Best Luxury Car of 2022
Winner: 2022 Cadillac Escalade
The Escalade is Cadillac’s most recognizable model, and the history of full-size SUV exterior design is a big reason.
But when Cadillac redesigned the Escalade for the 2021 model year, it turned its attention to the interior, paying more attention to the SUV’s cabin.
The result is a beautiful interior with luxurious materials and unique technical features and a space that is more comfortable and practical than before.
We liked it so much that we gave this Cadillac our luxury gift last year.
Reviewing the luxury sector again for this year’s awards, the Escalade’s combination of style, quality, technology, and power have made it a back-to-back winner as the best luxury car of 2022.
The centerpiece of the Escalade’s interior is a standard three-diode organic light-emitting diode display, which sits 38 inches diagonally and spans half of the driver’s instrument panel.
The standard Escalade adds a virtual reality key and an available night vision system that uses the center display and instrument cluster.
The Escalade has some of Europe’s leading technology rivals, but its user interface is far superior.
The Escalade’s touchscreen technology is just one aspect of its beautiful interior, which is wrapped in leather and wood when you choose the Platinum trim level.
The exterior of the Escalade is even larger than its predecessor, and Cadillac has taken advantage of this by increasing passenger space and comfort, especially in the third row.
The Escalade’s focus on technology extends to its safety systems, which include the available Super Cruise that enables hands-free driving for up to 200,000 miles.
The Escalade’s focus on comfort, technology, and luxury doesn’t mean it can’t handle full-on SUV duties like towing a trailer or hauling the family.
With the standard 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8 engine, the Escalade can tow up to 8,200 pounds, and the 277-hp 3.0-liter turbo-diesel six-cylinder is available at 8,100 pounds.
All Escalades can accommodate eight people, and the extended ESV version has more cargo space behind the third row.
While the current Escalade may not have as much presence in your face as its predecessors, it’s a better car overall and the best-selling brand to date thanks to its luxurious interior and spacious, driving style and technology are impressive.
It’s Cadillac’s ultimate, full-fledged luxury SUV and, thanks in large part to its more tech-friendly approach.
2022 Genesis GV70: Selected
As far as luxury brands go, South Korea’s Genesis is still growing, selling its first cars (as a rival to Hyundai), the G80 and G90 sedans, for 2017.
‘despite his youth, Genesis. has had many successes: We named the automaker’s G70 sports sedan our best 2019 winner, and the GV80 midsize SUV was nominated for the best award of the year last year.
New for 2022, the GV70 compact luxury SUV impresses on many fronts.
The slim exterior styling bridges the gap between a traditional SUV and a coupe SUV that is popular among luxury brands.
The cabin is also different and can be cleaned with expensive materials such as Nappa leather and carbon fiber.
The G70 sports sedan is one of our favorites because of its great driving power, the GV70 reminds us of that car.
It’s one of the best-performing compact luxury SUVs we’ve tested, and it’s rewarded with a communication experience from the driver’s seat.
Two engines are offered: a standard 300-hp 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder or an optional 375-hp 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6. Both engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive is standard.
Genesis is known for its value, and while the GV70’s MSRP can exceed $65,000 with options, it starts at around $42,000, which is at the bottom of the category.
Overall, the GV70 is another interesting vehicle from Genesis that makes it an interesting alternative to luxury SUVs.
