These are the five top affordable luxury SUVs that will make you look rich. But you should keep this in mind that, while these vehicles may be cheaper to buy, they may not be cheaper to maintain, particularly European brands can drain your wallet due to high maintenance cost.
Range Rover Evoque Pure
The words Range Rover normally speak expensive, upper class, Rapper, NBA player, you know something along those lines. Which is why the Evoque Pure has an easy time of fooling people into thinking that it’s more expensive than what it really is.
Land Rover sells a few variations of the Range Rover, the Evoque Pure being the least expensive one out of the bunch, followed by the Velar, Sport and lastly the one most of us are all familiar with, the Range Rover. The Evoque Pure has a much different purpose as you normally would imagine coming from a Range Rover.
The ride is stiff, the interior materials are just average, and the cargo space is on par with a Volkswagen Golf hatchback. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, this compact crossover is just for a totally different demographic. Where this vehicle shines is in the driving experience, whether you’re going on a spirited drive or going off-road. The Evoque is easy to maneuver, it’s super responsive and precise around turns. And thanks to it’s terrain responsive system the vehicle can automatically adjust to pretty much any surface or situation.
Comparing it to a Range Rover, the ride quality on the Evoque Pure definitely isn’t as comfortable or quiet but you will enjoy the sporty attributes. And for one third of the price, you really can’t complain.
Exterior wise, the Evoque Pure looks nice, I mean it looks like a Range Rover but obviously on a much smaller size. The interior is laid out nicely, cargo space is measured at 20.3 cubic feet, the rear seats are somewhat compromised because of the sporty exterior, and headroom and legroom is tight, especially in the two door variation. That’s right, you can get this crossover in a two door as well!
It comes equipped with an AWD system and has a ground clearance of 8.3 inches. Performance wise the Evoque Pure comes equipped with turbocharged 4 cylinder engine that produces 240 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque. Doesn’t sound like much, but it has a kick. Turbo lag is kept down to an unnoticeable minimum, and the low end torque kicks in relatively quick.
If you can get past the questionable history of poor reliability Range Rovers are normally known for, then the Range Rover Evoque is a sweet little SUV. You can find used for as low as $15,000.
Cadillac XT5
Moving on to a more capable SUV, as far as passenger space is concerned, that’s why people buy these types of vehicles right? The XT5 is the successor to Cadillac’s most popular model, the SRX. Essentially, they took the winning formula of their midsize SUV and attempted to build on it with the XT5.
The XT5 does look attractive. The angles, the lines, the headlights with the vertical daytime running lights and most importantly their very family grille that makes the vehicle look expensive. Cadillac continue to carry its traditional design cues and they are one of the few companies that hasn’t changed dramatically over the years. Whether it’s an older Cadillac or a new one, you can tell it’s a Cadillac.
Inside looks modern, in fact when the XT5 first released as the 2017 model year, many said it’s interior looked like it was ahead of it’s time. It comes with a massive Panoramic roof, a nicely laid out in-dash infotainment display and quality materials such as suede, leather, wood, aluminum and if equipped, carbon fiber. The only cheap hard plastic panel you can find is placed below the knee level, you know the non visible parts of the interior.
The infotainment display which has been known as one of Cadillacs biggest weak points is said to be much better and improved, with less lag, less glitches, and less freeze-ups, but take that with a grain of salt. Buttons for the infotainment are very minimal, essentially most controls will be touchscreen or through gestures and voice. The volume control is a touchscreen slider. Functions such as the volume knob do not need to be reinvented! Touch functions, voice, and gestures never seem to be as reliable, especially when you need them to be!.
The electronic shifter frees up room for other personal items such a tablet or a small purse, and cargo room is decent 30 cubic feet with the rear seats up and 63 cubic feet with the seats down. For those of you that are not a fan of turbocharged engines, you’ll be happy to know that the XT5 comes equipped with a naturally aspirated 3.6L V6 that produces 310 horsepower and 271 lb-ft torque. The numbers aren’t anything groundbreaking, but it’s more than adequate.
If you’re in the market for an XT5, you can find them for as low as $16,000.
BMW X1
This is BMW’s smallest and most ‘affordable’ utility vehicle. Words affordable are quoted because, yes for a new BMW the starting price of $35,000 doesn’t sound that bad, that is until you realize it comes naked in standard features. You really have to pay to play with this one, things like lane departure assist, front collision warning and adaptive cruise control are extra, those are features you find standard on other more affordable competitors.
But here’s the good thing, getting one used not only saves you the massive depreciation that happens in the first few years of it being new, but you’ll most likely end up with all the technology add-ons for no additional money.
