Three, three-row luxury SUVs. Similar in concept. Wildly different in execution.

Two of these vehicles need no introduction. The Cadillac Escalade came into the scene as a pop-culture icon. The Lexus LX 600 is best known as a rebadged Toyota Land Cruiser, and carries all the provenance of its T-badged sibling. The Wagoneer, however, is a new take on an old name, launching a luxury-minded offshoot for Jeep.

All three rigs are excellent vehicles in their own right. But which one is right for you? Let’s break it down.

Want to live your dreams of becoming an airport taxi?

Get the Cadillac Escalade.

Yes, we’re throwing some light shade at the Caddy, as the majority of Escalades we see these days are being used as airport limos. Maybe it’s because we’re close to a major airport, but whenever we see GM’s iconic luxury SUV, it’s always adorned with a “TCP-“ decal on the rear bumper.

But if you think about it, that’s not a slight against the Caddy. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Underneath the Escalade’s fancy sheet metal is GM’s robust GMT-1xx platform – the same platform that underpins workhorses like the Chevy Silverado and GMC Yukon. Power comes from either a 6.2-liter V8 that will last from now to the End Times, or an equally robust 3.0-liter turbo diesel. That means that the Escalade can shrug off whatever its driver can dish out, whether it’s towing a boat, crashing over potholes, or shuttling seven passengers and all their luggage in relative comfort.

And we do have to qualify its comfort levels with that “relative” modifier. Even with niceties including an air-adaptive suspension and magnetic ride control, the Escalade still rides and drives like a truck. And despite that fancy new, curved OLED touchscreen display and leather trim, the interior feels rather truck-like as well. The cabin is nice for a GM product, but the Escalade is outclassed in terms of style and comfort by the other vehicles on this list, as well as more direct competitors like the Lincoln Navigator.

Power: 6.2L V8 / 420 hp / 460 lb-ft torque

Starting MSRP: $79,795

Want to show the world you’re ‘bout that #overlanding life?

Get the Lexus LX 600.

It’s the fancy Toyota Land Cruiser. Though you already knew that, and not because we mentioned it at the top of this article.

What that means is that you get an off-roader with components that have been over-engineered to outlive you, your children, and your grandchildren’s grandchildren. So should it ever break down on the side of whatever resembles a road during the inevitable fourth water war, it can be fixed with a rock and drive merrily on its way.

That Land Cruiser provenance means it’s a damn good off-roader today as well, offering a host of traction control assist technologies, automatically decoupling sway bars to help with wheel articulation, and more. But what’s most shocking about this Lexus is that, well, it drives like a Lexus. The LX 600 is quiet. Smooth. With effortless power on tap. Its leather is soft and rich, with front seats that cradle and support like only a Lexus can. It’s so good at being a luxury car, it feels almost insulting to ever get it dirty.

But not all is perfect with the Lexus LX 600. Despite it being a large, three-row SUV. It’s small inside, almost to the point of being cramped. Front seats are okay, and the second row doesn’t feel too penalizing – though it could use some more legroom. That third row? Best to just forget it even exists. Use the power-fold-down feature to keep them flat and use that cargo area to stock up on Perrier. It’ll either become the new currency in our post-water world, or simply serve as a refreshing, bubbly drink.

Power: 3.5L Twin-Turbo V6 / 409 hp / 479 lb-ft torque

Starting MSRP: $90,660

Just want something comfortable?

Get the Wagoneer.

We hesitate to call it a “Jeep” Wagoneer, as there’s almost zero Jeep branding to be found anywhere on the vehicle. There’s a brief “Jeep” sign off on the touchscreen display that appears long after you shut off the vehicle, and that’s about it. If we didn’t know any better, we’d suspect that Jeep/Stellantis/Whatever is testing the waters for a true luxury spin-off brand, ala Hyundai with Genesis.

The Wagoneer is properly big – it rides atop the same platform as the RAM 1500. And according to Jeep, it offers the most interior passenger room and cargo room in its class. Our tester came with a twin-turbo 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline six, but if you want the off-roady 4x4 stuff, that’s all optional. We got one with all the off-road options, and in our opinion, it’s the best-looking of all the luxury SUVs. What can we say? We love chunky tires.

While the Grand Wagoneer promises more luxury, at a $30k premium, the standard Wagoneer offers plenty of good stuff on its own, like heated and ventilated leather seating, optional individual rear entertainment screens, and a bunch of other stuff that will take it well over $80k.

But what surprised us most about the Wagoneer was how comfortable it is. Credit the air ride shocks, or the likely metric ton of sound deadening. But it offers a quiet, serene ride on par with the Lexus. And despite its size, it’s pretty easy to drive, too. Though, credit where credit’s due: our tester came equipped with the 360-degree exterior camera (as did all our test vehicles). Who knows what sort of hell we would have been in trying to park the Wagoneer – or any of these rigs – without the help of technology.

Power: 3.0L twin-turbo I6 / 420 hp / 468 lb-ft torque

Starting MSRP: $72,640 (Series II 4x4)

Final thoughts:

If you’re ready to shell out north of $80k for a truck, any of the SUVs here will do you right. And while our inner JDM nerd lusts after the Land Cruiser, er, Lexus, we can’t help but feel more smitten with the Wagoneer. Of the three, it offers the ideal blend of space, capability, comfort, and price. As for the Escalade, well, it’ll continue to be a nice place to spend time the next time we’re headed to the airport.

Three of a Kind: Luxury SUV Edition