Affordable Luxury SUV: Top 10 Lowest Price

The best things in life are free. But the second best things, those come with a cost. And usually, the nicer something is, the more expensive it will be.

This principle rings true in the world of automobiles. The more refined, better equipped, and luxurious a vehicle is, the pricier it gets. But luxury doesn’t have to break the bank. High-end auto manufacturers have been following a trend lately of building smaller, more attainable vehicles. The focus primarily is on the booming sport utility segments, notably the subcompact and compact crossover markets.

Traditional luxury marques are branching out into these segments to find new customers, hoping to convert them into lifelong consumers of their brands. But just how thrifty have luxury SUVs become? To find out we scoured the market and created a list of the top 10 most affordable luxury SUV options currently on sale.

Starting us of is one of the more powerful options on our list, the Infiniti QX50. Regardless of which trim level or drivetrain is selected, all versions of this compact crossover come powered by a 268 hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Pricing begins at $39,000 as long as the entry level Pure trim is selected with front-wheel drive. There is an all-wheel drive option that adds $2,000. to the total.

Pricing USD: $39,000 (Pure FWD)

Canada USD: $47,995 (Pure AWD)

Mercedes-Benz has been going utility vehicle crazy lately, filling every possible segment with a SUV or crossover from the German brand. Straddling between the compact and subcompact segments, the GLB is Mercedes’ second smallest crossover. It only comes one way, as the GLB 250, either with or without all-wheel drive. The front-wheel drive versions starts at $38,600 and is powered by a 221 hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Like the Infiniti QX50, all-wheel drive can be added for an extra $2,000.

Pricing USD: $38,600 (250 FWD)

Canada USD: $46,700 (250 AWD)

Lexus produces one of the lowest price compact crossovers, the NX. It’s available in many trim levels, including a hybrid and plug-in hybrid. But those looking for the cheapest way to get into this crossover will want to look at the entry level NX 250. As the only model not to include all-wheel drive, the 250 uses a 203 HP turbocharged engine powering the front wheels. Pricing starts just under $38,000 and all-wheel drive can be added for additional $1,600 to the price tag.

Pricing USD: $37,950 (250 FWD)

Canada USD: $47,400 (250 AWD)

Like Mercedes-Benz, BMW has created a crossover and/or SUV to fill every possible niche. The German brand follows a familiar formula with the company’s so-called B-segment crossover by utilizing a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine paired to either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. The 228 hp entry level sDrive28i undercuts its Mercedes rival by starting at a price of $36,600, while adding all-wheel drive will cost an extra $2,000.

Pricing USD: $36,600 (sDrive28i)

Canada USD: $44,950 (xDrive28i)

Audi‘s approach to small crossovers is a bit different than BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Instead of having two separate vehicles, the Q3 does double duty. The Q3 40 TFSI competes with the BMW X1 and Mercedes GLA while the Audi Q3 45 TFSI competes more with the BMW X2 and Mercedes-Benz GLB. The Audi nomenclature may be confusing, by the 40 designates the lower priced model with the 184 hp turbocharged engine while the 45 refers to the more powerful 228 hp version. And unlike BMW and Mercedes-Benz, the Q3 comes standard with all-wheel drive.

Pricing USD: $36,400 (Premium)

Canada USD: $38,650 (Komfort)

Smaller than the vehicles mentioned up until this point, the Mercedes-Benz GLA is a true subcompact crossover. It has a more car-like appearance compared to its larger GLB sibling, resembling a tall hatchback rather than crossover. Priced the exact same as the Audi Q3, the GLA may be a bit smaller and lack all-wheel drive as standard equipment, but it does include a more powerful engine. All-wheel drive can be added for, you guessed it, an additional $2,000.

Pricing USD: $36,400 (250 FWD)

Canada USD: $42,900 (250 4MATIC)

Stepping back up a class, we have the compact Lincoln Corsair slotting in as the fourth most affordable luxury crossover/SUV. Lincoln has undergone quite the transformation lately and this is a prime example. Available in a variety of configurations, including a plug-in hybrid, the entry level Corsair Standard comes with a 250 hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Pricing starts just over $36,000 for the front-wheel drive model, but adding all-wheel drive does include other features which makes it a $4,850 upgrade.

Pricing USD: $36,370 (Standard FWD)

Canada USD: $45,600 (Standard AWD)

It’s no surprise that Lincoln’s long-time rival, Cadillac, is next on this list. The compact XT4 may not have as much mechanical variety as the Corsair, but it does start a lower price for the entry level Luxury trim. All versions of the XT4 come powered by a 235 hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine that can power either the front or all four wheels. The all-wheel drive option costs an additional $2,500 on the Luxury trim.

Pricing USD: $35,795 (Luxury FWD)

Canada USD: $36,098 (Luxury FWD)

BMW’s most affordable crossover is the X1. Now in its second generation, the new X1 is not like the original. Less of a performance-orientated small SUV, the new model is still fun to drive, but has a higher emphasis placed on passenger space and comfort. It switched from a rear-wheel drive platform to one with front-wheel, but of course can still be has will BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system for an additional $2,000. Powering all versions of the X1 is a 228 hp turbocharged engine.

Pricing USD: $35,400 (sDrive28i)

Canada USD: $42,425 (xDriver28i)

The most affordable small SUV currently available in America is the Lexus UX. The subcompact crossover debuted for the 2019 model year and can be had two ways; as the front wheel drive UX 200, or the all-wheel drive hybrid UX 250h. Helping to keep the price down, unlike every other vehicle on this list, the entry level model does not include a turbocharged engine. Instead, it has a 169 hp naturally aspirated four-cylinder that sends power to the front-wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission. Canadians do not get the option of the UX 200 as only the all-wheel drive 250h is available.

Pricing USD: $34,335 (200 FWD)

Canada USD: $40,750 (250h AWD)