Tests – · none yet Owners 74 · 3 reviews
Michelin Cross Terrain looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Cross Terrain vs Michelin Defender T+H — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 1 road tests and 3 + 1 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: Cross Terrain 72, Defender T+H 73.
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Tests – · 1 test Owners 71 · 1 review
Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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70
Dry
Defender T+H +272Why this score
Source Cross Terrain Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 71 74 Cross Terrain: 60% × 69.2 (est.) + 40% × 71.3 = 70
Defender T+H: 60% × 70.3 (est.) + 40% × 74.1 = 72
No road tests of dry for Cross Terrain. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).
No road tests of dry for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).
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74
Wet
Level74Why this score
Source Cross Terrain Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 73 (est.) ≈ 73 (est.) Reviews found online 75 75 Cross Terrain: 60% × 72.8 (est.) + 40% × 75.1 = 74
Defender T+H: 60% × 72.7 (est.) + 40% × 74.9 = 74
No road tests of wet for Cross Terrain. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).
No road tests of wet for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).
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–
Snow
No comparison66Why this score
Source Cross Terrain Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online – 63 Defender T+H: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 63.3 = 66
No road tests of snow for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).
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70
Comfort
Level70Why this score
Source Cross Terrain Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 70 70 Cross Terrain: 60% × 69.4 (est.) + 40% × 70.4 = 70
Defender T+H: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.1 = 70
No road tests of comfort for Cross Terrain or Defender T+H. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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–
Noise
No comparison69Why this score
Source Cross Terrain Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online – 71 Defender T+H: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.5 = 69
No road tests of noise for Defender T+H. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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73
Treadwear
Level73Why this score
Source Cross Terrain Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 69 (est.) 75 Reviews found online 78 70 Cross Terrain: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 77.5 = 73
Defender T+H: 60% × 74.8 + 40% × 70 = 73
No road tests of treadwear for Cross Terrain. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).
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71
Handling (owners)
Defender T+H +172Why this score
Source Cross Terrain Defender T+H Reviews found online 71 72
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Cross Terrain | Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 72 | 73 |
| Dry | 70 | 72 |
| Wet | 74 | 74 |
| Snow | – | 66 |
| Comfort | 70 | 70 |
| Noise | – | 69 |
| Treadwear | 73 | 73 |
| Handling (owners) | 71 | 72 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Weight the categories that matter to you
Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
72
/ 100
Cross Terrain
73
/ 100
Defender T+H
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Cross Terrain
Pros
- Exceptional tread life and overall mileage
- Superior quietness and ride comfort
- Reliable grip and performance in winter conditions
Cons
- Limited performance capabilities for high-speed or aggressive driving
- Discontinued product availability
- Performance bias favors winter conditions over dry or wet handling
Tire B Defender T+H
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Cross Terrain | B · Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season All Terrain and Off Road tires | Premium Touring All Season tire |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | SUV and 4x4 |
Which one should you actually buy?
72
/ 100
Michelin Cross Terrain
73
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
Too close to call: Michelin Cross Terrain and Michelin Defender T+H are within 2 points overall. Michelin Cross Terrain rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 3 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Michelin Defender T+H rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), so read this result as provisional.
Tire A · Michelin Cross Terrain
Tire B · Michelin Defender T+H
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Cross Terrain or Defender T+H?
Which is better in the wet, Cross Terrain or Defender T+H?
Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 74 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, Cross Terrain or Defender T+H?
Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 72 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, Cross Terrain or Defender T+H?
Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 70 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, Cross Terrain or Defender T+H?
Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 73 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
How do we compare tires?
Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.
Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology