Top-Rated Premium Luxury Crossover SUV AutoPacific & Autobytel Consumer Awards

by Lyndon Bell

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February 1, 2012

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2 min. Reading Time

A survey of 75,000 owners of new cars and light trucks in the United States was conducted in the first quarter of 2012. Based upon the data collected, the Mercedes-Benz ML is to be awarded AutoPacific & Autobytel's Vehicle Satisfaction Award (VSA) for America’s highest-rated Premium Luxury Crossover SUV.

Because overall vehicle satisfaction is in fact derived from actual ownership experiences, AutoPacific & Autobytel’s Vehicle Satisfaction Award is a highly accurate measurement of how satisfied new car and light truck buyers are with their recently purchased vehicles.That said, owners of the Mercedes-Benz ML crossover expressed a great deal of satisfaction.

A standout in a field including such best-rated premium luxury crossover SUVs as the Audi Q7 and the Infiniti FX ; the Mercedes-Benz ML's broad variety of powertrains, along with its handsome appearance and strong suite of safety, comfort, and convenience features helped it carry the day. Based solely on the input of actual owners, winners of the VSA are determined purely by the survey numbers generated by the owner's ratings.

Neither AutoPacific nor Autobytel has a vote.

This makes the VSA very different from other automotive awards primarily concentrating on reliability, quality, or subjective journalist evaluations to the exclusion of how satisfied actual owners are with their vehicles.

Top-Rated Premium Luxury Crossover SUV: 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML

All new for 2012, the Mercedes-Benz M-Class is a highly refined crossover SUV. While most crossovers are designed with the idea their owners will never take them off road, AutoPacific & Autobytel’s Top-Rated Premium Luxury Crossover SUV is a wholly capable go-anywhere vehicle.

Offered with a broad range of engines, the Mercedes ML can be suited to practically any environment. Drivers concerned primarily about fuel economy love the diesel option as it provides outstanding torque and impressive fuel economy. The AMG version of the M-Class provides road-scorching performance, while the V8 and V6 models in between offer a precise balance of performance and economy in measures to satisfy nearly every taste.

The high quality interior is spacious and well upholstered with artfully arranged high quality materials. The audio system features a ten-gigabyte hard drive, enabling owners to upload their music collections and eliminating the need to bother about discs afterwards. There’s also video entertainment and Bluetooth audio streaming. The available navigation system features 3D display, a compass overlay, dynamic route guidance, the ability to show alternate routes, and it can record routes while driving.

Naturally, as a product of German engineering, over the road, the highest-rated premium luxury crossover SUV feels more like a car than many really good cars do. Whichever way a buyer chooses to configure it, the best-rated premium luxury crossover SUV—the Mercedes-Benz ML—is fast, comfortable, handles brilliantly, and endows its owner with the ability to comfortably devour hundreds of miles in a single sitting.

Top-Rated Premium Luxury Crossover SUV: 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML Competitors

Tracking closely behind AutoPacific & Autobytel’s best-rated Premium Luxury Crossover SUV are (listed in order of ranking) the Mercedes-Benz GL, Audi Q7, Infiniti FX and Lincoln MKT.

Each an exceptional vehicle in its own right, the best-rated premium luxury crossover SUV models all contain highly sophisticated and technically advanced hardware. And while all but the Mercedes-Benz GL are happier on the street than on the trail, the reality of the situation is buyers of these vehicles are frequently more concerned with storage capacity than off road capability.