Wind the clock back to 1997 and you’ll find American automakers about to deluge the public with three-ton luxo-barges glimmering with chrome, 20 inch wheels, and wood trim. The Lincoln Navigator made its debut in 1998, and was shortly after followed by the GMC Yukon Denali and its platform mate the Cadillac Escalade. In 2023, the fourth generation Navigator and the fifth generation Denalis have come a long way from looking like tarted up Ford F-150s and Chevy Tahoes. Today, a host of full size luxury SUVs engulf the upper echelons of American society, from both America and abroad. Can any Deny the Denali the top spot?
Lincoln Navigator
The luxo-barge that started it all, the flagship fourth-gen Navigator starts at $79,725 msrp with seating for up to eight. The Navigator is opulent beyond compare with its large chrome front grille, and offers a different take on oversized American luxury than the more svelte Escalade. The Navigator L trim is the long-wheelbase answer to the Suburban/Denali XL/Escalade ESV, which begins at $94,965 msrp or $112,300 msrp in Black Label trim. Reserve trim adds heated and ventilated front leather seats and heads up display, at an msrp of $95,325 msrp. The Navigator’s twin turbo V6 gallops the Navi through the quarter mile in 13.9 seconds, quite a feat considering the three ton curb weight; it makes it to sixty miles per hour in a scant 5.3 seconds. Its 440 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque also mean its a towing beast, able to pull up to 8700 pounds of luxury trailer.
Cadillac Escalade
Escalade is King of the Full Size Luxury, land-barging it to more than 40,000 units annually, thoroughly embarrassing the Navigator which can’t even do one third as much. Starting msrp is $80,795, but despite this high price, the Escalade has the lowest average age for drivers of any Cadillac model, age 46. A much better driving vehicle than its land-barge size lets on, one can see why Escalade sales figures embarrass the Navigator the second one tries to take a corner spiritedly in either. While one could debate which land barge best ornaments suburban driveways and golf course parking lots, the Escalade has a more traditional standard powertrain than the turbo-six in the Lincoln, boasting 420 horsepower from a 6.2L V8. A less conventional 3.0L turbo-diesel is optional, with 277-hp and 460 lb-ft of torque, and will add roughly $4k to your Escalade purchase price. Two different Escalade lengths are available, Tahoe-based and Suburban-based — or 211.9 inches and 227 inches for those not versed in Chevrolet nomenclature. The ESV (227 inches) starting msrp starts is $87,190. All Escalades have air ride adaptive suspension and power running boards to try and help you forget its origins as a truck. The Escalade V-Series, carrying on the Cadillac CTS-V torch, has 682 horsepower and a supercar-worthy $149,695 msrp.
GMC Yukon / Yukon XL Denali
If you want the bells and whistles of the Escalade minus the Cadillac price, but also don’t want a Chevy Tahoe golden-bowtie, the Denali and Denali XL aim to please. The 210 inch Yukon-based Denali starts at $74,805 msrp and its longer counterpart the Denali XL starts at $77,305 msrp, each in rear-wheel drive respectively. Unlike plebeian Suburbans and Yukons, the Denalis have hand-stitched leather interiors and wood-trimmed dashboards. The 355hp 5.3L V8 from the regular Yukon is out the window for the same 420hp 6.2L V8 from the Escalade. As with the Escalade, the Denali is also available with the turbo 277hp 3.0L turbodiesel-six, which should help with the gas version’s abysmal MPG figures, particularly in 4WD. There is also a Denali Ultimate trim which starts just under $100k for those well-heeled customers wanting something less ostentatious than the Escalade, adding full grain leather seats, laser-etched wood trim, and an 18-sppeaker Bose surround sound including headrest speakers.
BMW X7
Usurping the throne of its own X5 SUV, the BMW X7 now takes the top SUV spot from the Bavarian automaker. Starting at $81,900 msrp, the “biggest BMW ever built” seats seven people yet still hits 60mph in a claimed 5.6 seconds. The 375hp xDrive40i is the standard model, coming with a twin turbo inline six which uses the Miller Cycle, an underappreciated engine timing design not seen in production models since the Mazda Millenia. Upgrade trims include the M60i with 4.4L V8 with 523hp ($108,700 msrp) or the 631hp hand-crafted Alpina XB7 ($149,400 msrp). Features include more options than you can shake a stick at, including four-zone climate control, panoramic sunroof, power seats, and heated seats, amongst others.
Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Not content to rest on its Grand Cherokee laurels, the Grand Wagoneer has been resumed from the dead by Jeep. Last produced in woodgrain form, it went unchanged from 1963 to 1991, and today they fetch ridiculous sums at auction. They were so beloved that you can even buy a woodgrain kit for your new Grand Wagoneer. These new models come in two wheelbases and also two trim levels, for a grand total of four gas-guzzling American Luxo-Barges to do battle with GM and Lincoln.
The pedestrian (relatively speaking) Wagoneer 4X2 starts at $58,995 msrp or $61,595 in long wheelbase Wagoneer L form. A lot of the differences between the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer boil down to fanciness and engine, with different wheel sizes, leather qualities, and so forth. The Base Wagoneer gets either a 392hp 5.7L V8 or 420hp twin-turbo inline six. The Grand Wagoneer gets a 471hp 6.4L V8 or a higher output version of the twin turbo 3.0L inline six that puts out 510hp and 500 lb-ft of torque; expect 13-14MPG city on all engines and trims. All models have eight speed auto transmissions. The Grand Wagoneer, with its leather-ier, chrome-ier look, and beefier engine, starts at $91,140 msrp for regular wheelbase and $96,140 msrp for the 12 inch longer Grand Wagoneer L.
