12 SUVs You’ll Wish You Never Spent So Much On

SUVs are supposed to be the ultimate mix of power, comfort, and style but sometimes, that dream turns into a pricey headache. From sky-high repair bills to rapid depreciation and disappointing performance, not every SUV justifies its luxury price tag. These are the ones that look tempting on the showroom floor but end up costing you way more than they’re worth. Here are 12 SUVs that might make you wish you’d kept your wallet closed.

Range Rover

Okay, first up, the classic. The Range Rover. I mean, it’s an icon, right? You pull up in one and you’ve arrived. It looks so good, it’s like you’re driving a fancy British estate on wheels, and it can supposedly climb a mountain, which is cool, even if you’re only ever gonna climb the speed bumps at the mall. But, and this is a huge but, the reliability… oh my god, the reliability. You hear horror stories. It’s like you’re spending well over a hundred thousand dollars—sometimes way more—just for the privilege of getting to know your local mechanic on a first-name basis. Not gonna lie, I’d be terrified of it once the warranty runs out. So yeah, looks amazing, but the potential for pain is, like, super high.

Maserati Levante

Then there’s the Maserati Levante. It has that trident on the grille, it makes that amazing Italian engine noise… it’s got the passion, you know? It’s not just another boring German SUV. But honestly? Get inside, and it feels… a little cheap in places? Like, some of the buttons and switches are straight out of a Jeep Cherokee. For a car that starts at, what, ninety thousand dollars or something? It’s a little disappointing. And the depreciation is just brutal. You drive it off the lot and it’s suddenly worth, like, half that. It’s a car you buy with your heart, but your wallet will probably cry itself to sleep.

BMW X7

The BMW X7… it’s huge. It’s like the king of the road, especially with that… that massive grille. I dunno, I’m still not sold on the grille. But it drives amazingly well for a giant three-row bus, seriously. It’s super comfy, packed with tech, all that good stuff. But it’s just so expensive to keep running long-term. All that tech is just more stuff to break, and BMW repairs are no joke. And when you’ve optioned it up, you’re easily pushing a hundred grand. For that price, I just… I don’t know, are you getting that much more than you would in a nicely equipped X5? It feels like a lot of money for a bit more space.

Aston Martin DBX

Okay, now we’re getting into the properly silly stuff. The Aston Martin DBX. It is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful SUVs ever made. It’s an Aston Martin! James Bond’s SUV! But you’re paying for that name. Big time. We’re talking like, what, two hundred thousand dollars to start? It’s mind-boggling. And for all that money, the infotainment system is basically a generation-old Mercedes system. It’s a gorgeous, gorgeous car that sounds incredible, but it’s a massive expense for tech that isn’t even cutting-edge. It’s a statement, for sure, but maybe the statement is “I have too much money,” haha.

Tesla Model X

So the Model X is cool, I get it. The Falcon Wing doors are a total showstopper in the school pickup line. And it’s stupid, stupid fast in a straight line. It’s like a silent spaceship. But those doors… they’re so complex. I’ve seen so many videos of them not working right, or hitting the car next to them. And the build quality can be a bit… hit or miss, you know? Sometimes the panels don’t line up perfectly. For an eighty or ninety-thousand-dollar car, you kind of expect it to be screwed together perfectly. It feels more like a tech gadget than a properly built luxury car sometimes.

Lamborghini Urus

The Lambo Urus. It’s the supercar of SUVs, no question. It looks absolutely insane, it’s faster than it has any right to be, and everyone looks at you. Everyone. Which might be a good or a bad thing, depending on who you are. The problem? It’s basically a super-dressed-up Audi Q8, which is already a fantastic car for way, way less money. You’re paying an extra hundred and fifty grand for the badge and the crazy styling. I mean, it starts at like two hundred and forty thousand dollars. It’s just… it’s a toy. A really fun, really loud, really expensive toy that you’d be too scared to park anywhere.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio

Oh, the Alfa. This one hurts because I love it so much. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio is maybe the most fun-to-drive SUV on the planet. It’s got a Ferrari-derived engine, for crying out loud! It sounds divine and it handles like a sports car. It’s pure passion. But… it’s an Alfa. That means you’re rolling the dice on reliability. You hear about weird electrical issues, strange glitches… it’s part of the charm, I guess? But when you’re shelling out almost ninety grand for a car, you kind of want it to… work. All the time. It’s a weekend car disguised as a daily driver.

Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT

So if the Alfa is the most passionate, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is the most clinically perfect. It’s a weapon. The engineering is just on another level. It does things an SUV shouldn’t be able to do. But Porsche charges you for it, big time. It’s nearly two hundred thousand dollars. And it’s so focused on performance that the ride is actually pretty harsh. It’s not the comfy, cushy SUV you might want every day. You’re paying for racetrack performance in a family car body, and honestly, how often are you taking your SUV to a racetrack? You could buy a 911 and a regular Macan for the same price. Just saying.

Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600

This is just pure opulence. The Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600. It’s basically a private jet for the road. The back seats are these insane reclining thrones with champagne flutes and everything. It’s ridiculously quiet and smooth. But it’s also incredibly… flashy. It’s not subtle at all. And you’re paying a massive premium over the regular GLS, which is already one of the most luxurious SUVs out there. You’re looking at a starting price of around one-hundred-and-seventy-five thousand dollars. It feels less like a car and more like a way to show people you have a driver.

Cadillac Escalade-V

The Escalade-V is just peak America. Let’s put a massive, supercharged V8 in our biggest SUV. Why not? The sound it makes is just glorious, and it’s way faster than a three-ton truck should be. It’s hilarious. But the price is also kinda hilarious. Around a hundred and fifty grand. For an Escalade! And the gas mileage is… well, you’d probably measure it in gallons per mile, not the other way around. It’s an amazing, ridiculous beast, but the price and the running costs are just staggering for something that, underneath it all, shares parts with a Chevy Tahoe.

Jeep Grand Wagoneer

Speaking of American luxury, the Grand Wagoneer. It’s huge and the interior is genuinely stunning. So many screens, beautiful wood, an incredible McIntosh stereo… it’s super impressive. But at the end of the day, you’re paying over a hundred and ten thousand dollars for a Jeep. It just feels… off. It doesn’t have the brand prestige of a Range Rover or a Mercedes at that price point. It’s trying to compete with the big boys, and it’s a good effort, but I think a lot of people would hesitate to drop that kind of cash on a brand they associate with Wranglers.

Bentley Bentayga

And finally, the Bentley Bentayga. The ultimate in British luxury SUVs, I guess. The craftsmanship inside is just… perfect. The leather, the wood, the “B” on everything. It’s incredibly fast and quiet. But the depreciation is absolutely terrifying. It’s a two-hundred-thousand-dollar-plus car that will lose value faster than you can imagine. And if anything breaks out of warranty? You might have to sell a kidney. It’s a car for people who truly, truly don’t have to worry about money. For the rest of us, it’s a beautiful thing to look at, but a terrifying thing to own.