Four luxury SUVs go toe-to-toe to see who emerges victorious.
How Does ACOTY Define This Class?
This is pretty straightforward. Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) that qualify for this category need to be their respective manufacturers’ flagship models and be priced close to the 90th price percentile.
Meet The Contenders
Four luxury SUVs were reviewed this year – three German, and one Italian.
Clockwise from the top left, representing Ingolstadt are the Audi SQ7 and SQ8. Flying the flag for neighbouring Italy is the Maserati Levante GT. And back across the border representing Stuttgart is the Porsche Cayenne.
Starting with the SQ siblings, what differentiates the Audi SQ7 and SQ8 is body style, with the former being a traditional SUV while the latter has a more raked Sportback style, and their respective ability to seat seven and five.
Otherwise, they’re virtually identical underneath. The same 500hp twin-turbo four-litre V8 powers both via Audi’s famed Quattro all-wheel drive system. They both come with adaptive air suspension and are supremely comfortable cruisers. We liked how well-appointed they are and how clean Audi’s design language is, with nothing out of place.
If there’s something the Italians usually execute well, it’s design. And so it is here with the Maserati Levante. Feeling like an Italian business suit, the Levante seats five comfortably and has enough luggage space to cart everyone’s Samsonite suitcases around.
Comfy on a cruise and competent in the bends, there is much to like about this luxury Italian SUV.
When Porsche first introduced the Cayenne, purists went mental. However, time has proven this decision correct. Where the first-generation Cayenne had mechanical off-road gubbins to make it a proper Range Rover rival, the later generations dropped this in favour of sharper streetability.
The Cayenne’s three-chamber air suspension is superbly comfortable while allowing this large SUV to drop smaller sedans in the twisties. It has enough kit on the inside to fulfil the needs of modern-day connectivity. Plus, it’s a Porsche. In the luxury segment, brand cachet is important, and the Cayenne delivers in oodles.
These four luxury SUVs made the work of the judging panel that much more difficult. But there was one clear winner.
AutoApp Car Of The Year Best Luxury SUV
Audi SQ7
| Vehicle | Points Tally | Price Percentile |
| Audi SQ7 | 355 | 89 |
| Audi SQ8 | 345 | 90 |
| Porsche Cayenne | 325 | 84 |
| Maserati Levante GT | 298 | 87 |
The Audi SQ7 won convincingly with 355 points because, although both it and the SQ8 are well-appointed and desirable, it is the more practical of the two while priced more attractively. Despite this being the luxury segment, price and practicality do matter, and the SQ7 represents the better-value buy.
More on the scoring categories used to derive points here.
Congratulations to the Audi SQ7 for winning the AutoApp Car of the Year 2024 Best Luxury SUV!
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