The Best Performance SUVs To Buy In 2024

Performance SUVs: like them or not, they’re here to stay. As customer tastes in cars shift ever further towards everything tall and high-riding, it was only natural that car companies would begin making performance offerings following these trends – they have to make money, after all. As a result, there’s a huge variety of SUVs on the market with performance figures that would embarrass the supercars of 10 or 15 years ago, many of which are now properly entertaining to drive thanks to some very clever engineers. These are our rankings of the best performance SUVs on the market right now.

9. Maserati Grecale Trofeo

Maserati launched its long overdue mid-sized SUV, the Grecale, in 2022, with the high-performance Trofeo following a year later. It shares its engine, a 3.0-litre, 523bhp twin-turbo V6, with the stunning MC20 supercar, albeit with nearly 100 fewer horsepower. That’s still enough to send it to 62mph in 3.8 seconds and, because it’s not German, on to a 177mph top speed.

It’s not the most dynamically sorted thing, and it’s very expensive, especially when factoring in potentially terrifying Maserati residuals, but it makes up for that with a proper peach of a powertrain, and a badge that comes with an undeniable level of appeal – who wouldn’t want to say they own a Maserati?

8. BMW X3 M Competition

The BMW X3 M Competition gets off to a good start, sharing its 3.0-litre, twin-turbo straight-six with the superb M3 and M4. Good for 503bhp, it’ll rocket from a standstill to 62mph in 3.7 seconds. BMW’s hallowed performance badge isn’t just for show, either – it’s a properly entertaining, agile thing, even capable of a shimmy from the back end with the right settings in play.

However, it’s hamstrung somewhat by a brutally firm ride, even in its softest damper settings, which can sometimes make it a tricky daily companion. It’s also getting on a bit, and a new-generation X3 is due later this year, so it remains to be seen how the inevitable M version will stack up. Oh, and if you’re a bit weird, you can also get this powertrain in the uglier, less practical X4. Don’t do that, though.

7. Audi RS Q8

The Audi Q8’s in-yer-face looks definitely won’t be for everyone, but driving the rapid RS Q8 version will simply make you forget all that. The ubiquitous VW Group 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, in 592bhp form. Where it really impresses is managing to feel remarkably lissom and agile in the corners. This is all the result of buckets of tech rather than old-fashioned chassis engineering, but it’s all the more impressive when you remember the reputation hot Audis once had for being understeery puddings.

Inside, it’s as plush and pleasant as you expect from an Audi, but it’s let down by a punishing ride and frustrating infotainment system. A facelift is due imminently, which we hope solves at least one of those things – preferably both.

6. Alpina XB7

The BMW X7 has been nothing if not controversial since its 2018 launch. It’s vast, heavy, and simply does not give a damn what you think about its big, snouty face. There’s no denying, though, that the hot X7 M60i is a mighty impressive thing to drive for such a lumbering beast.

For the ultimate fast X7, though, we turn to BMW subsidiary and tuner Alpina, the go-to people for making Beemers that are fast, understated and just that little bit cooler. Using a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, the XB7 makes 613bhp, good for a 0-62mph time of 4.2 seconds, and overhauls the base car’s chassis for spookily good handling. Standard Alpina touches like pinstriping and those delicious multispoke wheels add an undeniably cool edge to the otherwise slightly obnoxious X7, and you certainly won’t see another one every day.

5. Jaguar F-Pace SVR

The Jaguar F-Pace SVR is the most old-school offering on this list, both in its attitude and its literal age. The basic F-Pace has been around since 2016, so feels pretty dated inside next to newer rivals despite a major facelift a few years ago. In some ways, though, its age is also its USP: the SVR is one of the last cars to house Jaguar's sensational supercharged 5.0-litre V8.

Noise and emissions rules mean it’s not quite as much of a rowdy, snarling beast as it once was, but it’s still an absolute beauty of an engine, especially next to the turbocharged powertrains of the rest of this list. It’s properly quick, too: now only available as a 567bhp 575 Edition, it’ll crack 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds and hit a slightly silly 178mph. Better yet, it’s imbued with a graceful, supple ride that a fair few rivals could learn from. 2024 is the F-Pace’s final year, and with Jag set to go all-electric in 2025, time’s running out to get hold of one of these hugely likeable old hectors.

