I wouldn't say Porsche, Infinity, VW, BMW, or Volvo have produced an SUV that would be considered below its own standards for an automobile. The Volvo has won numerous awards for safety and overall. Besides that, they are all pretty pricey, and I don't believe bring the brand down past any level they haven't already set for themselves. Besides that, why DO all SUVs have to be off-road worthy? Everything on this site that is compared to the VX is stompped on because "the VX would kick its ***** off road!". So what. SUV doesn't mean off road. Its a utilitarian vehicle. If people wanted an off road capable vehicle, then I hope they would be smart enough to buy one that IS capable... SUV or not.

By the way... the Mercedes SUV... I always thought looked like a puffy, near-van. I rarely like any Mercedes model. To me, it is just overpriced quasi-luxury. Even Car and Driver said of the new Cadillac CTS that it is the best of both worlds (luxury and performance), if Mercedes is classic luxury and BMW is performance.