Mercedes GLE 450 wins the umlaut Connected Vehicles Benchmark as the most connected luxury mid-sized SUV

In the umlaut Connected Vehicles Benchmark, a set of KPIs/test cases were developed to reflect the true user experience. Among others, the categories navigation, communication, voice commands, entertainment and remote usage were examined, pointing out pain points in the technological innovations and connectivity of each vehicle. 

The 2020 Mercedes GLE 450 came in first with a score of 846 out of 1,000 points. With 830 points, the 2020 BMW X5 ranked second. The 2020 Lincoln Navigator ranked third with 818 points. The Cadillac XT6 ranked fourth with 795 points, and the 2020 Lexus RX450h ranked fifth with 772 points. For more details, please see the full report at https://www.umlaut.com/en/stories/2021-Connected-Vehicles-Benchmark-US.

“The Mercedes GLE 450 is the best connected luxury mid-sized SUV based on our comprehensive assessment and methodology,” said Hakan Ekmen, umlaut’s US Managing Director. “Given the surging interest in connected and autonomous vehicles and critical importance of connectivity in vehicles, umlaut conducted a comprehensive connectivity assessment of these five luxury SUVs. The umlaut Connected Vehicles Benchmark is a first-of-its-kind report analyzing the features of connectivity – truly from the user’s perspective. Our scoring framework enables ‘apple to apple comparisons’ so that manufacturers know where they stand in each single category.”

“Best-in-Test” Methodology Key to Analyzing Performance to Determine the Most Connected SUV

The umlaut assessment is largely based on the availability of features, which contributes a maximum of 700 points to the total maximum score of 1000 points. The Feature Availability test consisted of three categories: Infotainment, Navigation and Connectivity. The remaining maximum of 300 points was awarded for the UX score, which is composed of the aspects Feature Performance (max. 240 points) and Feature Experience (max. 60 points). The determination consists of a total of 60 test cases from categories such as App/Smartphone, Navigation, Entertainment, Communication, Voice Control, Comfort, Productivity and Extras.

umlaut has a proven track record of performing benchmarking activities as a leader in the automotive industry and the de facto industry standard in telecommunications using its technical expertise through an in-field and research-driven approach.

The full report of the 2021 umlaut Connected Vehicles Benchmark including a detailed description of the underlying “Best-in-Test” methodology can be downloaded here: https://www.umlaut.com/en/stories/2021-Connected-Vehicles-Benchmark-US.

The press material can be downloaded here: https://filecloud.umlaut.com/Download/b0ae61357463a328ee08d740f1f925