The best luxury SUVs - driven, rated and ranked

The car that saved Porsche entered its third model generation in 2017 and in doing so eased out its Volkswagen Group platform buddy, the Audi Q7, for a place at the sharp end of this class ranking.

The latest Cayenne isn't quite the driver's car that we've all come to know and that many of us came to begrudgingly respect after taking so powerfully against what the car seemed to represent in its first iteration back in 2002. Because Porsche is still Porsche: it still makes the very best sports cars in the world, thanks in no small part to a business that's now built on the commercial bedrock of luxury SUVs.

The Cayenne in its current form is plainly a car that's content to leave the sports car impressions to its little sibling, the Macan, and instead to play the high-quality, luxury SUV with greater focus than any of its forebears have. It still delivers driver appeal that's distinguishing, if not quite outstanding.

The Cayenne's interior is one of breath-taking quality, its ride refinement gives away almost nothing to the most comfortable in the class and its performance is as strong as ever, backed by a range of engines that may no longer include a diesel but does include an impressive pair of plug-in hybrids, a turbo V6 and a turbo V8 petrol. 

There's now even the more rakish Cayenne Coupé, should the (already pretty decidedly unboxy) regular Cayenne somehow not seem desirable or special enough.

Then there's the wild GT, which infuses the big SUV with some genuine 911 GT3 driver appeal and holds bragging rights as the fastest SUV around the Nürburgring.

The fourth generation of the BMW X5 has been treated to a mid-life refresh, but such were the abilities of the old car that you could argue that no such nip-and-tuck was needed.

In fairness, BMW has kept the updates simple, with revised looks front and rear, more tech inside and some mildly enhanced engines that, of course, combine greater performance with enhanced efficiency.

Even so, 20 years on from the original version that played a big part of in redefining this part of the luxury car market, the X5 recipe remains the same.

Essentially, BMW hit on a powerfully appealing concept: that of the sporting SUV with as much space, versatility and 4x4 capability as many needed but not enough to dull its dynamic edge.

The latest car is smaller and lower than many of its rivals, with a more saloon-like recumbent driving position.

However, it gives little away in luxury ambience, with a rich and expensively finished cabin that’s been improved by the addition of BMW's now traditional curved screen for the instrument cluster and infotainment.

There’s a sizeable boot, too, and the option of seven seats.

But it's the X5's driving experience that's still most likely to bond you with the car, particular if a large 4x4 is the car you need but not the one you necessarily want.

Pacy steering, good body control, well-balanced grip levels and fairly crisp and incisive handling response make this handle as much like an estate as an SUV, while strong, smooth and refined engines provide all the performance you're likely to want.

Other SUVs offer more material richness still, as well as more space, comfort and 4x4 capability – and that's to say nothing of the X5's styling, which, thanks to that oversized kidney grille, has attracted some high-profile criticism.

Still, for keen drivers, the X5 will always deserve close consideration – and, thanks to the impressive xDrive50e PHEV version, for tax-savvy fleet drivers likewise.

The second win for Land Rover in this list is delivered by a car whose character differs starkly from that of the car above but may be all the more appealing to you for its relative lack of machismo: the fifth-generation Discovery.

That said, don’t mistake it's more workaday remit with any reduction in luxury vibes: any owner of a five-year-old Range Rover stepping into a Discovery would feel like they had upgraded.

It's a car of controversial but rugged styling, with off-road ability that few in the class could beat and with a brief to provide functional, understated, comfortable luxury and versatility on the road - and that succeeds at that task with likable ease.

Seven usable seats are inside, and you will have a great time when you're driving it, because this is as comfortable a cruiser as many traditional, saloon-shaped luxury cars.

With such size and weight, though, comes considerable thirst, so the Discovery isn't a cheap car to run, partly because the engine range isn't as fulsome as that of the Range Rover Sport, including as it does four- and six-cylinder diesel options and a four-cylinder petrol but no plug-in hybrids (adding the petrol-electric motor would have necessitated the removal of the third row seats).

The Discovery is neither fast nor particularly dynamic in its handling. In our view, however, a big 4x4 needn't be or do much more than this in order to earn its place in your esteem and your affections - and the Discovery certainly does the latter.

In fact, if you don’t need the status enhancement that’s inferred by the Range Rover tag, the Disco is arguably the most complete product in the brand’s line-up.  

The Q7 is a desirable, polished SUV with a real aura of accomplishment. Huge inside, with high-quality materials and a very high level of refinement and mechanical isolation, it may be the embodiment of everything you want in a modern upmarket family car – particularly if you consider cars like this the modern manifestation of luxury in automotive form.

The downsides? In typical Audi fashion, the Q7 feels quite remote to drive, handles in grippy and effective but uninvolving fashion and is a little short on the charisma that other cars in this class have in abundance.

Then again, there's always the related, 592bhp Audi RS Q8, which addresses that character shortage pretty directly. However, the Q7 is at its best when oiling along in a smooth and unflustered manner, its standard air springs soothing progress and its excellent refinement keeping long haul headaches at bay.

As a result, it's best suited to the muscular V6 diesel options, particularly the 286bhp 50 TDI - although company car users will prefer the tax savings offered by the plug-in hybrid 55 TFSIe.

Overall, the Q7 is potent and efficient, while an important facelift in 2019 upgraded the interior with the infotainment kit that you will find in other big Audis.

With pricing that's quite competitive and on-road performance free of many of the usual SUV compromises, it's little wonder that the Q7 remains so popular.

