Everyone knows that SUVs are ruling the world right now, as far as cars are concerned. More and more people are ditching just about every kind of normal car for a crossover, whether that would be a true full-size SUV or a small hatchback with a taller ride height and plastic body cladding.
While there are dozens and dozens of smaller crossovers currently available on the market, some consumers want something a little bigger. Something that gathers the most important aspects for just about every consumer into one, tall, high-riding package. But only a few of them have the merit of being the best ones you can buy right now.
10 Land Rover Defender
It was, and still is, one of the most talked-about SUVs. When Land Rover finally brought back the Defender in late 2019, they decided to take a different approach when compared to the Ford Broncos and Jeep Wranglers of the world; Land Rover retained the off-road capability, but made it a lot more civilized.
Some people are still skeptical about the Defender due to it sharing a platform with the Discovery and not being a "proper" Defender, but rest assured that it's a brilliant car. It's practical, immensely capable, looks cool, the dynamics are great and the tech features are plentiful. Very few people thought that Land Rover could pull it off with the Defender, but they did just that. It remains iconic.
9 Lincoln Aviator
A few years ago, the Ford Motor Company was neglecting the Lincoln brand, selling sub-par crossovers, and rebadged Ford Fusions and Tauruses. Their flagship, the Navigator, was never the best full-size SUV. Things couldn't be more different nowadays, though, and that extends to the new Aviator.
Reviving a nameplate that we only saw for a short while in the early 2000s, the new Lincoln Aviator is a fantastic mid-size luxury SUV. It looks great on the outside, it's great to drive, it has a wonderful and very luxurious interior, and the powertrains are very gutsy, especially the 600 lb/ft of torque plug-in hybrid version.
8 Mazda CX-5
Some "normal" automakers have tried to move their models upmarket over the years, and that decision backfired for them. With Mazda, however, it seems as though they struck gold, as their most recent totted up models have fared amazingly well, including the CX-5.
The CX-5 is a big volume seller for Mazda, and it's one of their most popular models, all with good reason. It has all the practicality and versatility you'd expect from a five-seater family SUV, but with the added touch of Mazda's amazing design language inside and out, great tech features, and a superb driving experience that few other SUVs can match. It's even available with a much cheaper, much more frugal diesel.
7 Toyota Venza
The original Toyota Venza model wasn't exactly well-received, mostly because it completely defied tradition; it was a Toyota with reliability problems. The latest Venza looks to change that, however, and it seems as though it's on the right track.
The new Venza abandons the old car's quirky, polarizing half minivan-half SUV styling and instead adopts a more traditional crossover shape that looks surprisingly sharp, especially for a Toyota. It also has class-leading fuel economy, thanks to the sole powertrain option being a hybrid. Reliability is back to the usual Toyota standard, or at least it should be, and the interior and tech features are plentiful and very well sorted.
6 Hyundai Palisade
Hyundais used to be a total joke some 15 years ago. People would be surprised whenever they saw one on the road, simply because, while they were honest in what they did, they just didn't have quite as much appeal. Nowadays, however, things couldn't be more different.
The Palisade is Hyundai's flagship SUV offering, slotting neatly into the mid-size segment and available with seven seats. It looks great for an SUV, with a pretty daring exterior design. The main reason why the Palisade has won so much favor with the media and consumers is due to the value proposition; it really does feel like a luxury SUV but costs around half of what you'd normally pay for a luxury SUV from an upscale brand.
5 Audi Q7
Don't be fooled by those gray-painted panels, that's not an Allroad; it's the latest, facelifted Audi Q7. It's a best-seller in the mid-size luxury SUV segment, and it has earned its spot there, because it really is a great machine.
It may be a bit expensive, especially when you start piling up the options, but it's for a good reason. The interior and tech features are up to the usual Audi standard, which is very high. It's also available with third-row seating, and a punchy 335 hp V6 engine. Not to mention, it certainly doesn't feel all that much like an SUV to drive.
4 Volvo XC60
The second-generation Volvo XC60 arrived in 2017, and it was the first model since Geely acquired Volvo not to use the number 90 in its name. It rides on the same platform as the aforementioned 90 series cars, and it's available exclusively with 4-cylinder engines.
Don't let that put you off, though, because Volvo has found a way to massage all of the XC60's available powertrains to be up to the task of moving this relatively heavy SUV forwards. It also looks great on the outside, has one of the best interiors and some of the best tech in the industry right now, it's frugal, and the fact that it errs more towards comfort than sportiness may be an appealing factor to the potential buyer.
3 Acura MDX
Acura is experiencing a little bit of a renaissance in recent times. As well as the far more interesting new TLX and its Type-S derivative, the new MDX is certainly a much better and more interesting car than the one that came before it.
Acura has gotten very serious about improving its models, which is why the new MDX, aside from looking very good on the outside, is available with some serious shove. It also has a surprisingly luxurious interior with the latest Honda/Acura infotainment system, though the control is a bit finicky. If you're after sporty driving dynamics in your next crossover SUV, the MDX is a pretty safe bet.
2 Porsche Cayenne Coupe
Hot off the heels of the recent coupe SUV craze, Porsche decided that they wanted a slice of the action. They took the already excellent Cayenne, flattened the rearmost part of the roofline ever so slightly, and tweaked the dynamics, resulting in the Cayenne Coupe.
The Cayenne was never really the subtlest of SUVs, to begin with, but this Coupe model, by comparison with the Lamborghini Urus or BMW X6, looks like a Toyota Camry. That's also part of the appeal, as everyone knows that the Cayenne has always been way more capable on the road than any SUV ever has the right to be, and the Coupe takes it a step further, while still providing great tech, safety, powertrains, (most of the) space and comfort.
1 Kia Telluride
All of the latest and incoming SUV models have been counted among the best, but in the case of the Kia Telluride, it seems like it really is the best. Few seven-seater family haulers have caused a stir quite like the Telluride, both when it debuted, and when journalists finally got to drive it.
The Telluride offers some pretty incredible value for money, as it's relatively luxurious and full of space inside, for a very low price when compared to some of its premium brand rivals. It also looks rugged and offroad-ey on the outside, which appeals to more consumers than you might think. Pretty much everyone considers the Telluride to be the best SUV money can currently buy, and it's not at all hard to see why.