5 Great Luxury SUVs for Less Than $40,000

A Luxury SUV makes a commute easier and more fun, but finding one for less than $40,000 is hard. These five from BMW, Lincoln, Buick, Infiniti and Lexus could fit the bill.

by Dan Mayfield

Published on September 23, 2022 6:56 pm

3 min read

We get it, a luxury SUV is a great place to spend some time. But finding a good one that fits your budget is hard. Manufacturers realize that (relatively) inexpensive SUVs are one of the hottest markets and they can’t ignore the sales they’ll see from making a smaller SUV with a premium badge. Finding a Luxury SUV under $40,000 isn’t hard, but what are the differences? These are some of the best luxury SUVs you can find under $40,000 from Lexus, BMW, Infiniti, Buick, and Lincoln.

A luxury SUV under $40,000 is not hard to find

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 the back to hold all of your luggage. 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.

Lexus NX 250 earns a Top Safety Pick+ rating for less than $40,000

four Lexus NX SUVs in various colors — 2022 Lexus NX SUVs | Lexus

The Lexus NX 250 just slips in under our $40,000 price limit 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-horsepower engine, plenty of cargo room, lots of leather, and a luxury badge. The NX comes with Lexus Safety System+ 3.0, which includes an 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+rating from the IIHS.

BMW X1 XDrive28i comes with all-wheel drive for less than $40,000

2023 BMW x1 in orange — 2023 BMW X1 | BMW

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 (sDrive is the two-wheel drive version) 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 under-$40,000 Infiniti QX50 has a stylish interior

What's new with the 2023 Infiniti QX50? Is the luxury SUV getting many changes? — 2022 Infiniti QX50 | Infiniti USA

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 yards of soft 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.

The Buick Envision is a surprise luxury SUV for under $40,000

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. You can order an Envision 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.

Lincoln is aiming high with the Corsair

The black and red interior of the 2023 Lincoln Corsair. — 2023 Lincoln Corsair interior | Lincoln

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’s more power than many others on this list. The new Corsair gets a new grille and Lincoln Active Glide, which is Lincoln’s version of Ford’s BlueCruise driving software.

Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.