9 coolest SUVs coming soon: new models aiming to take the 4x4 market by storm
Thought SUVs couldn't be cool? Here are some forthcoming contenders that should have the grunt – and the looks
Thought SUVs couldn’t be cool or stand out from the crowd? You might want to think again as the next generation of SUVs promise to be as practical as ever, all while retaining the cool factor.
From rugged off-roaders to luxurious family cars, SUVs are one of the most popular body styles on UK roads thanks to their high-driving position, family-friendly features and useful levels of practicality, with almost every major manufacturer having an SUV in its line up.
Through innovative in-car technology, ample practicality and everyday usability for towing caravans or trailers, the next wave of SUVs are set to be the coolest yet, and these are the ones you should have on your radar.
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Below are the top nine coolest SUVs coming soon, listed in alphabetical order…
Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Alfa Romeo’s first SUV is a wonderful throwback. More than eight years old, there’s not a whiff of electrification in the drivetrains, and the line-up is crowned by a 503bhp twin-turbo petrol V6 engineered with Ferrari.
The second-generation Stelvio, due in 2026, was conceived as purely electric, but slower-than-expected EV uptake means it’ll run combustion power too. The Stelvio uses the Stellantis Group’s versatile STLA Large platform, so the electric models get an 800V electrical system, good for fast charging and reducing weight, with high-performance e-motors mounted on the rear, or both, axles.
And the combustion variants? The 1.6-litre plug-in hybrid, which entered production in 2024 for Peugeot, is tipped to be part of the range, although hopefully with a power upgrade on the 195bhp it has in the 3008. Six-cylinder power is also on the cards: STLA fits the mighty straight-six Hurricane engine used in Stellantis performance models in the USA, while the relaxation of upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations means engineering work could give Alfa’s own V6 engine a stay of execution, too.
Latest Alfa Romeo Stelvio deals
Audi Q7
Audi boasts that it will have the youngest range of all the German premium brands by the end of this year, having rolled out 20 new models. That’s quite an achievement given that the current Q7 – due for replacement in summer 2026 – dates back to 2015, although it did receive a facelift five years ago and minor upgrades in 2024.
Like many car makers, Audi is in that awkward transition phase of having to extend the life of current platforms in this case MLB Evo – before the model goes all-electric. But the body design and interior will be all new, to keep the Q7 rolling until the EU’s expected phasing out of combustion cars in 2035.
The car will retain its spacious seven-seat interior, with a major tech upgrade: look to the Q6 e-tron’s massive digital displays for inspiration. Outside, Audi’s grille will dominate, with narrow lamps front and rear, while power comes from Audi’s new plug-in hybrid drivetrains, which link a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine to a 141bhp electric motor, delivering either 295bhp or 362bhp.
Power can be sent to all four wheels, quattro-style. There’s no word on whether the existing four and six-cylinder diesel engines – ideal for towing – will continue, but an SQ7 delivering in excess of 500bhp is reportedly part of the planned model range.
BMW X5
Despite four generations dating back to 1999, there’s never been an all-electric BMW X5. That's set to change in late 2026, when the company reveals the fifth generation, with a full suite of powertrains, potentially including a hydrogen fuel cell. While the electric iX3 rides on a bespoke, Neue Klasse EV chassis, different to the combustion X3’s, all X5s will use an updated version of today’s Cluster Architecture (CLAR). Expect the five metre-long 4x4 to require – and get – a big battery: BMW sources told Auto Express that the X5’s cylindrical cells would measure 120mm tall x 46mm wide, 25mm longer than the iX3’s, which stows a whopping 108.7kWh battery. Combustion powertrains should include six-cylinder mild-hybid petrol, six-pot diesels and the near 450bhp plug-in hybrid flagship.
BMW vows that Neue Klasse technologies will percolate across 40 models in the next three years. So the X5, shown here in our images predicting how it will look, will get Panoramic iDrive, the customisable digital band across the dashboard, and all-new electronic architecture with superfast processing from four superbrains. They control functions including infotainment and "smart, symbiotic and safe" driver-assistance systems, which can execute automated overtakes if they see the driver looking in the mirror to check the passing lane is clear. The ‘heart of joy’ will also knit together steering, suspension, power and chassis systems for a dynamic but comfortable ride.
