It’s hard to believe there was a time when sport-utility vehicles were little more than enclosed pickup trucks with a back seat and an enclosed cargo hold that were sold primarily to tradespeople, outdoor enthusiasts, and die-hard off-roaders.
But the addition of four-door models during the 1990’s made SUVs the rides of choice among families looking for something more rugged in appearance and nature than either minivans or station wagons. The market has since shifted seismically over to car-based crossover SUVs that afford better fuel economy and more amenable road manners, and today it’s the largest segment in the auto business, represented by models in all size and price classes.
And those price classes have gotten considerable classier in recent years, as non-traditional luxury brands like Porsche, Jaguar, Maserati, and even Bentley have debuted uber-luxury crossover SUVs of their own. The Bentley Bentayga remains the leader in that regard, with a starting price at around $200,000, running way over $300,000 fully loaded, and with as many as half of them further personalized with custom bespoke touches. Expect even more ultra-luxury people-movers to reach showrooms for 2019, including the Lamborghini Urus and Rolls-Royce Cullinan, with even Ferrari said to be preparing a sporty crossover of its own for a future model year.
Lavishly clad in rich leather, trimmed in upscale materials, and offering plenty of passenger room, the most expensive luxury SUVs come with a full array of upscale accommodations, sophisticated electronic four- or all-wheel-drive systems with selectable driving modes for on- and off-road use. Upscale accommodations typically found in this segment include heated/cooled seats, power folding side mirrors, auto-deploying running boards, dashboards trimmed in hand stitched leather and genuine wood trim, 360-degree backup cameras, DVD entertainment systems, advanced infotainment arrays, and many of the latest semi-autonomous accident avoidance features.
We’re featuring the 10 costliest SUVs in the accompanying slideshow that start at over $100,000. Prices are for 2018 models and include four- or all-wheel-drive, the base sticker price for the noted trim level, and the manufacturer’s destination charge. For those who feel the sky’s the proverbial limit, we’ve also tallied up what each will cost when fully loaded with all available factory options.
