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These SUVs Meld Practicality With High Performance

Many models have turbo power that older buyers really like

spinner image blue Ford Explorer ST on the road
FORD

Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, back when car buyers decided practical didn't have to mean boring, and started snapping up sporty, high-performance versions of the plain family sedans that most everybody drove in the 1950s and ‘60s and into the ‘70s.

Perhaps you recall the Chevrolet 1960s sedans with 409-cubic-inch engines (6.7 liters in todayspeak) that spawned the Beach Boys hit “409.” Or the 1959 Chevy sedans with 348 cubic-inch (5.7-liter) engines, about which Car and Driver said: “Exhilarating, thrilling, and amazing to drive. … Comes on right now with that booming, hard-slamming thunder that we've learned to associate with wild, full-race V-8s.”

Or Ford's 1960s Galaxie with 406 cubic-inch (6.65-liter) V-8 that generated no hit songs but snagged this praise from Car and Driver in 1962: “Something like Ferrari performance at a fifth the price."

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And Chrysler's 300-series sedan in the 1950s and ‘60s, and Pontiac's Tempest economy car stuffed full of roaring V-8 to justify the GTO name and earning Motor Trend's accolades in 1970: “The best American car we have ever driven, and probably one of the five or six best cars in the world for the enthusiast driver."

Such mixing of giddy-up with practicality trickled on even into the fuel-economy-obsessed 1980s that were a reaction to the fuel shortages and price increases of the ‘70s. Famed hot-rodder Carroll Shelby turbocharged the 1980s Dodge Omni economy car into a fearsome muscle machine, showing the party wasn't quite over for those wanting fun with their fuel-efficient, practical four-door sedans.

Ford stuck a toe in modern waters with the 1989 Taurus SHO — for Super High Output — sedan, intending it to be a limited-production item. But it was popular enough that Ford kept it through 1999 then resurrected it for the 2010 model year and has continued it through this year.

Staid vehicles on the outside

So we've had an enduring affair with more-or-less ordinary, practical machines underpinned with serious sporting credentials. And the formula is abloom anew in the SUV universe, which is about 48 percent of all new vehicles sold, according to Edmund.com data.

SUVs are by far the favorites of new-vehicle buyers in households headed by people 55 and older. They pick SUVs 54.1 percent of the time, according to a data provided for AARP by IHS Markit, which analyzes business information. Second place? Sedans at just 20.9 percent.

Go-fast, turn-sharp, stop-fast SUVs from common car-like crossovers such as Hyundai Niro and Ford Edge ST to truck-based outfits such as Chevrolet Tahoe RST Performance Edition are springing up fast.

"That's spot-on. As vehicle types change, there'll always be performance versions,” says Matt DeLorenzo, senior managing editor at Cox Automotive.

It predates cars, he figures, back to when the taunt was, “I've got four horses to your two."

The company owns more than two dozen brands including Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader.

"It's the same (type of) buyer who was buying the high-performance sedan” decades ago, says Mark Takahashi, a senior editor at researcher Edmunds.com.

The power is within

Icons of the current phenomenon are Ford's ST versions of its fully redesigned 2020 Explorer and its updated Edge, launched as a 2019.

But others are flying only slightly lower on the radar. Some are camouflage jobs that carry no get-outa-my-way nomenclature but have snappy engines and often upgraded suspensions and brakes.

Of course, this is happening because of the money to be made.

"Ford is genius,” says Ian Beavis, chief strategy officer at researcher and consultants AMCI. “They've found a market and price point” that are begging to be filled.

"There is a percentage that doesn't want a boring vehicle for their daily driver,” he says.

Beavis has noticed it especially among up-market buyers, he says.

"I've got a couple of friends who've gone from (Mercedes-Benz) AMG (high-performance) sedans into Mercedes’ SUVs. They're loyal to Mercedes, but they want to be able to get into and out of their vehicles and have room for all the grandkids,” he says, noting that many SUVs have a handy step-in/step-out height. You needn't climb up nor drop down.

"And you're not compromising much in the SUVs compared to the sedans,” Beavis says.

Take the ST Edge, for instance. You can get huge brakes and fat, super-traction tires paired with the ST's standard firm suspension, responsive steering and V-8-like performance from its turbocharged V-6.

The average new-car buyer is 54, Beavis’ data show, and his research also shows that's a time of fat assets and wallets, so $50k or even $60k and more for a hoot of time behind the wheel can seem reasonable, he says.

Here are some of those frisky SUVs for all you feisty grownups along with a few of those old models that you could consider their spiritual predecessors.

You can find more sporty SUVs if you wander upscale into Audi/BMW/Mercedes-Benz/Porsche territory, and some starter models from those brands are priced about even with those we list. We've tried to stay with the mainstream nameplates, figuring they'd be of the most interest to the most people.

