Esquire (UK)
Kings of the road
Sometimes, big really is better
SUVs. Showy, Ugly and Vulgar they may be to some but to many, sports utility vehicles are the only car worth waving a bank card in front of. Beloved for their
ride height, flexibility and barely concealed aggression, it’s the area of the car market everyone wants a piece of and continues to show little sign of slowing down. So much so that it can seem as if there’s a new one out every month and new niches emerging every year. We’ve
rounded up the class of 2017.
The looker: Range Rover Velar
The fourth model in Land Rover’s Range Rover line fills the gap between the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport. Described by LR design boss Gerry McGovern as the “most
car-like” of the range, it will still come with the...
The purist:
Alfa Romeo Stelvio A rejuvenated Alfa is hoping its first SUV (with two more possibly on their way) will pull in floating buyers on its looks and handling — which, let’s be honest, with SUVs is a harder combination to find together
than...
The virtuoso: Maserati Levante The Italian marque has joined the late stampede to the luxury SUV party where Porsche has been living it up
for so long on its own. Of course, Bentley’s Bentayga is now there, too, with Aston
Martin, Rolls-Royce and...
The beast: Mercedes-AMG
GLC 63
If the “hot” SUV is an emerging class of its own, this
brand new model could be better described as scalding. If 503bhp and acceleration to 60mph in just under four seconds wasn’t aggressive enough, that grille could...
The cruiser: Audi Q7 The tank-like Q7 is a classy performer in almost all areas
(save reverse parking in town) but is never more at home than eating up motorway miles with no fuss, and where its loungey cabin interior is a very nice place to
hang...
The rock: Kia Sorento
In the unlikely event that footballer N’Golo Kanté was morphed into SUV form, this is the model he’d be. Solid, unflappable and unexpectedly refined. If it’s under-theradar reliability and spaciousness you want, then this
is...