10 coolest SUVs coming soon: new models aiming to take the 4x4 market by storm
The crucial new models vying for your attention in 2026… and beyond
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.
We Brits simply can’t get enough of SUVs these days. Eight out of the 10 best-selling cars in the UK last year were SUVs, while the faithful Toyota RAV4 and futuristic Tesla Model Y have been fighting over the title of the world’s best-selling car for the past few years.
But with a new SUV being launched what feels like every other day, it’s hard to know which models to focus on, so we’ve picked out the coolest ones coming our way. There’s going to be something for everyone, from the Land Rover Defender’s long-overdue baby brother to a brand-new cutting-edge crossover that could even make us forget about Tesla’s international best-seller.
Why SUVs are so popular
It’s not hard to see their broad appeal. SUVs can offer families vast amounts of space and some of those with four-wheel drive are designed to conquer the toughest terrain out there.
Many drivers also want a lofty driving position for better visibility, while SUVs are perceived to fare better than smaller vehicles in the event of a crash. No wonder almost every major car brand has at least one SUV in its line-up, and even the most unlikely of marques, such as Ferrari, Lotus and Lamborghini, have got in on the action.
Below are the top ten coolest SUVs coming soon, listed in alphabetical order…
Bentley Urban SUV
Considering that the Bentayga SUV has been Bentley’s most popular model from the moment the wood and leather-lined behemoth was introduced a decade ago, it’s hard to believe the British marque has taken so long to launch a sequel. But it’s finally happening this year, and not only will it be the brand’s first-ever EV, it’s going to be the world’s first “luxury urban SUV”. Whatever that means.
The new model is definitely not a compact city-focused car, but the as-yet-unnamed leviathan will be smaller than the 5.1-metre-long Bentayga at least, while the design is set to be purposeful yet elegant, taking inspiration from the bold EXP15 concept car.
The brand’s research and development chief, Matthias Rabe, promised us the ‘Urban EV’ will be “really comfortable like the Flying Spur, agile like a Continental GT, and acceleration will be the best in a Bentley ever”, with about 1,000bhp on tap.
Fiat ‘GigaPanda’
Despite the name Fiat Grande Panda literally meaning big panda, the Italian marque is about to launch an even bigger car inspired by its boxy bundle of joy from the eighties. Nicknamed the GigaPanda, it will be a chunky family SUV that could even be offered with a choice of five or seven-seat configurations, and will be twinned with a coupé-esque Fastback version. Together, the pair “will complete Fiat’s resurgence”, the firm’s European boss Gaetano Thorel told us.
The GigaPanda will sit on the cost-effective Smart Car architecture introduced by the Citroen C3 and used by the Grande Panda. If it gets the same powertrains, too, there will be a choice of pure-petrol, hybrid and electric versions, with the EV offering around 250 miles of range.
Latest Fiat Grande Panda deals
Jeep Renegade
More than 30 Marvel films have come out in the 12 years since the Jeep Renegade was released, so inevitably it feels dated now. Thankfully, an all-new, second-generation Renegade is due to arrive in 2027 to finally give the outdoors-obsessed brand a worthy challenger to the Dacia Duster.
The new Jeep will sit between the smaller Avenger and mid-size Compass SUVs, and should also offer a range of powertrains, including a pure-electric version for the first time; at least one edition will be four-wheel drive.
We’ve yet to see any prototypes or teasers of the new Renegade, but our exclusive image gives you a good idea of what it could look like. Jeep’s signature seven-slot grille will be there, plus plenty of plastic cladding to protect you from falling rocks – or trolleys in the supermarket car park.
Land Rover Defender Sport
Sometimes the simplest ideas really are the best, and a ‘baby’ version of the beloved Land Rover Defender is frankly a no-brainer. Expected to be called the Land Rover Defender Sport, it will offer similar chunky styling and off-road capability to the full-size 4x4, but at a more attainable price. It’s expected to be an EV only.
We’ve seen various prototypes and our exclusive image shows what the Defender Sport could look like. It’s set to combine its big brother’s familiar boxy and upright shape with some more complementary details, such as a full-width lightbar and slightly sleeker nose.
McLaren SUV
McLaren has been toying with the idea of an SUV for quite a while, but it looks like the pride of Woking will indeed be making a high-riding, four-door thrill machine to rival those from Ferrari and Aston Martin.