This generation of the X1 pretty much improved across the board compared to the version that came before. People want more cargo room, well it has got it, in fact it has class leading room at 27.1 cubic feet. it offers more room then both the Audi Q3 and Mercedes GLA.
It has more room for passengers with a better seating position and modern interior, but BMW ditched the RWD system for a front wheel drive platform used on the MINI Cooper. Definitely not what most people want. Luckily for people in the United States, at least there is an option of AWD system. Unlike other countries that actually get a FWD X1. That small change alone changes the driving mechanics of what once was a very fun compact crossover to drive.
Interior wise, it looks like pretty much every other modern BMW, nice and sleek with nice materials. And they decided to keep the buttons! Easy to reach, easy to use and super functional!
idrive system is as simple as it gets, with the controls to control the infotainment right on the center console. Many people don’t like the tablet style screen on top of the dash. A lot of other manufacturers are using the very similar tablet style screen as well, and honestly that trend needs to end. It’s lazy and it’s cheap looking.
The turbo 4 cylinder engine equipped produces 228 horsepower and 258 lb-ft torque. The best part is that it has pretty good gas mileage, 22 MPG city and 32 MPG highway, making this a great daily driver. You can find them for as low as $13,000. And since it’s a modern BMW, most people will think you paid double and even triple that price.
Jaguar F Pace
This choice isn’t that cheap but more so affordable. The reason its included in this list is because it looks much more expensive then what you can pay for one used. In just a couple of years, this SUV has lost more than 50 percent of it’s value. That’s not good news for the original owners that purchased this vehicle new, but for those buying second hand, it’s one hell of a bargain.
The exterior of it alone is worth the money. Looks sporty, futuristic and classy all at the same time. This an SUV that has massive curb appeal and is guaranteed to catch the attention of anybody around it’s perimeter. It also has the performance to go along with it’s great looks.
It first entered the market in 2017 in attempt to jump into the huge SUV craze and it was perfect timing. Looks good, drives well and excels in the practicality department. You get 33.5 cubic feet of space in the cargo with the seats up and 63 cubic feet with the seats down. And whats surprising is the amount the F Pace can tow, up to 5,200 lbs, to put that into perspective, it tows more than a Toyota Tacoma! This is a vehicle that puts as much emphasis on sportiness as it does practicality.
The interior looks great as well. The gauge cluster features a 12.3 inch screen instead of traditional gauges and its fully customizable. Whether you want to see a full screen of gauges, or a full screen of navigation, you got the choice.
The massive panoramic roof is beautiful and is among the largest in it’s class. For the drawbacks, the rear sort of looks like a Mazda CX-5. Not that CX-5 is not a good vehicle, but more so the similarities make it look less expensive from the rear. And since it’s a Jaguar, poor reliability in the long run can be a concern.
Engine wise is also not a disappointment. It comes equipped with a supercharged V6 that produces 340 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque for the lower trim. Also the sound the engine produces through the exhaust pipes is heavenly.
If you’re looking for a family vehicle that has very little compromises, then this may be the right SUV for you. You can find them for as low as $20,000.
Lincoln MKT
The major plus for this vehicle is that it features a third row for larger families. And not only will you be able to fit your entire family in the MKT, but you all will be riding in style. It looks like an executive type vehicle. Driving down the road, bystanders will probably think a celebrity is being chauffeured.
It looks stylish too, thanks to it’s dramatic roof line, something not always found on three row SUVs. The negative to that is the headroom is a bit compromised in the third row and cargo space suffers as well.
Some people may not like the large crossover wagon look of the MKT, but there is no denying that it looks pretty expensive. Buying one of these used also guarantees the premium features as many of them come standard. Things like a power liftgate, back-up sensors, power adjustable pedals, leather seats and heated plus ventilated seats come standard.
Some even come with a second row of captain chairs to make that ride that much more luxurious. Just keep in mind, that the MKT equipped with captain chairs limits the amount of seats to 6, instead of 7.
The instrument cluster has one main single dial for speed flanked by configurable screens. If equipped, the MKT comes with a fridge! Cargo space is a little weak one, because of the third row and because of the roofline. You only get 17.9 cubic feet with the seat up which has a hard time accommodating tall items but when the seats are all down, you get a whopping 76 cubic feet of space.
The driving experience is what you expect from an executive looking vehicle, a plush comfortable ride for both the driver and passengers and the fantastic insulation makes everything quiet inside. When it comes to the power, it comes equipped with a 3.7L V6 that produces 303 horsepower and 278 lb-ft torque. And you may even be able to find the Ecoboost version for cheap as well, a 3.5L V6 that produces 365 horsepower and 350 lb-ft torque. You can find the MKT used for as low as $11,000.