 

1962 Chevrolet Bel Air

spinner image 1962 red Chevrolet Bel Air
GM Heritage Center

This car's 409-cubic-inch engine, 6.7-liter in today's nomenclature, is an early example of a very powerful engine in an otherwise ordinary family car.

This vehicle is like the car that inspired the 1962 Beach Boys’ song “409,” says the GM Heritage Center. The song was the back or B side of the 45-rpm single recording “Surfin’ Safari” that was the initial hit song. Today's frisky SUVs don't have such fortuitous marketing luck.

1962 Ford Galaxie

spinner image 1962 black Ford Galaxie
Ford

Another forerunner of today's quick family SUVs, this plain-vanilla family sedan has a 406 cubic-inch engine (6.65-liter), giving the unassuming Galaxie a fair shot at matching the 409-equipped Chevys of the era though the Fords never had the pop-culture draw that the Chevrolets got from the Beach Boys. This car was sold by Mecum Auctions in 2011 at an Indianapolis event.

Ford Edge ST

spinner image 2019 blue Ford Edge ST
Ford

The lowdown: Skimpy storage and only modest cargo space is in this SUV, but the turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6 jumps and runs as if called to an emergency.

No, it's not Porsche quick, but it can go nonetheless. Maximum power is 335 horsepower, 380 foot-pounds on premium fuel. Regular gas is acceptable but Ford doesn't say how much power you lose.

Its rear seat can't match the Honda Passport's roominess but is well tailored for those who do fit back there. The front seat is superb, almost therapeutic.

We did a 2,700-mile summer road trip with four tall folks and survived but sorely missed last year's spacious crew-cab pickup. We would prefer a conventional shift lever to the dial-control for the transmission.

Capacity: Tows 3,500 pounds, carries 950 pounds
Fuel efficiency:
 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway
Price: 
Starts at about $44,000, but you can add a fast $10,000 to get the full-frisky model with big brakes and tires and appurtenances

Ford Explorer ST

spinner image blue Ford Explorer ST on the road
Ford

The lowdown: Explorer is a full redesign for 2020 and gets a sporty ST version. The ST's 3-liter turbocharged V-6 is rated 400 horsepower and 415 foot-pounds of torque for a flat-out top speed of 143 mph.

The unusual new chassis is a rear-drive setup with four-wheel drive, standard on the ST, triggered as needed. That's backward\ from what's become a common front-drive bias.

Explorer is considered a three-row mid-sized SUV and “the back row's bottom cushion is low and unsupportive” Car and Driver says. Cars.com's Brian Wong liked the strong engine, 10-speed transmission and high-performance brakes but says the suspension isn't firm enough.

Capacity: Rated to tow 5,600 pounds
Fuel efficiency:
 18 mpg city, 24 mpg highway
Price:
 Starts at about $56,000

Acura RDX

spinner image blue Acura RDX
Acura

The lowdown: Choose front- or all-wheel drive, but the underpinnings come only one way: fat tires for traction and peppy turbocharged four-cylinder.

It's a sporty machine from the get-go, as you can tell from the TV ads showing the RDX hanging its tail out cornering at a test track. Acura is cultivating a sporting image to snag younger buyers, but even so 60 percent of RDX buyers are 46 and older, Acura says.

We noticed a slight lag between applying a hard throttle and feeling the engine response. And you must be OK with the push-button transmission and touch-pad, rather than touch-screen, control of the infotainment screen.

Capacity: Maximum towing capacity of 1,500 pounds
Fuel efficiency:
 22 mpg city, 28 mpg highway for front-wheel drive; 21 mpg city, 27 mpg highway for all-wheel drive
Price:
 Starting at $37,600 for front-wheel drive, $39,600 for all-wheel drive

Chevrolet Tahoe

spinner image 2020 gray Chevrolet Tahoe Premier Plus special edition
Chevrolet

Chevrolet Tahoe

The lowdown: Feisty folks will opt for the Premier model with a frisky 420-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8 instead of settling for the standard 355-horsepower 5.3-liter.

The 6.2 “can handle the biggest jobs while pushing acceleration times into sports-car territory,” Kelley Blue Book opines.

The 6.2 comes with a 10-speed automatic transmission vs. the 5.3-liter six-speed automatic, and Chevy's road-taming Magnetic Ride Control suspension, makes the 6.2-liter engine a favorite feature of the Tahoe, according to Kelley Blue Book reviewers.

Capacity: Rated to tow 8,100 pounds with four-wheel drive, 8,400 pounds with rear-wheel drive
Fuel efficiency:
 15 mpg city, 22 mpg highway
Price: That bigger V-8 bumps the price to a starting figure for rear-wheel drive models to about $69,000

 

Dodge Durango SRT

spinner image 2020 red Dodge Durango SRT
FCA US LLC

The lowdown: If you like the idea of a Jeep but need three rows of seats and want something a bit sleeker, consider Durango, from Jeep parent FCA's Dodge brand.

