5 Seriously Cool SUVs You Can Buy For £7000

Fancy a slick SUV like the new Range Rover Sport, but haven't got the cash to splash? Look no further...

Updated: 10 Oct 2024

Source: Land Rover

If you read our review of the Range Rover Sport last week, you might be in the mood for a large chunk of fashionably cool SUV. But of course, no brand new Rangie comes cheap - and frankly, few of us can stump up the £59,995 necessary to get behind the wheel.

The good news, though, is that you can catch yourself a very desirable chunk of SUV-shaped metal for a fraction of the cost. In fact, just £7k will get you into a sassy sport utility that'll be the envy of your mates. Don't believe us? Read on.

1. Range Rover (L322)

Classy and refined, the Range Rover can still be a financial liability, so choose well (Source: Land Rover)

We'll start with the obvious choice - an older Range Rover. For your £7k, you can get a decent example of the latest-but-one L322 model - or in other words, the one where the Range Rover suddenly became indecently cool. This '02 Vogue gets the excellent BMW-sourced 4.4-litre V8, and it's been blessed with an LPG conversion to make it vaguely affordable to run. 84k on the clock seems reasonable, it's fully historied and there's even a nice chunk of MOT too. What more could you want? Make sure you check any L322 out thoroughly, though, as they're frighteningly complex things with bunches of potential for electrical maladies - and they hardly have the greatest reputation for reliability in the world. An inspection by a pro is a good move.

2. BMW X5 (E53)

Still looking smart today, the X5 was the first well-handling SUV (Source: BMW)

If the Rangie's perhaps a little old-school for you, how's about a BMW X5? Known worldwide as the car that first put the S into SUV, handling is almost on a par with BMW's less lofty sports saloons, and with a great range of engines and styling that's ageing well, there's lots to love. A 3.0D Sport auto like this one is where the sensible money would go, with great resale potential, half-decent economy and plenty of kit - but of course, petrol-powered versions tend to go for less, so assuming you can live with the fuel bills, opting for a V8 will get you a later, better car for your cash.

3. Land Rover Discovery (Series II)

It's a bit dated now, but oozes a craggy cred no other car here can match (Source: Land Rover)

Like its bigger, ritzier stablemate, the Discovery is subject to its own reliability issues, but if you can see past those it's a truly great car. OK, so you lose some of the bling of the full-blown Range - the Disco's based on an older design so it looks less up-to-date - but it does have a craggy, go-anywhere charm that the bigger car can't match. And you end up with a much newer car for your cash, hopefully mitigating a few of those glitches in doing so. Go for as late and as low mileage a TD5 as you can stretch to. This one looks like just the sort of thing. And when someone rocks up next to you in a new Sport, just remember: you might not beat them off the line, but you can probably get up steeper crags than they can. Because that sort of thing matters on the A41 at 10:30 on a Tuesday morning.

4. Jeep Grand Cherokee (WJ/WK)

The Jeep Grand Chuck's the best value car here. 'MURRCA! (Source: Jeep)

Good news! You've just happened upon the best-value big SUV money can buy. OK, so the Grand Cherokee can feel pretty cheap inside by comparison with the more upmarket rivals here, but live with that and look what you get for your cash: a late-model diesel-powered example of the WK Grand is right on the money if you're being sensible. But frankly, we'd hang that out the window and get ourselves this prime piece of American rib-eye - a last-of-the-line WK model with a thumping V8 and an LPG conversion to boot. Nope, it ain't sophsticated - but it sure as hell is good fun!

5. Mercedes-Benz ML55 AMG (W163)

Don't expect build quality up to Merc's usual standards. Do expect power. And plenty of it. (Source: Mercedes-Benz)

Now, at this point, we were going to tell you to eschew the dubious charms of the W163 Mercedes M-Class and instead plump for the rugged off-road chic of an old G-Wagen. But at the very last minute, something very loud and silly caught our attention: the Merc ML55 AMG. Turns out you can now buy one for peanuts - which is A Good Thing, because the ML55 was one of the first hot SUVs, and as such it's deserving of a place here. Power came from a 342bhp 5.5-litre V8 - enough for an extremely ample 0-60 time of 6.6 seconds - and it was trimmed with all the leather and toys you'd expect, making it something of a bargain today. OK, so it drinks more than a squaddie on his birthday, and the interior's made from takeaway boxes and hope, but when you squeeze the loud pedal, its ability to bolt for the horizon will mean none of that matters.