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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Defender T+H vs Michelin CrossClimate SUV — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 1 + 4 road tests and 1 + 23 owner reviews. How we score

CrossClimate SUV is ahead, 77–70

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Michelin Defender T+H
Tire AMichelin

Defender T+H

Premium Touring All Season tire

± 8Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 69 · 1 review

Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires (tested tread life (miles))

Michelin CrossClimate SUV
Tire BMichelin

CrossClimate SUV

All Season

± 5

Tests 82 · 4 tests Owners 73 · 23 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 11 in 2022 Auto Bild SUV All Season Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 70

    Dry

    CrossClimate SUV +13
    83
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 69 (est.)88
    Reviews found online7175

    Defender T+H: 60% × 69.2 (est.) + 40% × 70.8 = 70

    CrossClimate SUV: 60% × 87.5 + 40% × 75.3 = 83

    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 0.42).

  2. 73

    Wet

    CrossClimate SUV +10
    83
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 72 (est.)85
    Reviews found online7381

    Defender T+H: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.3 = 73

    CrossClimate SUV: 60% × 84.8 + 40% × 80.5 = 83

    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 0.55).

  3. 65

    Snow

    CrossClimate SUV +6
    71
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 68 (est.)69
    Reviews found online6274

    Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 65

    CrossClimate SUV: 60% × 69.1 + 40% × 74 = 71

    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 0.37).

  4. 68

    Comfort

    CrossClimate SUV +2
    70
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6771

    Defender T+H: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 66.9 = 68

    CrossClimate SUV: 40% × 69.5 (est.) + 60% × 71 = 70

    No road tests of comfort for Defender T+H or CrossClimate SUV. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    72
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests–76
    Reviews found online–≈ 67 (est.)

    CrossClimate SUV: 60% × 76.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 72

    No owner ratings of noise for CrossClimate SUV. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 73

    Treadwear

    Defender T+H +8
    65
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests76≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6865

    Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73

    CrossClimate SUV: 60% × 65.6 (est.) + 40% × 64.6 = 65

    No road tests of treadwear for CrossClimate SUV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    70
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate SUV
    Reviews found online–70
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    77
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests–77
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Defender T+HMichelin CrossClimate SUV
Relative Score 70 77
Dry 70 83
Wet 73 83
Snow 65 71
Comfort 68 70
Noise – 72
Treadwear 73 65
Handling (owners) – 70
Efficiency – 77

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
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

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Defender T+H

± 5

CrossClimate SUV

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryDefender T+HCrossClimate SUVΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #1/8 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires #1/11 2022 Auto Bild SUV All Season Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Defender T+H

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B CrossClimate SUV

Pros

  • Exceptional all-weather traction, particularly in wet, cold, and light snow conditions.
  • High levels of ride comfort and low cabin noise for most users.
  • Strong durability and longevity with minimal tread wear reported by many owners.

Cons

  • Reports of increased road noise or 'growling' as the tire ages.
  • Ride quality can feel overly firm or harsh on certain vehicle suspensions.
  • Some users noted a decline in wet-weather performance as the tire reaches the end of its life.
All owner themes in the CrossClimate SUV review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender T+H B · Michelin CrossClimate SUV
CategoryPremium Touring All Season tireAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available—33
Rim diameters—16″ – 20″

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Defender T+H

Michelin CrossClimate SUV

Winner: Michelin CrossClimate SUV — better dry, wet and snow. Pick the Michelin Defender T+H if treadwear matters most to you. Michelin Defender T+H rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin CrossClimate SUV scores 83 vs 70 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin CrossClimate SUV scores 83 vs 73 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 65 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Michelin CrossClimate SUV scores 71 vs 65 on snow.

Tire A · Michelin Defender T+H
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Tire B · Michelin CrossClimate SUV
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Defender T+H or CrossClimate SUV?

Which is better in the wet, Defender T+H or CrossClimate SUV?

Michelin CrossClimate SUV, 83 vs 73 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Defender T+H or CrossClimate SUV?

Michelin CrossClimate SUV, 83 vs 70 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Defender T+H or CrossClimate SUV?

Michelin CrossClimate SUV, 71 vs 65 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Defender T+H or CrossClimate SUV?

Neither, by our numbers: 68 vs 70 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Defender T+H or CrossClimate SUV?

Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 65 on our treadwear score.

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