The best coupé-style SUVs without breaking the bank

More and more SUVs are reaching the market concurrently with two body styles, one of which has a coupé-style design. You know the drill: a silhouette with a sloping roofline, a more steeply raked rear window and, in some cases, even frameless door windows. This greatly widens the choice without having to spend what the top-tier SUVs of this type cost, the most coveted ones, such as the Audi Q8, Mercedes GLC Coupé, BMW X6, and so on.

Dropping down a few rungs in size and budget, we already have some options, such as the five we have chosen, with prices from under 26,000 euros for the new Renault Arkana up to 40,000 euros for the most affordable Audi Q3 Sportback. In addition, all of them share one trait: thanks to their SUV body style, the coupé line does not stop them from offering a high level of everyday versatility in terms of rear-seat space or boot capacity.

Renault Arkana: from 25,745 euros with an ECO label

Renault has hit the bullseye with the new Arkana, a coupé SUV almost 4.6 metres long with an attractive line and a “bargain” price: from under 26,000 euros with the current promotion, a price that can still come down with an extra discount when financing the purchase.

The most affordable Arkana has a TCe petrol engine with mild hybridisation producing 140 CV, and carries the ECO label. The second option is the Arkana E-TECH, with a conventional non-plug-in hybrid drivetrain producing 143 CV and starting from 27,075 euros. Both engines can be combined with the Intens, ZEN or R.S. Line trims. Shortly a third, slightly more powerful engine, the 160 CV TCe, will join the range.

We can consider the Arkana the coupé version of the Renault Kadjar, which is due for a complete overhaul next year. With the same engine and equipment, an Arkana costs about 1,100 euros more, loses a few centimetres of height in the rear seats without compromising comfort, and offers a boot of about 510 litres (dropping to 480 litres for the E-TECH hybrid), which is not bad at all. Here you can read our first contact with the Renault Arkana.

DFSK F5: an SUV that catches the eye, from 28,995 euros

Before the Renault Arkana reached the market, the DFSK F5 had a somewhat easier time, because there were practically no alternatives among coupé SUVs of a certain size for less than 30,000 euros. Now the situation has changed a little. But the DFSK F5 still has arguments to attract buyers who value image and very generous equipment above other qualities, such as dynamics.

The cabin offers decent quality and very complete standard equipment in the only trim available, called Classic, which includes synthetic leather seats (electric and heated in the front) or a panoramic roof. It falls short in details that are important today, such as having no compatibility with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, nor with many driver-assistance systems that are already common even in lower segments. It excels in rear-seat space, but it lags behind its main rivals in boot capacity, with 380 litres. Bear in mind that this is a car 4.7 metres long.

The only engine available is a 1.5 Turbo petrol with four cylinders and 137 CV, paired with a CVT automatic gearbox. The combination is not exactly a model of performance: the sluggish gearbox hurts fuel consumption and driving enjoyment. For that reason it is better to opt for the conversion offered to run on LPG, which costs about 1,800 euros extra but which you will not take long to pay off. The dynamic behaviour is good, with suspension tuned for ride comfort. Here you can read our road test of the DFSK F5.

CUPRA Formentor: from 28,995 euros, with a very sporty driving feel

Its line may not be the most coupé-like among SUVs with this body style. But it is clear that the CUPRA Formentor is not an ordinary SUV. That becomes evident when you drive it, thanks to the sporty feel it offers through the steering wheel. In addition, the range includes petrol and diesel engines, two plug-in hybrid versions and the powerful CUPRA Formentor VZ5 with 310 CV and a price close to 45,000 euros.

There is no need to spend that much. The entry version of the range, with the 150 CV 1.5 TSI petrol engine, offers more than enough performance with a notably pleasant drive and restrained consumption if you drive carefully; a pity that it cannot benefit from the ECO label. For under 32,000 euros you can also have it with the recommended 7-speed DSG gearbox. The 150 CV TDI starts from just under 33,000 euros.

Although width is not in excess, the rear seats are very usable for carrying two adults, and boot capacity reaches a useful 450 litres in this version. The driver sits higher behind the wheel than in a compact saloon such as a León, but a little lower than in other “classic” SUVs. Here you can read our road test of the Cupra Formentor 1.5 TSI.

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross: from 35,500 euros, plug-in hybrid only

The new generation of the Eclipse Cross keeps its coupé SUV silhouette but changes its image radically inside and out, and leaves a plug-in hybrid system similar to that of the Outlander PHEV as its only powertrain option.

For that reason the starting price may seem high, but it is not if we compare it with other similar options with plug-in hybrid engines; in fact, in that context it becomes one of the most affordable PHEV SUVs. The Eclipse Cross claims a total system output of 188 CV and can travel up to 45 km in fully electric mode. It carries the CERO environmental label from the DGT.

At 4.54 metres long, it has a boot with 400 litres of capacity. This is more than, for example, the PHEV versions of the CUPRA Formentor, which offer 345 litres. Despite being a compact model in dimensions, its interior is well used, standing out for build quality and equipment options. The basic Motion version already has everything essential, and above it come the Kaiteki and Kaiteki+, which can take the price up to 41,500 euros.

Audi Q3 Sportback: premium coupé SUV from 40,330 euros

With the maximum budget we have set, around 40,000 euros, it is also possible to access a premium coupé SUV such as the Audi Q3 Sportback. This price corresponds to the 35 TFSI version, with the same engine as the Cupra Formentor 1.5 TSI, the 1.5 four-cylinder with 150 CV. Worth noting that on the Audi you can fit the S tronic gearbox for about 1,500 euros more, or choose the version with S tronic and mild hybrid system, which rises in price to about 42,700 euros, but in addition to the automatic gearbox you also get the ECO environmental label from the DGT.

Compared with the Q3, the Q3 Sportback shows clear differences from the centre pillar rearward, with a distinctly sloping roofline and a different rear design. Besides the aesthetic differences, Audi gives it a somewhat sportier character by fitting as standard a slightly firmer suspension and variable-ratio steering. The price difference varies with the engine version and trim, but the Sportback costs around 2,000 euros more.

In the rear seats the Q3 Sportback loses a few centimetres compared with the Q3, but keeps the functionality of the bench with longitudinal adjustment, which gives plenty of flexibility. Boot capacity is unchanged, offering 530 litres, a magnificent volume for a 4.5-metre car. Here you can read our road test of the Audi Q3 Sportback.