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When you’re spending big bucks on a new luxury SUV, you don’t want it to wear last year’s suit. Instead, you want the newest, freshest, most advanced SUV you can get. These four luxury SUVs bring new styling that won’t look dated in a season or two, plus they all add hybrid tech. What can you expect from Alfa Romeo, BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes?

The 2023 Tonale is Alfa’s first luxury hybrid SUV

A side profile shot of a red 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) SUV model with a blurred background
2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale | FCA

The Tonale, the first plug-in hybrid SUV from Alfa Romeo promises to bring the sporty flavor of its cars to the SUV world. Inside the Tonale, you’ll see a classic Italian sports car dash, complete with twin round gauges, reimagined on a digital screen, and flanked by two turbine-like vents. The seats are deeply bolstered and the contrast stitching is repeated across the dash material. But the Tonale is all about the power, and this one will have 285 horsepower and a 30-mile electric range, just like its Dodge Hornet sibling.

If you act soon, you can pick up the Speciale launch edition, otherwise, you’ll have to settle for the Ti and Veloce trims. Unfortunately, we will have to wait just a few more months for this all-new SUV to come to the U.S., according to Popular Science. Its base price is expected to be north of $35,000.

BMW XM brings new BMW weirdness to this new 2023 luxury hybrid SUV

Sure, it looks weird. But the giant grille on the 2023 BMW XM is your first hint that this SUV packs something special under the hood. And indeed, it does. The XM is BMW’s first uber-performance SUV with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, and it’s attached to an already mighty twin-turbocharged V8 for a total of 644 horsepower.

This two-row SUV is all new, though it does look a lot like the three-row X7. The 2023 XM comes in two flavors, expensive and more expensive, with the base model starting at $160,000 while the special Red Label trim gets 735 horsepower and a $26,000 price increase. We believe that that the XM is the first to show off BMW’s next evolution of its styling, with bold creases and broad shoulders.

The new 2023 Lexus RX has a lot to live up to

2023 Lexus RX at the racetrack
The new 2023 Lexus RX F SPORT | Lexus

Drive through nearly any suburb and you’ll see dozens of Lexus RX SUVs, which isn’t a surprise as it’s the brand’s best-selling SUV. Lexus redesigned the RX for 2023 and added the new Lexus Safety System Plus 3.0, a new F Sport handling package, and updated styling.

It comes standard with a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with front- or all-wheel drive. But, you can order it in hybrid and plug-in hybrid models. The new model has a longer wheelbase, which should help with stability, but it’s the same length as the previous version, which should help with parking.

The Lexus RZ is new, too, but it’s not a hybrid. Instead, The Lexus RZ is Lexus’s first BEV, or battery electric vehicle. It’s basically the luxury version of the Toyota BZ4X and the Subaru Solterra, which all share the same platform.

A lot is riding on the 2023 Mercedes GLC update, too

Front angle view of white 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class, highlighting its release date and price
2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class | Mercedes-Benz

The Mercedes Benz GLC is Benz’s best-selling vehicle ever. That’s hard to believe considering the slew of C-Class cars and E-Class cars we see on the road. But the GLC combines a perky 2.0-liter four-cylinder with a richly-appointed cabin that lives up to Benz’s reputation. It adds some off-road ability, and good looks, too.  The new GLC has a 48-volt hybrid system to add some extra punch, and the ability to go several miles in electric-only mode.

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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.