Motor Trend picks Mercedes GL450 as top SUV

Motor Trend magazine has named the Mercedes-Benz GL450 as its sport utility vehicle of the year for 2007.

The SUV, equipped with a seven-speed transmission and a 335-horespower V-8 engine, was picked from a field of 22 vehicles, the largest crop of SUVs ever evaluated by the magazine.

"The first full-size sport utility from Mercedes is not cheap, but it has astonishing technology," Motor Trend Editor-in-Chief Angus MacKenzie said in a statement.

The Mercedes has the most comfortable third-row seating of any SUV tested, the magazine said. It also will come with a diesel engine that runs on new low-sulfur fuel.

"In every facet, from performance to the interior, this vehicle is a winner," MacKenzie said.

The SUV competition this year reflected the market shift away from truck-based SUVs toward car-based vehicles, MacKenzie said.

This year, only the GL, the Jeep Wrangler and the Toyota FJ Cruiser had real off-road capability, he said. Many of this year's SUVs are offered in two-wheel-drive versions that will be popular in states where weather and roads aren't a problem, he said.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

"It's the 21st-century station wagon, neither truck- nor car-based, and truly belongs in its own category," MacKenzie said of the SUV. "That is why this year's contest looked more closely at on-road drivability than rock-crawling."

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

The editorial staff at the magazine evaluated the vehicles in three areas: significance in engineering, technology and features; superiority in performance and quality; and value. Staffers drove the vehicles on streets and the test track, as well as off the road.

Eligible vehicles had to be new or substantially upgraded and go on sale in the 12 months after Nov. 1, 2006.

The GL450 has a suggested retail price of $55,675.