Sporty SUVs for Every Budget

The idea of a high performance SUV may seem like an oxymoron to some. SUVs are least sporty vehicle by design, with a high center of gravity, heavy curb weight and rugged suspension better suited for rough terrain than minimizing body roll.

But the world is crazy for SUVs and crossovers. Their popularity continues to grow while traditional cars lose sales. So it should come as no surprise that every possible variant of SUV is being built, including high performance ones. And these aren’t just pretenders with mere cosmetic upgrades either. They have serious shots of sportiness injected right into the vehicle’s DNA. Handling, power, braking and even aerodynamics have been maximized to turn these rough road specialists into track terrors.

Best of all, they come in all shapes, sizes, and price points. The sporty SUV is not the domain of just the well-off. Some unsuspecting regular crossovers are now producing high-performance versions that won’t break the bank. But if you do have money to spend, some of the higher-end sporty SUVs will give quite a few well-established sports cars a serious run for their money.

Here now are our choices of the best sporty SUVs for every budget.

With the Kona N sadly discontinued for 2023, the best drivers' sub-compact is now the Mazda CX-30. With the Zoom-Zoom brand's brawny turbo 2.5-liter turbo-four under its short hood, the littlest Mazda can throw down 250 horsepower and a muscular 320 pound-feet of torque. With its lifted-and-cladded Mazda3 looks, the CX-30 becomes a deceptively quick little thing, and its standard all-wheel drive keeps it feeling surefooted.

The CX-30 is more than just a powerful engine. Its cabin quality is on-par with some premium brands, with a pleasantly upmarket feel. It's fun to hustle, too. If you're not up for the turbo, no worries: even the standard engine is pretty spritely for this class.

Not an all-around performer like most of the SUVs on this list, the Toyota RAV4 Prime makes this list due to its unmatched power and acceleration for an otherwise mundane compact crossover. How does 302 hp and a 0 to 60 mph time in the mid five second range sound? Toyota achieves this by pairing a 177 hp 2.5-liter gasoline engine with two electric motors, one up front and one in the rear, to create the aforementioned 302 hp total.

And being a plug-in hybrid, the Prime is capable of driving up to 42 miles on all electric power, as long as the driver resists the urge to drag race from stoplight to stoplight. Since there is an independent electric motor in the rear, no driveshaft is required to make this Toyota all-wheel drive.

The mainstream mid-size, two-row SUV segment is severely lacking in performance choices. To name a few, the Toyota Venza, Honda Passport, and Subaru Outback all lack anything resembling a sporty-offering. The Nissan Murano looks quick, but really isn’t a performance machine. That leaves the Ford Edge which does indeed include a ST model, even if it is more of a mild performance option.

For those unfamiliar with Ford, ST is a trim level that designates a high-performance variant of an otherwise regular automobile. In the Edge, the ST receives a 335 hp turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 engine that includes an impressive 380 lb-ft of torque. Larger brakes, summer tires, a revised suspension, and better bolstered seats are also included in the ST transformation.

While the ST may be a bit reserved and mild, the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat is anything but. This is the most powerful gasoline-powered SUV, full-stop. Yup, more horsepower that any Porsche, Lamborghini, or Mercedes-AMG SUV. Lurking beneath that hood scoop is a 710 hp supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine hooked up to an all-wheel drive system, that allows this 5,700+ lbs. SUV to do four-wheel burnouts.

A revised suspension, 10-inch wide wheels with sticky tires, and multi-piston brembo callipers all around help ensure the Durango stays on the road. But this doesn’t make the SRT a refined all-around performer; think of it more as a muscle car SUV. If interested in one of these monster, better act quickly as it has been discontinued for 2022, replaced by the less crazy 475 hp Durango SRT 392.

The Durango isn’t the only Stellantis SUV to receive one of Mopar’s big burly V8 engines; Jeep is also well represented. And the newest member of the family is the Wrangler Rubicon 392. As the name suggests, it receives the 6.4-liter V8 engine that makes 470 hp in this application. Being a Rubicon, this Jeep is not enhanced for on-road performance like every other vehicle on this list. Quite the opposite in fact.

The Wrangler, as it has always been, is an off-road specialist and the 392 is no different. It’s at home climbing advanced-difficulty trails and traversing objects that would crush the oil pans on lesser SUVs. With the 392 added to the package, it just happens to be able to also out-drag race plenty of performance cars when back on the tarmac.

Bordering the line between crossover and car, the MINI Countryman may look car-like compared to other compact crossovers, but it’s definitely oversized when parked next to its MINI siblings. Like its corporate brothers and sisters, the Countryman can be had in many different configurations, starting with the mild Cooper and escalating up to the wild John Cooper Works ALL4.

The latter includes a fire-breathing 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that pumps out 301 hp and 331 lb-ft of torque. This allows the nearly 3,700 lbs. all-wheel drive crossover to reach 60 mph from a standstill in under five seconds. Of course, being a MINI, every other aspect of the vehicle has been upgraded from the suspension, to the brakes, wheels, and tires. This gives the Countryman a nimbleness few other SUVs can achieve.

Take one 505 hp Ferrari-sourced 2.9-liter turbocharged V6 and install it in a gorgeous compact luxury SUV. That’s the simplified overview of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. Although there are plenty of high-performance options in this segment, none feel as special as the Alfa, and nothing comes close to sounding like it either.

But the Stelvio Quadrifoglio isn’t just a big engine in a flabby chassis. The vehicle has been designed from the ground-up for performance. It features a 50/50 front to rear weight distribution, a programable adaptive suspension, and of course massive brakes at all four corners. Weight has also been reduced where possible to improve the vehicle’s responses.

Another class full of performance options, we are focusing on the BMW X5 M; specifically with the Competition package. Selecting this option will up the power for the 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 from 600 hp to 617 hp. It also adds a sport exhaust, some cosmetic upgrades as well as a set of exclusive wheels. But what about the rest of the SUV’s performance? Why doesn’t the competition package improve that as well?

Simply put, it doesn’t need to. The X5 M already features an adjustable suspension, steamroller summer tires, and massive brake rotors behind six-piston callipers up front. Is all of this—and a 0–62 mph (0–100 km/h) time of 3.8 seconds—a bit much for an SUV this size? Yes, but that’s exactly the point.

Honestly, any Porsche Cayenne could probably make this list, even the six-cylinder models. But in the interest of ultimate performance, we have included the best-of-the-best when it comes to the Cayenne: the Cayenne Turbo GT Coupe. As a member of the sometimes-confusing SUV coupe segment, the Turbo GT is powered by a 631-hp version of Porsche’s 4.0-liter turbocharged V8. Yes, there is a 670 hp Cayenne as well, but that is the much heavier Turbo S E-Hybrid which cannot accelerate or negotiate a turn as quickly as the Turbo GT.

Without getting into a laundry list of performance parts, it’s safe to say every aspect of this SUV has been maximized for performance. There’s hardly a SUV on the market today that would be able to keep up with this Porsche around a race track outside of the more expensive Lamborghini Urus.

The only all-electric vehicle on our list is also the most powerful and quickest from o to 60 mph. The Tesla Model X Plaid features an unbelievable 1,020 hp combined from its three motors. It allows the hulking three-row crossover to reach 60 mph in under three seconds and complete the quarter mile around the 10 second mark. When not mashing the throttle pedal, it can achieve up to 333 miles on a single charge.

Although the Plaid isn’t a total package performance vehicle like others on this list, it is no slouch either, and can hold its own when the road gets twisty. And as a bonus, there’s also that wow factor of the falcon rear doors that open upward like a Delorean, that are sure to impress the neighbors.