Citroen C5 Aircross
Fancy towing in comfort? Citroen claims to have put occupant well-being at the heart of the all-new C5 Aircross, priced from £30,495. There’s lots of legroom and headroom in the rear seats, which also recline, while Citroen’s trick suspension – with progressive hydraulic air cushions to absorb shocks – promises to retain the original car’s cushy ride. It’s a practical model with a big, 651-litre boot, clothed in an SUV body with eye-catching details such as the rear ‘light wings’, which manage air flow at the back.
Given that it is strictly front-wheel drive, you’ll need to choose the best powertrain for towing. The entry-level three-cylinder hybrid only packs 143bhp, while the pure-electric version – with the bigger, 97kWh battery – musters 228bhp for a claimed 423-mile range. The maximum braked towing weight for those two engines are 1,200 and 1,250kg respectively – so caravan-haulers should opt for the 192bhp plug-in hybrid instead, which can pull 1,550kg.
Latest Citroen C5 Aircross deals
Jeep Compass
The car industry is so intertwined that the new Jeep Compass is largely the same car as the Citroen C5 Aircross, Vauxhall Grandland and Peugeot 5008. They all ride on Stellantis’s STLA Medium platform, with a choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric powertrains. The Jeep's appeal lies in its trademark blocky, horizontal styling, seven-slot grille and four-wheel-drive option, with a bespoke rear motor that can deliver huge torque. With the 73kWh battery, the dual-motor Jeep has maximum DC charging of 160kW, good for 20-80 per cent in just under 30 minutes. But it’ll struggle to do 300 miles – and far less than that if it's towing a trailer.
Kia Sportage
The Kia Sportage is one of the world’s best-selling mid-size SUVs, and Kia has just given it a thorough update. Its butch new nose includes question mark-shaped daytime running lights, while new alloy wheel designs and a reshaped rear bumper complete the nip and tuck. The new touchscreen has bigger icons and responds more quickly, rear-seat space remains good, and the boot stows 591 litres of gear.
The big powertrain news is a punchier electric motor for the hybrid, boosting output to 235bhp. It’s smoother, uniquely available with four-wheel drive, and requires less support from the combustion engine than in the past. And that’s a good thing because the 1.6-litre turbo isn’t the quietest.
Porsche Cayenne
What’s this all-electric SUV doing alongside cars that make a decent fist of towing?
Porsche vows its upcoming new Cayenne – set to be revealed towards the end of the year – will be one of the first EVs capable of towing 3.5 tonnes. “Our customers have always appreciated the Cayenne’s high utility value – that’s why we didn’t want to make any compromises in the all-electric model’s development,” says Michael Schätzle, its product line chief. It comes with a 113kWh battery, supposedly good for 373 miles of range. Not if you’re driving the all-wheel-drive Turbo hard, mind you – it’s tipped to get 1,000bhp. It should be able to shift a caravan.
Scout Traveler
It took something special to steal the Audi concept's thunder at the Munich Motor Show, but all-American brand Scout might just have done it.
Volkswagen Group invited Scott Keogh, boss of its US subsidiary, to present the forthcoming Scout Traveler. It was a virtuoso pitch, claiming the Traveler ideal for American audiences due to its capability, ‘eight-days-a-week’ versatility and retro-futurist interior. There’ll be all-electric versions of the Terra pick-up and Traveler SUV, but Keogh seemed more excited by the range-extender hybrids, which use electric motors to power all four wheels.
“They speak to America with 737Nm of torque and 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds [and] solve range anxiety [by travelling] 500 miles,” he said. The Traveler should tow 3,200kg when it comes out and, while VW is exploring REx tech for Europe, UK sales are still to be determined.
Toyota RAV4
The Toyota RAV4 is the world’s best-selling mid-size SUV and is back for a sixth generation, with electrified powertrains only. While the hybrid will be offered in Europe and North America, the UK plans to have a strictly plug-in hybrid range.
The front-wheel-drive model yields a healthy 264bhp, cranked up to 300bhp in the four-wheel-drive version. A revised terrain response system should help keep the RAV – and anything it’s towing – on the black stuff. Set to arrive in the UK around the turn of the year, it has grown in every dimension and now measures 4,617mm long. It should swallow more than 500 litres of cargo.
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