Guilty pleasure SUVs | Six of the Best
So an electric Range Rover is all well and good - but for those still craving the charm of combustion...
Range Rover Sport SVR, 2021, 29k, £47,995
The test cards are in and it seems that Land Rover’s first attempt to build an electric Range Rover has met with almost universal approval. We certainly thought it hit the spot. But it won’t be for everyone; certainly not if your idea of a luxury SUV includes the pomp and circumstance of a big engine. The original SVR was a terrific case in point: as subtle as a signet ring it might very well have been, but few cars rank quite so highly on the guilty pleasure scale. Its supercharged 5.0-litre V8 was obviously a big part of that, although you’ll need to make your peace with the shouty styling if you want one. This example, from 2021, is about as subtle as they get. Still, it’s a third of the price of a Range Rover Electric - and twice as fun to drive if you don’t mind the odd closed-fist wave…
Mercedes-Benz G450d, 2024, 23k, £134,500
The current G-wagen also has a habit of triggering passersby, so we’d recommend you don’t buy the much more famous G63 (it doesn’t possess the handling verve of the SVR anyway), and go for the diesel instead. Not only is this a better fit for the G-Class’s (sort of) utilitarian looks, it’s also a better match for its separate chassis - and because it comes with 553lb ft of torque, it feels underpowered precisely never. Moreover, the engine's buzzy presence contributes mightily to the car’s bear-hug dynamic, and it remains one of the most delightfully mechanical experiences you can still buy brand new. Purchasing secondhand knocks the edge off the asking price, although not by much - which reflects just how popular they really are.
Bentley Bentayga Diesel, 2017, 18k, £69,950
If you prefer your oil burners a bit less ostentatious, how about spending half as much on a Bentley? If that sounds counter-intuitive to the point of farcical, let’s not forget the Bentayga has been around for more than a decade now, and on the current scale of silly-money SUVs, is actually pretty conventional to look at. Moreover, the 4.0-litre V8 is truly a humdinger of a big diesel unit and though it lacks the ultimate polish of the petrol options, it is sensationally good at going long distances. Obviously you’ll need to be deep into crypto trading to afford to fill it up in 2026, but with just 18k on the clock of this one, it ought to be good for about a million more miles. Still looks the part inside, too.
Audi SQ7, 2025, 13k, £62,250
It says a lot about what’s changed in the world of SUVs that, not unlike the related Bentayga, a 507hp Audi Q7 now looks like the modest and unassuming option. Not so much when the SQ7 first launched in 2016: back then it was diesel-powered, using electric compressor tech to eliminate lag and deliver a monstrous 664lb ft. There’d be no missing it, either, the Audi S accents really having their say on a performance flagship so vast. But since then there’s been an SQ8 and an RS Q8 just in the Audi range, plus the Urus, DBX, Purosangue… you get the picture. This is just a nice big Audi V8 in 2026, complete with some interior buttons and without any hybrid help. Plus almost £40k off the new price…
BMW X7 M60i, 2025, 11k, £90,210
And if a Q7 is too shy and retiring, step forward the X7. BMW’s take on the three-row SUV will probably always attract attention, for both its rarity and its unapologetic design. While it wasn’t the first BMW with up to seven seats (with the X5 offering the option for a while), the X7 was undoubtedly the plushest. There were captain’s chairs on the extras list, and materials to make the XL SUV feel like… well, a 7 Series, unsurprisingly. Just higher up. And more in your face. The image may not have been the best, but the experience certainly was, passengers travelling in fabulous luxury and the driver enjoying a surprisingly satisfying SUV. Little wonder an X7 was the base for the final Buchloe Alpina. This 530hp M60i is a good proxy; expect to like driving it an awful lot more than looking at it.
Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT, 2022, 26k, £116,950
But if driving is the main motivating factor in buying a powerhouse SUV, then clearly you’re going to turn to Porsche. The V8 Cayennes had already established themselves a reputation as the most sorted SUV from behind the wheel, and then the Turbo GT really cranked that up several notches. You have to, really, if the GT badge is going on a Porsche. So the Coupe-only Cayenne flagship received a whole heap more power - with its own crank and titanium exhaust - had a wider front track with more negative camber, stiffer mounts, lower suspension, ceramic brakes and more to make sure the badge wasn’t a misnomer. Plus the gold 22s, of course. The result was staggering, the fastest SUV around the Nordschleife and properly absorbing to drive in that fine Porsche GT tradition. A short-lived moment of madness over here - now there’s only a GT package, and it isn’t the same - the Turbo GT can wear its badge with pride. So be prepared, still, to pay at least £100,000 for one.
There is something about SUVs which always brings out the green eyed monster. It is strange as my OH's car (not an SUV) is almost exactly the same footprint as my FFRR, and weighs more, and is less fuel efficient, but nobody ever thinks it should be taxed more. I wonder why?
Not only that, two days ago I had a 9km drive along a washed-out farm track, with over half a meter of water in some places and ruts which would ground out most other vehicles, and I did it in serene luxury in a car also capable of 130+mph. For a one-car solution, there are no better alternatives.
But I do concede that most large SUV owners rarely use them as intended, although with some modern (particularly the Germans) SUVs, perhaps they are using them as intended, as off-road ability seems to be a secondary consideration (if it even is at all).
In the meantime an owner of one of these will spend not far off that on fuel and VED.
Size? My CL500 is larger than my wife’s Touareg
Weight? An EV is no lighter
Gas guzzling? Then paying more tax in fuel duty anyway
The current G-wagen also has a habit of triggering passersby, so we’d recommend you don’t buy the much more famous G63 (it doesn’t possess the handling verve of the SVR anyway), and go for the diesel instead. Not only is this a better fit for the G-Class’s (sort of) utilitarian looks, it’s also a better match for its separate chassis - and because it comes with 553lb ft of torque, it feels underpowered precisely never. Moreover, the engine's buzzy presence contributes mightily to the car’s bear-hug dynamic, and it remains one of the most delightfully mechanical experiences you can still buy brand new. Purchasing secondhand knocks the edge off the asking price, although not by much - which reflects just how popular they really are.
I love what was said here in the article as well, and that is exactly how I feel about a gutsy diesel engine as well.
I basically pretty much never put my foot down in our 2024 X5 40d for example, but I still get pleasure from sitting behind its engine though, exactly as you allude to.
Close PH immediately because every single car is ‘completely unnecessary’
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