SRT, which comes with all-wheel drive, has the same engine as the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, and prices are a bit — just a bit — lower.

"Designed with adrenaline in mind,” Dodge brags.

Like the concept but want a step back? Then consider the Durango R/T, powered by the 360-horsepower Hemi V-8. The Hemi's an option in the Citadel model.

Capacity: Rated to tow 8,700 pounds
Fuel efficiency:
 13 mpg city, 19 mpg highway for the SRT; 14 mpg city, 22 mpg highway for the R/T
Price:
 Starting just shy of $65,000

 

Honda Passport

spinner image gray Honda Passport
Honda

The lowdown: Best bargain of the bunch though it seemed a bit shy on the sporting side after we spent lots of time first in the very sporty Ford Edge ST.

All Passport models have Honda's smooth, peppy 3.5-liter V-6, rated 280 horsepower.

Even the base, front-wheel drive model called, of course, “Sport,” has 20-inch diameter wheels with wide enough tires for good cornering and braking. Higher trim levels let you add bigger wheels and tires to help handling.

But after driving an Elite model with all-wheel drive and pretty much all options, we find the steering a bit soggy and cornering isn't crisp.

Still, Car and Driver called it “Best Midsize Two-Row SUV.” And it has a scoot-about feel overall, plus far more cargo and back-seat space than Edge.

But you must make friends with Honda's push-button transmission controls.

Capacity: Rated to tow 3,500 pounds with front-wheel drive, 5,000 pounds with all-wheel drive
Fuel efficiency: 20 mpg city, 25 mpg highway for the Sport front-wheel drive; 19 mpg city, 24 mpg highway for the Sport and Elite all-wheel drive
Price: Starting at an alluring $33,085 for the Sport, $44,725 for the Elite model

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Hyundai Kona

spinner image yellow Hyundai Kona
David Dewhurst Photography

The lowdown: Sized for smaller and agile folks, Kona offers top trim levels, Limited and Ultimate, as its frisky ones: 1.6-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder, rated 175 horsepower, 195 foot-pounds of torque vs. the lower trim levels’ 2-liter, non-turbo good for 147 horsepower, 132 foot-pounds.

'The subcompact Hyundai Kona is the whole package: Striking looks, engaging driving dynamics, and a comfortable cabin. We like it so much, we put it on our 2019 ‘10 Best’ List,” says Car and Driver.

Capacity: Towing isn't recommended
Fuel efficiency: 
28 mpg city, 32 mpg highway for the Limited and Ultimate front-wheel drive; 26 mpg city, 29 mpg highway for the Limited and Ultimate all-wheel drive
Price:
 $26,995 for Limited, front-wheel-drive, $28,395 for all-wheel drive version

Jeep Grand Cherokee

spinner image 2020 gray Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
FCA US LLC

The lowdown: The SRT has a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 good for 360 horsepower, enough to get you to 160 mph and right behind bars.

The Trackhawk version has a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi rated a staggering 707 horsepower, 645 foot-pounds, good for 180 mph and an even faster trip to jail. That engine could drain a gas tank in less than 15 minutes if you held your foot down and could pull in enough air to empty an 8-by-10-foot, high-ceiling office in a minute flat, engineers say.

Trackhawk has “violent grace,” says AutoNation, which tested one priced $100,215. Car and Driver calls it “insanely fast.”

Capacity: Rated to tow 7,200 pounds
Fuel efficiency:
 13 mpg city, 19 mpg highway for the SRT; 11 mpg city, 17 mpg highway for the Trackhawk
Price:
 The pricey beasts start at roughly $69,000 for the SRT and $89,000 for the Trackhawk, but they sprint up the price charts as fast as they haul down the asphalt: to $100,000-plus for the Trackhawk. Yep, frisky is dear

Mazda CX-5

spinner image 2020 red Mazda CX5
Andrew Holliday Photography 2018

The lowdown: The lower trim levels have less-powerful engines while the top models, Grand Touring Reserve and Signature, are both fancier and sportier.

They have a turbocharged four-cylinder rated 227 horsepower engine on regular-grade gas, 250 horsepower on premium gas, and 310 foot-pounds of torque. Those versions let you escape the “base engine's lackluster acceleration,” Edmunds.com reviewers say, adding applause for “keen handling and steering."

But in our test drives, we've found that Mazdas, including this one, tend to ride more stiffly than necessary for good handling. And our test CX-5 looked and felt a bit too much like the smaller, cheaper CX-3 we had just tested.

Capacity: Rated to tow 1,500 pounds
Fuel efficiency: 
24 mpg city, 30 mpg highway for the Grand Touring; 22 mpg city, 27 mpg highway for the Grand Touring Reserve and Signature
Price:
 $35,915 for the Grand Touring Reserve with all-wheel-drive standard