As I prepared to write up this year’s picks for The Drive‘s Best SUV, I struggled to come up with something unique to say about the newest graduating class. In 2023, I compared SUVs to how dinosaurs ruled the world and how they will continue to do so unless a huge meteorite wipes them out. Upon zooming out and looking at the bigger picture of today’s automotive landscape and how our finalists fit within that puzzle, however, I was pleased to realize a few things.
Whether you’re talking about one from Acura or Rolls-Royce, SUVs are the driving force behind the automotive industry. There are affordable SUVs that focus on practicality and fuel efficiency, luxury SUVs that pamper you and serve as status symbols, and there are many sporty SUVs that try really hard to inject some adrenaline into your daily commute. Of course, dealers are also chock-full of off-road-capable and off-road-inspired SUVs out there, because that’s what people are into nowadays. The difference between the two is that off-road-capable SUVs have existed since the dawn of the Sport Utility Vehicle, and off-road-inspired models are relatively new and cater to folks who want to look like they’ll be tackling trails after their 9-to-5s.
All of this is to say that variety is a good thing. For the most part, SUV sales provide automakers with the necessary funds to build cool and fun stuff. Do you really believe that Toyota would still make the GR86 or the Supra if the RAV4 didn’t sell as well as it does? Or that Porsche could stay afloat without the Cayenne or Macan? And where do you think Chevy gets the cash to build stuff like the 233-mph Corvette ZR1? Next time you see someone driving an Equinox, Traverse, or Tahoe, tell them thanks.
This year’s picks represent the lion’s share of the automotive landscape because simply put, SUVs own the biggest piece of the pie. And for what it’s worth—and whether you’re into SUVs or not—these are all phenomenal in their own right. Without further ado, here are The Drive‘s picks for the Best SUVs of 2024.
Runner-Up: Range Rover Sport SV, The Luxury SUV
“Reaching 150 mph on the Algarve International Circuit’s main straight is jolly fun and not at all hard for its BMW M5-derived 4.4-liter V8. But the real magic happens when you brake hard and dive into the first corner, summoning its eight-piston Brembo carbon ceramic brakes and hydraulically interlinked air suspension without anti-roll bars. One-fifty to 70 mph happens so quickly it hurts, but the big luxurious cabin remains so flat you’d swear you’re wheeling a supercar. High-po SUVs have come a long way in recent years, but this new SV is now aiming for the Astons and Porsches of the world.
“Range Rovers have reputations: Footballer car, unreliable car, rich asshole car, golddigger car. Many will pass judgment on the new SV based on these, and they’ll all be wrong. The 2024 Range Rover Sport SV is a top-notch luxury SUV that can blaze race tracks and climb dirt hills with two wheels off the ground and a third one buried in mud.” —Jerry Perez, Deputy Editor
Runner-Up: Chevrolet Equinox, The Affordable SUV
“Look: I’d never describe the 2025 Equinox as ‘aspirational.’ (Name a volume-selling compact SUV that is.) But it’s certainly more youthful—joyful, even—than the crossover it’s replacing. The Equinox remains the value-minded purchase this nameplate’s always been, starting at $29,995 delivered. It promises a hell of a lot of car for under $40K and, more importantly, one you might not only choose because the math adds up.
“Cross-shopping safety tech and splitting hairs over MSRP and mpgs may not be the most emotionally stirring practice in car shopping, but it matters in this most crowded of segments, where the competition’s overall level of execution is as high as it is. Will the 2025 Equinox be best in class? The answer to that question isn’t yet clear, but we know what we can see: Finally, Chevy’s bread-and-butter compact SUV is showing signs of life. And if it sold damn well without that before, you have to wonder what it’ll be capable of now.” —Adam Ismail, News Editor
Runner-Up: Kia EV9, The Electric SUV
“I went into my week with the Kia EV9 GT-Line with quiet optimism. I’d already liked what Hyundai and Kia had been doing with their electric vehicles so I figured the EV9 would continue the trend. What I wasn’t expecting was to find one of the best three-row SUVs I’ve ever driven and proof that great family cars can not only be electric but incredibly good fun.
