all kinds of road surfaces. Whether we're going over something totally smooth or a little pebbly or cracks and potholes, the GLS is always under control. The GLS is pretty responsive for an SUV of this size, also. The steering reacts to even subtle commands and small turns. And the brake pedal responds quickly, as well, but it's not grabby at all. It's the theme of the GLS really. This whole thing is about delivering smoothness, whether that's the engine or the steering or the braking. The GLS always feels firmly planted to the ground. And yeah, it's not the most exciting thing you can buy. But I think it delivers exactly what luxury SUV buyers are looking for. Now let's talk fuel economy for a second. Yes, this version of the GLS is a mild hybrid. But don't expect Prius numbers. That's not the same kind of hybrid. The EPA rates the GLS 450 at 20 MPG combined. And when we put it on our evaluation route, it came back with 21 MPG. So it outperformed its rating a little bit, which is good. But this is still a large, heavy, brick-shaped SUV, and when you do have to fill it up, it's going to hurt a little bit. Now, I don't want to overdo it and gush too much about the GLS. But the fact is it just delivers a pretty serene ride that's uneventful in a good way. Now, we're in the Range Rover, and let's be honest. This is the new model on the block, so let's spend a little bit more time getting to know it. First off, like we've said before, this has a very similar powertrain setup, with a mild hybrid system and a 3-liter Inline-6 engine. But the Range has more power and more torque, and first impression is it definitely feels like it. To me, the GLS felt more like a natural athlete. But the Range Rover uses its power to just give you some extra force and almost like in a luxurious way, not like in a burst of acceleration way, but you just feel more powerful in this thing. And it's really great to drive. You naturally sit up higher, but you also, I think, have a way better view of the road. This is a huge windshield, and the hood slopes downward. So you've got a really great view of everything in front of you, which is nice. Now let's get to some of the nitty-gritty stuff. First up is ride comfort. This is a very, very comfortable SUV. The air suspension in the Range Rover really, really makes a big difference. The Range Rover goes over imperfections in the road and really even any bump at all like they're not even there. You are aware that the car has gone over a bump, but you don't really feel it. It's a really, really great sensation. It's kind of like driving a Four Seasons Hotel. But on the downside, this tall SUV combined with that floaty suspension gives you a lot of body movement, lean in the corners, even when you're in sporty dynamic mode. It feels like you are on stilts all the time, and that is accentuated sometimes through things like the steering and braking. The steering is not as responsive as in the Benz. And I think that was probably a little bit on purpose. Steering can be made to feel a little bit vague or lazy. But some people perceive that as a luxury, where it's a very easy, breezy style of driving. All Range Rovers now comes standard with rear wheel steering. So that means that, especially at low speeds, the rear wheels will turn in the opposite direction to give you enhanced maneuverability, like, say, in a parking lot or making a tight U-turn. And we have definitely felt the difference when I'm jumping back and forth between the two vehicles. The Range Rover is simply capable of making really, really tight u-turns. In terms of braking, there's a similar thing going on. These are very strong brakes, and they're capable of bringing a very large vehicle down to a stop quickly. But on lower speeds, they can be pretty grabby, and you will feel the body moving around quite a bit. There's a little bit of dip and dive as you work into the brakes. Believe it or not, the Range Rover actually has slightly higher fuel economy ratings than the GLS 450. The Range Rover is rated at 21 MPG combined. And on our evaluation route, it returned 21.3 MPG, so pretty much right on the money for its rating-- not bad for a giants seven-seat luxury SUV. So these are just qualities that come with this luxurious, palatial floaty ride. And frankly, I don't mind putting up with that, because, again, this is an intoxicating amount of ride quality and comfort. And I get why people spend this much money for it. As for which one of these SUVs earns the point in our status symbol rating, honestly, it was pretty close. It goes to the Benz. [BELL] That SUV is so much more than a great engine and a smooth ride. It just feels buttoned up in all the right places. Now let's jump into what you can haul in the backs of these babies, everything from luggage and baby strollers; maybe some tents and hunting gear; or if you really want to get in the spirit, a collection of fine, vintage, cave-aged cheeses. Let's check it out. Let's start with the GLS. Behind the third row, you've got 17.4 cubic feet of space. So what does that actually mean? If you want to load a stroller inside, you can get a pretty bulky one like this in there. Lay it flat. And it just fits, but it fits. Your