A Guide to SUVs from the Sportiest and Snootiest Automakers

Andy PottsCar and Driver

It was only 20 years ago that the Porsche Cayenne shocked the automotive world. An SUV from the preeminent sports-car maker seemed wildly incongruous in 2002. Today it’s easier to list the few automakers that don’t offer one for sale than those that do.

Sure, there are exotic dream weavers, such as Pagani and Koenigsegg, that ignore the sales siren of the ute. But of brands that produce more than 500 cars a year globally, the only ones without a sport-utility either on sale or on the way are Chrysler (though it has made SUVs in the past; remember the Durango-based Aspen?) and fellow Stellantis subsidiaries Abarth and Lancia; Alpine (Renault’s sports-car division); and McLaren and Morgan in the U.K.

While some automakers tried to hold back the tide, cold, green logic has driven the industry’s transformation. Buyers clearly like a higher driving position more than they appreciate the dynamic benefits of a lower center of gravity, and that’s as true for free spenders as misers. No marque has been spared, no matter how steeped in racing the brand’s history.

Just this year, one of the longest holdouts caved to the pressure. As recently as 2016, then–Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne said regarding an SUV from Maranello, “You have to shoot me first.” A year later, he was walking it back. RIP, Sergio.

Marchionne wasn’t the only one to leave hostages to fortune. McLaren’s Mike Flewitt declared his company would never build a ute back in 2018. His 2021 ouster means the supercar maker is no longer bound by that promise. Rumors say McLaren is already looking for a partner with an SUV platform.

See the Best EV Luxury SUVs

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JAGUAR
First SUV: 2017 F-Pace
Second and Third SUVs: 2018 E-Pace, 2019 I-Pace
Bestselling model: F-Pace

LAMBORGHINI
First SUV: 1986 LM002
Second SUV: 2019 Urus
Bestselling model: Urus

ASTON MARTIN
First SUV: 2021 DBX
Second SUV: None
Bestselling model: DBX

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