4. Aston Martin DBX707

It’s appropriate that the Aston Martin DBX707 shares part of its name with a quad-engined jet airliner, because it goes like one. With a slightly silly 697bhp from its AMG-sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8, the performance numbers are staggering for a 2.2-tonne SUV: 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds, and a 193mph top end.

It’s not just a straight-line hero, though, with a hilariously capable chassis, top-notch steering and a raucous soundtrack. Obviously, all that performance and that badge mean it ain’t cheap: prices start at £205k, and that’s before you get acquainted with the options list. The biggest weak point of the DBX, though, was always the instantly-dated interior. A facelift has just fixed that and made it better still.

3. Porsche Cayenne S

The Cayenne was sort of the original hot SUV, and over 20 years later, it’s better than ever. On a previous version of this list, this spot (or possibly an even higher one) would have been occupied by the bonkers Turbo GT, but emissions rules mean it didn’t survive the Cayenne’s 2023 facelift. There’s better news elsewhere, though – bucking industry trends, the non-hybrid Cayenne S loses its V6 and returns to V8 power in the form of a 467bhp 4.0-litre twin-turbo item.

The latest Cayenne splits its personality between comfy cruiser and 911-on-stilts as effectively as ever and does it with one of the best interiors going. While the S isn’t the fastest version, it’ll still do 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds, and is probably the sweetest steer of the bunch – until the harder GTS version begins to arrive with customers, that is.

2. Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio

Yes, it’s quite old; yes, the interior quality isn’t really befitting an £84k car; and no, the driving position isn’t to everyone’s taste, but all of this is forgivable. 10 years ago, we never would have guessed Alfa Romeo would be building one of the best performance SUVs on the market, but the Stelvio Quadrifoglio silenced the doubters.

Its 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6 – which may or may not just be a Ferrari V8 with two cylinders lopped off – is a gorgeously raspy, sonorous thing, and while 512bhp means it’s down on power next to some rivals, it’s one of the lightest of the bunch at 1850kg. With a heavily rear-biased four-wheel drive system, hyper-quick steering, and a firm but finessed ride, other cars on this list may play the relaxed daily better, but very few will be as exciting to drive. Buy one while you still can: the Stelvio goes electric next year, and even with a rumoured 1000bhp Quadrifoglio version, it’ll have some work to do to live up to this.

1. Range Rover Sport SV

It took three generations, but the Range Rover Sport – a car that shocked and offended upon launch nearly 20 years ago – finally sits at the top of the fast SUV tree. Gone is the old 5.0-litre supercharged V8, replaced by a BMW M5-sourced 4.4-litre twin-turbo motor making a mighty 626bhp. The result is 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds, and a 180mph top speed. In something with a Range Rover badge!

A tricksy hydraulically cross-linked damper system and beautifully balanced handling mean it stays level, predictable and composed when you’re on it. When you’re not, it’s as plush and refined as you’d hope from a Rangie, and nearly as comfortable despite its sporty remit and optional 23-inch carbon wheels. Starting at nearly £170k, it’s certainly not cheap, but the combination of luxury, driving engagement and – because it’s a Land Rover – some genuine off-road chops make it an unparalleled choice.

The rest

‘Where’s [insert car here],' we hear you angrily yelling at the screen of your preferred electronic device. Well, there are reasons for a few seemingly obvious omissions from this list.

First and foremost, the Lamborghini Urus: it’s currently undergoing a bit of a transition, with the plug-in hybrid Urus SE set to succeed the current combustion-only models, and we don’t yet know how this drivetrain will stack up.

The Mercedes-AMG G63 and Land Rover Defender V8 are both hugely characterful things, but their SUV status is debatable: we think of them more as old-school 4x4s fused with muscle cars. Likewise the Ferrari Purosangue, which focuses far more on the ‘S’ part of the SUV equation than the ‘U’. On the other end of the scale, the Bentley Bentayga is certainly fast, but more of an effortless luxury barge than a proper sporting machine, especially with the death of the W12-powered Speed version.

The Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 has good bones, but is let down too much by its complicated, uninspiring four-cylinder hybrid powertrain. Maybe the rumoured switch back to V8 power can fix this in a couple of years. Finally, the BMW XM: as the first solely M-developed SUV, it could have been brilliant, but it has a confused personality and monstrous looks that even the staunchest defenders of some of BMW’s recent designs have failed to take to. Shame.