problem, now, of course, is where do you put your cheese? Well, you can fold down the third row, and that will open up 42.7 cubic feet of space, which is quite a bit more. If you need more than that, you should get an Escalade. As for the Range Rover, well, when you're talking cargo, the first thing you have to talk about is this awesome, power-deployable tailgate, where you can just sit out here on the deck and enjoy a snack of fine cheeses. It's very nice. Now, when it's time to put it away, you just slide it back. And watch this. The deck automatically folds up, and it fits in there just barely. But it does fit in there. Clearly, Range Rover designed this space to fit boxes of cheese. But what about when it's time to go from your cheese to your baby? Let's find out. As we get our stroller in here, that's clearly not going to fit in the same way that it did in the GLS. You're going to have to turn the stroller this way and set it down. And that's because behind the third row, the Range Rover only offers 8.7 cubic feet of space, which is roughly half of what was in the GLS. If you want to carry your stroller and your cheese, you can fold down the third row of seats. On most Range Rovers, when you fall down the third row, there's less space overall than in the GLS. But on a long wheelbase version, like this one, this actually gives you slightly more cubic space than in the GLS. And that makes it easy to get our cheese and our baby in there, maybe evenly this down flat. So there's definitely usable space here. Neither of these SUVs list cargo space as a major strength. However, the Range Rover gets extra cool points for that awesome fold out tailgate. At the end of the day, though, we still have to keep practicality in mind, and the Benz simply has more space. [BELL] For that reason, it gets the point. [MUSIC PLAYING] In the GLS, there's a maximum towing capacity of 7,700 pounds, which is pretty strong, actually. Now, you will need to add a towing package, so talk to your dealer. Because this one, as you can see, does not come with the hitch. The GLS in this 450, guys, is not exactly a perfect match with off-roading. There is an adjustable suspension, and we've put it up to its highest setting. And that gives it a ground clearance of about 8 and 1/2 inches, which is not a ton, but it will get you over some stuff. There's also an off-road drive setting in there to maximize traction when you get into the slippery stuff. But again, that's not the GLS's forte. Moving on to the Range Rover, this has a very similar maximum towing capacity, just over 7,700 pounds. Again, talk to your dealer because this one does not have a tow package or even a hitch, and you'll need to get that. One thing to know is that Range Rover doesn't list different maximum towing capacities for the short wheelbase version and a long wheelbase, like this one. So you should check with your dealer before hitching up, so you can really know how much capability you have in your truck. Moving on to off-roading, though, it's clear that Range Rover took this part seriously. Again, there's that air suspension. And just like in the GLS, there's an adjustable ride height. But the big difference is in ground clearance. The Range Rover offers up to 11 and 1/2 inches of ground clearance. That is a lot for any vehicle. And when you put these two side by side, you can really tell the difference there. All Range Rovers also come standard with terrain response, too. That's Range Rover's advanced off-road drive setting, and it offers up to five different drive modes for off-roading alone. One of them is even wading because, of course, you'll be daily driving this through rivers pretty regularly. So is it feasible that you could take your $120,000 Range Rover with 23-inch wheels off-roading? I mean, it's feasible, sure. There's all kinds of tech and goodies here to get the job done, especially a standard locking rear differential. The point for the status symbol this time clearly goes to the Range Rover. [BELL] Off-roading has always been the trump card for a Range Rover, and it's no different here. This is the lux rock crawler to get, if that's what you're looking for. [MUSIC PLAYING] So which of these is the ultimate status symbol? Both SUVs will blow you away, the Mercedes for its incredible sophistication at this price and the Range Rover for its sheer extravagance. But in this comparison, there is one winner, and it's got three letters, GLS. [BELL] Nothing else delivers this level of build quality and space for the price. The GLS has been our top-rated large luxury SUV for several years now. And the arrival of the fifth generation Range Rover in the three-row class is not going to change that. For you Range Rover diehards out there, prepare to be wowed. There is a new layer of elegance here that will be an absolute stunner, whether you're at a Mountain Resort or just parked outside Nobu. But you will pay for it. At the end of the day, though, the Mercedes-Benz GLS is, frankly, a steal. And in this comparison, there is no comparison. It's our top choice for this hot SUV summer. Thanks for watching, and don't forget to hit Like and Subscribe. And go to edmunds.com for all your car shopping needs. [MUSIC PLAYING]