Mercedes-Benz has redoubled its commitment to the luxury SUV market by investing in a new vehicle platform and by making the first model to use it – the fourth-generation GLE (née ML) – a bit of a technological pioneer.

It has grown in size considerably compared with the old GLE and features a more rigid mixed-metal body structure. It offers considerably more space for second- and third-row passengers (the seven-seat option isn't available in the plug-in hybrid) than its predecessor, and what Mercedes bills as a markedly more upmarket luxury ambience in all seats.

The GLE uses Mercedes' latest MBUX infotainment system and dual widescreen instrument and Comand controls displays, plus it gets a giant head-up display with improved display functionality.

Engine options include a trio of four- and six-cylinder turbo diesels with up to 325bhp, as well as a 3.0-litre turbo petrol that, in the GLE 450, makes 362bhp and 369lb ft.

For suspension, meanwhile, you can choose between steel coil suspension and a 48V active air suspension system that uses stereo cameras to read the road surface ahead and prepares the suspension for what it's about to encounter in advance.

The GLE 450 impresses with its refinement, performance and ride comfort, but the four-pot GLE 300d is notably shorter on mechanical isolation and ride sophistication. In the middle is the straight-six diesel GLE 400d, which almost matches the big petrol for pace and refinement yet is barely any less efficient in the real world than the smaller GLE 300d.

Then there's the GLE 350de diesel plug-in hybrid, which promises to be a popular high-end fleet option, thanks to an impressive electric-only range of more than 60 miles, which drops it into the 8% BIK tax bracket.

If comfort, refinement, luxury and practicality are your priorities, the GLE is worth a look.

Volvo's renaissance following Ford ownership started with the XC90, a genuine seven-seater with comfort and handling on its side, a decent range of engines, including a 401bhp plug-in hybrid, and an abundance of style.

It's another car that sits directly in the middle of the luxury SUV price spectrum. The interior features a mix of luxury touches and not-so-luxury plastics in places, while less-than-perfect engine refinement and infotainment usability niggles ensure the XC90 stops just short of greatness.

Nonetheless, Volvo made worthwhile improvements to the car's engine range when it replaced the D5 diesel with a new mild-hybrid B5 option in 2019. Better still, a couple of years later, the T8 PHEV was treated to a larger 18.8 kWh drive battery, upping its electric-only range to 44 miles while simultaneously dropping its BIK tax banding from 12 to 8%.

But a spot in the heart of a hotly contested, marquee class like this won't disappoint a company still in the early days of its latest ownership epoch.

Volvo is a company on the up, and the XC90 was the first product to so convincingly prove how serious the brand was about its move upmarket.

Even now, nearly a decade after it launched, the big Swede still has the style, space and swagger to cut it in this exalted company.

The Range Rover Velar is Land Rover's most road-biased SUV yet, with looks taken straight from those of the concept car of the same name, an interior that puts most others to shame with its richness in both materials and technology and a platform adapted from one primarily developed for Jaguar.

On the road, it's every bit as good to drive as it is to simply admire, with ride, refinement, performance and handling precision every bit as good as any car in the class - provided you don't skimp on cylinder count when you specify your car.

Four-cylinder engines are much poorer than the sixes, while the plug-in lacks the pace, refinement and EV range of the newer Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. Business users will be facing a 12% BIK tax rate, rather than the 8% of the pricier Rangies.

Practicality and off-road ability aren't quite up to the standards of Land Rover's other cars in this class either, but the latter is boosted considerably if you option height-adjustable air suspension.

Even so, the Velar will venture much further into the rough stuff than most rivals, assuming you’re willing to risk the muddy slings and arrows of damage that can come with a spot of green-laning. 

Prices start fairly low, but it's worth stretching to the better engines in the range, albeit perhaps not Range Rover's upper-echelon trim levels, to get the best car.

At its worst, the Velar can be a fairly ordinary car to drive, but at its best, it's quite something. That said, the arrival of all-new versions of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport leave the Velar facing something of an existential crisis, given that both of those machines have superior powertrains and now give nothing away in handling elan.

It's a bit reductive to say so, but if you fancy a Bentley Bentayga for a fraction of the price, the Genesis GV80 is as close as it gets.

From its bold, bluff-fronted looks through to its richly luxurious interior and similarly be-winged badge, the Korean upstart does a good job at being a facsimile at a fraction of the cost.

Okay, so the comparisons only stand up loosely, but there is a lot to like in the GV80, which was the first model from Hyundai's premium brand to arrive on European shores.

The Genesis is certainly imposing, while inside it's roomy and has fit-and-finish that makes established players at this end of the market sit up and take notice. Soft quilted leather covers the seats, while everything you see and touch feels a cut above.

It's also crammed with state-of-the-art technology and has all the TFT displays and touchscreen infotainment you could want. Then there's the way the car is sold and spannered, with a concierge service that aims to make life as painless as possible.

So what's the catch? Well, while the GV80 looks and feels the part, it just struggles to deliver dynamically. It handles accurately enough, while the 3.0-litre diesel is a smooth and strong performer, but the four-cylinder petrol is strained when extended, the major controls are lifeless and the low-speed ride is too lumpy to be truly luxurious.

And the lack of any electrified option is curious for such a new face to the sector - although Genesis's fast adoption of EV technology elsewhere in the range suggests you won’t have to wait long for a battery-backed GV80.

However, if you're keen to avoid the usual suspects, the GV80's style and surprising sense of occasion make it a worthwhile addition to your SUV shopping list.