We get it, a luxury is a SUV is a great place to spend some time. But finding a good one that fits your budget is hard. Manufacturers realize that this is the one of the hottest markets in the world and they can’t ignore the sales they’ll see from making a smaller SUV with a premium badge. These are some of the best luxury SUVs you can find under $40,000 from Lexus, BMW, Infiniti, Buick, and Lincoln.
A luxury SUV is a great place to spend your commute. How could you not be happy with leather, premium stereos, nice trim that’s either wood or metal, and enough room in back to hold all of your stuff. Pretty much all of these SUVs have leather interiors, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and their manufacturers’ own suites of safety sensors. While not all of these are great for off-road, or hold seven passengers at this price point, they’re still nice places to spend some hours behind the wheel.
The Lexus NX 250 just slips in under our $40,000 price limit at with a starting price of $39,500 for the two-wheel drive version. The NX acquits itself in many of the ways we rate a luxury SUV. It has a strong 203-horespower engine, plenty of cargo room, lots of leather, and a luxury badge. The NX comes with Lexus Safety System+ 3.0, which includes emergency steering assist, radar cruise, and more.
While it does use Lexus’s love-it-or-hate-it touchpad to control many of its functions, a voice activated system is available. The NX also earned a Top Safety Pick Plus rating from the IIHS.
The BMW X1 xDrive28i has a complicated name, but basically, it’s BMW shorthand for its smallest and least expensive new vehicle. Unlike some of the others on this list, it comes with all-wheel drive and starts at $38,600. The X1 is all-new for 2023, so you’ll get the latest tech and features in the X1. While it’s wider and handles better than the previous generation, it’s still a compact SUV and doesn’t hold as much stuff as the others on this list.
The base QX50 starts at $39,150, but it’s not basic. Infiniti is known for making some of the best interiors in the business, and the QX50 is no different. It’s covered in acres of leather and soft-touch plastics, and its displays, including a separate navigation and control panel, are smooth and uncomplicated. For 2023, the QX50 gets complimentary maintenance for three years, as well as remote start, and wireless charging.
Don’t overlook the Buick Envision. It’s often overshadowed by the Enclave, which adds a third row, but the Envision packs a lot of value as the luxury version of the GMC Terrain. The new 2022 Envision can be ordered in the Avenir package that includes heated rear seats, navigation, and a massaging driver’s seat. The 2022 Envision also offers a full suite of driver safety aids. The base price is $35,600, but even with all-wheel drive it still comes in under $40,000 at $39,165 and it’s earned stellar reliability scores.
The Lincoln Corsair is Lincoln’s best-selling vehicle, and it’s easy to see why. It brings Lexus and Audi levels of luxury with niceties like a 13.2-inch screen and voice-activated SYNC 4 to operate most of its functions. The base Corsair starts at $38,690 with a 250-horsepower EcoBoost engine that has more power than many others on this list. For 2023, the Corsair gets a new grille and Lincoln Active Glide, which is Lincoln’s version of Ford’s BlueCruise.