SUVs started out as truck-like boxy vehicles featuring body-on-frame designs. Automakers prioritized making high-riding cars that offered practicality and comfort for off-road driving. Enthusiasts considered these SUVs boring as they lacked driving fun; they were noisy and, of course, very slow. But times have changed. Modern SUVs are very luxurious, comfortable, practical and above all, they can perform and handle as well as – if not better than – regular sedans and station wagons.

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While today’s SUVs have the performance to put a smile on your face, they are generally too tall, heavy, and blunt to handle as well as sports sedans and hatchbacks. By design, SUVs feature a high center of gravity, heavy curb weight, rugged suspension, and extreme body roll that works against the car when handling twisty roads. This has seen automakers improvise clever suspension tuning and start stuffing very powerful engines in 2022 SUVs to make them sportier and more fun to drive. We have features such as torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive systems and adaptive suspension that make the otherwise hulky SUVs handle like sports sedans. Here are the 10 best sporty SUVs money can buy in 2022.

10 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

While there was a divided opinion when Ford gave this electric SUV a muscle car nameplate, we admire that despite the backlash, the Mach-E has lived up to the Mustang name. Being an EV, it’s damn quick, but unlike many electric cars, the Mach-E handles like its muscle car sibling, even with the chunky body style.

The Mustang Mach-E comes in different trims, each offering impressive acceleration numbers, thanks to the torquey motors. The sportiest GT performance trim dashes from zero to 60mph in 3.5 seconds – as quick as the V8-powered Mustang muscle car.

9 2022 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio is what you get when you base a sports SUV on a performance saloon car. It benefits from the Giulia Quadrifoglio’s chassis and the fire-breathing 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 engine that churns out 505hp and 443lb-ft of torque, enough to propel the car from standstill to 60mph in 3.6 seconds.

In a world of several performance SUVs, none feels or sounds like the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio – It’s one of the most engaging SUVs that feels more of a sports sedan, whether knifing through a corner or blasting in a straight line. It boasts a programmable adaptive suspension and a 50/50 front-rear weight distribution.

8 2022 Porsche Macan GTS

Where other SUV automakers focus on practicality and luxury, Porsche went a step further and made the Macan GTS to be typically fast and agile. It’s an SUV that can challenge a sports sedan on a race track when it comes to performance and handling.

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The Macan GTS rides on adjustable air suspensions that stabilize the car during hard cornering. The steering is also precise and beautifully weighted with minimal body roll. Driving the Macan GTS is a 434hp twin-turbocharged V6 engine that takes 4.3 seconds to blast to 60mph.

7 2022 Ford Puma ST

Based on the Ford Fiesta ST, the Puma ST shares underpinnings with the hot hatch but adds a little bit of practicality. It also inherits the same 1.5-liter turbocharged engine that sends 197hp and 236lb-ft of torque to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

Ford Puma’s most impressive highlight is its handling and agility that’ll sure put a smile on your face on a twisty road. Like the Fiesta ST, it also benefits from a stiffer suspension, fast-acting steering, mechanical limited-slip differential, and beefier anti-roll bars. However, Ford doesn’t offer a four-wheel drive option for the Puma ST, which is absurd for an SUV meant to venture both on and off-road

6 2022 Aston Martin DBX

SUV proportions and towing capability are some of the things that set apart the Aston Martin DBX from its sports car siblings, but its agility and pretty face conform with the brand’s legendary attributes. The DBX’s impressive handling benefits from the naturally-weighted linear steering that responds superbly on a twisty road.

Under the hood, the Aston Martin DBX features a Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine. It produces 542hp and 516lb-ft of torque, enough to thrust the car from 0 to 60mph in 4.3 seconds and carry on to a top speed of 181mph.

5 2022 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63S 4Matic+ Coupe

The German automaker reckons that the performance of the new Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S 4MATIC+ Coupé is more of a classic race car than an SUV. This is because of the car’s delightful handling and driving demeanor, thanks to the standard air suspension aggressively tuned for some spirited cornering.

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Mercedes-AMG fitted this SUV with a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that cranks out 503hp and 516lb-ft of shove to all four wheels. The Mercedes-AMG GLC 63S 4Matic+ Coupe edges other sporty SUVs in its class as it is more comfortable and luxurious. Its cabin features a host of technology gadgets and fine materials.

4 2022 BMW X3 M Competition

Like most Sporty SUVs on this list, the BMW X3 M Competition draws on a thrilling performance sedan, the BMW M3 Competition. While the BMW X3 M competition is heavier, bigger, and more practical, it shares its internals with the M3.

Under the hood lies a twin-turbocharged inline-six that sends 403hp and 479lb-ft of torque to all wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system. That means the car does the 0 to 60mph sprint in a scant 3.7 seconds. Elsewhere, the SUV’s handling, grip, and body control are precise, as you’d expect from an M-badged sports car. It benefits from an impressive steering system and a race-tuned suspension setup.

3 2022 Audi RS Q8

Gearheads perceive the Audi RS Q8 as a cheaper version of the Lamborghini Urus due to the close mechanical ties between the two performance SUVs. Additionally, the 2022 Audi RS Q8 offers near identical performance to the Urus with the fire-breathing 4.0-liter twin-turbo engine producing 591hp and 590lb-ft of torque.

As you’d expect, the Audi RS Q8 is pretty fast, getting from 0 to 60mph in 3.7 seconds. Add in the car’s precise handling that benefits from Audi’s clever suspension featuring anti-roll bars; they minimize body roll in bends and maximize comfort on straight roads.

2 2022 Porsche Cayenne Coupé GTS

Introduced in 2003, the Cayenne still lives up to the brand’s reputation of producing performance cars. And now more than ever, the Cayenne Coupé GTS is incredibly agile for an SUV. The adaptive suspension contains body lean through corners while the steering remains precise and perfectly weighted.

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The Cayenne Coupé GTS utilizes a 454hp 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that’s powerful enough to propel the car from standstill to 60mph in 4.3 seconds. However, the quickest Cayenne trim is the 631hp Turbo GT, which takes 3.1 seconds.

1 2022 Lamborghini Urus

The Lamborghini Urus is arguably the world’s best super SUV. It merges the practicality of a sport utility vehicle with the performance of a sports car. Under the metal is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The engine conspires with a permanent all-wheel drive to propel the car to 60mph in 3.6 seconds. Getting behind the wheel, the SUV feels agile and stable through corners for a car that weighs over 4,000lbs. It benefits from adjustable ride heights that depend on your driving mode, four-wheel steering, and active anti-roll bars.