Former boss Michael Leiters – who is now the CEO of Porsche – had a vision of a swooping, sporty SUV that would be priced above £200,000 and powered by a detuned version of the W1 hypercar’s 1,234bhp plug-in hybrid drivetrain, which blends a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with a high-output electric motor, and would easily set new lap records on any school run.
Our scoop story last year uncovered the decision to go with V8 hybrid power for the SUV, known internally by the codename P47, rather than electricity. Apparently customers showed little to no interest in the idea of an electric SUV, which doesn’t exactly bode well from the four-door, four-seat Ferrari Luce EV being revealed this summer.
Mercedes GLC electric
The all-new Mercedes GLC Electric is the three-pointed star’s counterstrike against the revolutionary new BMW iX3 which, much like its arch-rival, marks the introduction of the brand’s very latest EV technology and fresh styling cues.
Say what you want about that illuminated grille, with its 942 pixel-like squares, courtesy of 140 individual LEDs, but it certainly makes a statement. As do the light-up three-pointed star shining bright in the centre of the grille and the one-metre-wide screen spanning the entire dashboard.
Underneath, the GLC Electric features a brand-new platform with 800-volt tech for lightning-fast charging, a two-speed transmission for better efficiency and performance, and the air-suspension system from the palatial S-Class limousine. That bodes well for life on our rutted roads. Its range of up to 406 miles doesn’t quite match the iX3’s 500 miles, although the £60k starting price is pretty close. We’ll be able to tell you what it’s like to drive on 23 March.
Porsche Cayenne Electric
The Porsche Cayenne is one of the most influential cars ever made, basically rescuing the hallowed sports-car maker in the noughties and inventing the luxury performance SUV. It’s still available with petrol and hybrid power, but now there’s an all-new all-electric version that becomes the most powerful road car Porsche has ever made.
The Cayenne Electric produces up to 1,140bhp and 1,500Nm of torque in range-topping Turbo guise, allowing this 2.5-tonne colossus to rocket from 0-62mph in only 2.5 seconds – quicker than the Porsche 918.
There’s more to this Porsche than speed, though. The interior is brimming with technology and offers lots of space. The 3,500kg towing capacity is also a match for the Range Rover’s, plus the 113kWh battery provides more than 400 miles of range. Prices start from £83,200, and you can read what we think of it on 27 March.
Rivian R2
The bold, futuristic yet incredibly inviting Rivian R2 looks like a family SUV from the year 3000, but it’s coming to the UK in the next few years – and the mid-sized electric SUV has the Tesla Model Y squarely in its crosshairs.
This is the car that will introduce Rivian to Europe, and is the follow-up to the pioneering California-based start-up’s R1T electric pick-up truck and the R1S seven-seat SUV. The company is all about the outdoors, sustainability, functionality and a sense of fun, so there are handy features such as a torch hidden in the driver’s door, and you can fully lower all four regular windows, plus the rear windscreen, for a high-riding wind-in-the-hair driving experience.
Skoda Epiq
The Epiq name means Skoda’s baby SUV has a lot to live up to, but the little brother of the reigning Auto Express Car of the Year, the Skoda Elroq, is set to deliver similarly impressive levels of value, space, functionality and comfort. The cherry on top is a starting price of around £25,000, which puts it within spitting distance of the fabulous Renault 4.
The Epiq will be unveiled in May and it’ll be the first car to incorporate every element of Skoda’s latest ‘Modern Solid’ design language, which should give it a more rugged, chiselled look. But there’s still going to be plenty of the firm’s ‘Simply Clever’ features dotted around, plus a whopping 475-litre boot.
Volvo EX60
If the blinding light of the GLC’s grille isn’t to your taste, the sleek, sophisticated and clever Volvo EX60 is the other game-changing electric SUV launched to rival the BMW iX3.
It is, of course, the zero-emission alternative to the Swedish firm’s global best-seller, the XC60, but other than their size, the two cars have nothing in common. The interior, for instance, represents a huge leap forward, with a more open and contemporary design than any other Volvo, and features new, even more powerful Google technology that hopefully makes up for the brand’s current offering.
The flagship P12 AWD model has a class-leading 503 miles of range and 671bhp on tap, plus a 370kW charging speed means owners can add 210 miles of range in just 10 minutes.
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