Best SUVs and Crossover SUVs of 2012

The sport-utility-vehicle family has two main branches: old-school body-on-frame SUVs and newer unibody crossover SUVs. Built like trucks, the former once dominated, but have been reduced to a relative handful. Crossovers rule.

Their body and frame essentially a single unit, crossovers are lighter than truck-type SUVs. Handling, fuel economy, even interior packaging benefits. They ride lower, helping passenger and cargo ingress and egress. And most crossovers are based on front-wheel-drive car designs, so even without all-wheel-drive (AWD) they tend to have better traction on slippery pavement than rear-wheel-drive truck-type SUVs. Crossovers that are equipped with AWD increasingly employ sophisticated electronic traction aids that make them nearly as capable off-road as traditional SUVs. Most can tow 3,500-5,000 pounds, a limit few owners will exceed.

For those who do pull the biggest trailers, blaze the toughest trails, and require more interior room than in a pickup truck, there’s still no substitute for a V-8-powered body-on-frame SUV. Their tall ride height, girder-sturdy undercarriages, and true four-wheel drive provide a degree of off-road toughness and towing ability crossovers can’t match.

Of roughly 90 nameplates in the model-year 2012 “SUV” family, some 64 are crossovers, such as the Honda CR-V and Chevrolet Equinox. Twenty-one are true body-on-frame SUVs, like the Chevrolet Tahoe (of these, five are really extended-length renditions; the Chevy Suburban is a stretched, Tahoe, for example).  Finally, five SUVs integrate subframes with unibody structures: the Jeep Grand Cherokee and its stretched version, the Dodge Durango; the Jeep Liberty/Dodge Nitro cousins; and the Land Rover Range Rover.

Our Best SUVs and Crossover SUVs of the Year recognizes all these branches, and ventures into a variety of other niches we think you’ll find helpful.  

2012 LEXUS GX460
Representing the body-on-frame branch with strength and poise, the Best SUV of the Year is the 2012 Lexus GX460. At its core, this is a gussied-up Toyota 4Runner. But the GX doesn’t get the nod over its less expensive cousin just for its extra gingerbread, though it does come with sumptuous leather upholstery, classy wood cabin trim, and an exceptionally refined driving manner. Its primary distinction is its standard V-8 engine; 4Runner offers only a V-6 that can feel overmatched in this two-ton wagon. With 301 horsepower, the GX moves out enthusiastically and can tow 6,500 pounds. AWD is standard and is part of a remarkable arsenal of traction-enhancing, suspension-adapting, powertrain-modulating technology that gives the GX a dual personality as a trail-taming truck. The cabin seats four adults in first-class comfort and holds seven people if two are amenable to a stint on the modest third-row bench. There’s a generous 46.7 cubic feet of cargo volume behind the second-row seat, a full 91.9 with the rear rows folded. Yet the GX’s midsize dimensions make it easy to maneuver and garage. And its owner-satisfaction scores are outstanding. Rated fuel economy is 15/20 mpg city/highway, 17 mpg combined – par for a luxury V-8 SUV. Base-price range: $54,120-$58,915. (Note that all base prices in this article include the manufacturer’s destination fee.)  

2012 Audi Q5
The Best Crossover SUV of the year is the 2012 Audi Q5. This is a compact-segment five-seater that drives not merely like a car but like a premium sporty car. That’s because it borrows engineering from the German automaker’s outstanding A4 sedan and retains much of the car’s responsive driving feel. Less expensive and more agile than Audi’s larger Q7 crossover, the Q5 is quiet and composed and beats every direct rival for sophisticated yet sporty cabin ambiance. There’s a class-average 29.1 cubic feet of cargo volume, 57.3 with the rear seatbacks folded. Maybe best of all, the 2012 Q5 is the rare crossover in its competitive set to offer two equally desirable engines. One is Audi’s terrific turbocharged four-cylinder with 201 horsepower and a punchy 258 pound-feet of torque at just 1500 rpm. It teams with an eight-speed automatic transmission and rates a comparatively thrifty 20/27 mpg city/highway, 22 mpg combined. The available V-6 has a lively 270 horsepower, but 243 pound-feet of torque. It uses a six-speed automatic and rates 18/23/20 mpg. Every Q5 has Audi’s fine quattro all-wheel drive system that’s configured to enhance dry- and wet-surface handling but, in typical crossover practice, isn’t intended for serious off-roading. Base-price range: $36,475-$50,975.

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