“If you look at the EV9’s sharp styling—especially in my car’s Ocean Blue Gloss paint—and think it’s going to handle like some high-performance SUV … you’d be right, actually. I was gobsmacked five minutes into my first drive. Something as big and heavy as the EV9 shouldn’t haul ass through corners the way this thing does, with such well-weighted and direct steering, and an almost perfectly judged ride quality. The car that kept popping into my mind while driving the EV9 was the BMW iX, which is high praise indeed.
Unless access to a charger or outright range is an issue, I see no reason to get a comparable gas-powered SUV. The Kia EV9 GT-Line is everything you could ask from a family hauler and then some. As my week was coming to an end, I couldn’t help but repeatedly think ‘Someone is just going to buy another Tahoe without ever knowing how good this thing is.’ And you know what? They’re missing out.” —Nico DeMattia, Staff Writer
Runner-Up: Porsche Cayenne GTS, The Performance SUV
“When Porsche launched the Cayenne SUV 20 years ago, the sports car community collectively feigned shock, loudly bemoaning the death of the beloved Porsche brand that had single-handedly been the poster child for the mid-life crisis set. Now that enthusiasts are done dying on that hill, as editor-in-chief Kyle Chermocha wrote when the Cayenne won The Drive’s Best SUV of 2023, the once-unwanted stepchild that so embittered Porsche lovers has become the sweet spot for those who want an SUV that moonlights as a performance vehicle and comes with 493 horses.
“The 2025 Porsche Cayenne GTS is perfect for the well-heeled who want an SUV that has a side job as a track workhorse. It’s powerful, lithe, responsive, fun to drive, and comfortable—a bit more sports car-like than the S, thanks to all the work that Porsche did under the skin. With the right options, it can be a veritable beast on a winding road or closed course. It truly is the throaty-burble Goldilocks SUV for parents who aren’t quite done heading out for spirited drives after they’ve dropped the kids off at school.” —Abigail Bassett, Contributor
Winner: Lexus GX, The Off-Road SUV
When people somehow find out what I do for a living, the first question they ask is, “What is your favorite car?” I typically answer by narrowing it down to, “My favorite car I’ve driven this year is the X, Y, and Z.” Sometimes it’s a Ferrari, but most of the time it isn’t. This year, when I answered and told them it was the Lexus GX, they all looked at me funky. It is almost as if either A) How dare I pick an SUV or B) A Lexus, really?
As I wrote in my off-road review, “The 2024 Lexus GX 550 goes about its business a bit differently. It’s sharp-looking but not shouty like the Americans. It’s powerful but quiet. It’s capable but humble. No trail-rated badges or brightly painted tow hooks here. At first glance, the GX is just another luxury SUV for suburban parents with decent paychecks and an image to upkeep. Y’know, the kind who are too fancy to be seen in a Tahoe but too smart to buy a Land Rover.”
There’s not just one reason why the GX is this year’s winner, either. It’s the whole package. The base model is phenomenally good and offers just about every feature you could need and want, and is still a boss on the trails. If you opt for the higher trims, the experience gets a bit more posh, but unlike other SUVs where the base trim sucks, the GX delivers straight outta the box.
When Senior Editor Caleb Jacobs drove it, he declared, “There’s no world where $70,000 is ‘cheap,’ and I ask myself all the time with this job, ‘Is anything worth that much money?’ If we’re talking about dedicated 4x4s, though, the GX Overtrail comes closest. Not because of its raw wheeling ability and not even its luxury, but because it combines both of those in a way that’s better balanced than anything else I’ve driven. I’d be this truck’s target audience if I made twice the money and it’s what I’d buy, no question.”
And with that, the Lexus GX is The Drive‘s Best SUV of 2024.
[Ed. note: The Lexus GX also takes home the honor of being our People’s Choice winner. In a series of polls on The Drive‘s Instagram, it was the most popular SUV of this bunch. Congratulations, Lexus. —CT]