It’s great to have a supercar that can sprint through sweeping canyon roads or romp on the streets. But, let’s face it, not all of us want an impractical two-seater that sits low and can’t carry much more than a bag of groceries. In the real world, where we need to drive on potholed roads and make the occasional Home Depot run, an SUV is a great choice.

But SUVs are, as a rule, pretty terrible for high-performance driving. Terrible, unless you pick one of these new for high-performance SUVs and variants that promise performance that can shame most sports cars, with prices to match.

Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is the fastest Porsche SUV ever

Without the Cayenne SUV, there may not be a modern Porsche. The Cayenne came along at the right time, with the right features, that it became an instant hit 20 years ago. Since then, the Cayenne has gone through a few generations and now there’s a new uber-high performance version, called the
Cayenne Turbo GT. When Porsche says this is its fastest SUV ever, that’s saying something.

The Turbo GT’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 makes an astounding 631 horsepower, which is 90 more than the previous top dog, the Cayenne Turbo Coupe. Porsche says it go from 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds, and with its Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control system, that power can be harnessed. But this is also an uber luxury SUV, so you can count on Alcantara, carbon fiber, eight-way sport seats, and more for your $183,000.

Lotus Eletre brings Lotus sports car sensibility to its first SUV

The first lotus SUV is an EV beast. We should start to see them on the road next year as 2024 models. Lotus sports cars are known for not just swoopy curves, but their attention to “adding lightness,” which sometimes translates to spartan interiors. The Eletre, though, eschews Lotus’s add lightness mantra, and instead packs in more than any previous lotus, such as a big touchscreen, leather, and more.

It comes in a 602-horsepower version, or the limited edition R spec, which will have 906 horsepower from its two-motor drive. The base price is $85,000, however it’s not as useful as others on this list because it only seats four people. Each seat, though, is a deep bucket.

Maserati Grecale: all new for 2023 and

First of all, you pronounce this tongue twister like gree-ka’leh. But, when you have up to 523 horsepower, who cares what you call the new Maserati Grecale. The Maserati uses a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6, and in Trofeo trim, should have enough power to scare up to four of your friends. It has a modern take on its interior, too, with a pair of touchscreens on the dash, with a digital gauge cluster. The GT starts at $65,000, however the Trofeo should be more than $100,000.

BMW iXM60 is an EV powerhouse

BMW’s new iX M60 is fast, expensive, and all-electric. For the first time on an EV SUV, BMW turned its M-brand tuners loose and they pumped up the electric motors to 610 horsepower in this big five-seat SUV. With launch control on, BMW estimates that it will hit 60 mph in 3.1 seconds. But, the power comes at a bit of a cost in range, as it drops to 288 compared to the xDrive50’s range of 324.

On the inside is where the M60 really dazzles, with a giant screen across the dash that is larger than most TVs. It starts at about $105,000

2023 Range Rover Sport is the traditionalist’s SUV sports car

Finally, Range Rover is getting in on the mega-performance aspect of its capable SUV, the Sport. But, unlike the others that rely on electric motors to make monster power, the luddites at Rover drop in a Mercedes-Benz AMG V8 with two turbos that makes 523 horsepower. Like the others, however, its interior is dominated by a ginat touchscreen in the middle of the dash, and leather and wood wherever your hand may fall.

We’re expecting an all-electric performance version soon, but for now, the $123,000 RR Sport will have to do.