Here come the £100k-plus SUVs

It's official: we are entering the era of the super-SUV.

Lamborghini has now officially confirmed that by 2018, a third model will join its two-car line-up. That third model is a big, fat SUV. 

And earlier this year at the New York Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz confirmed to TopGear.com that, yes, following the launch of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, the German carmaker was indeed considering a Mercedes-Maybach SUV. A luxury, luxury SUV to sit at the top of Merc's 4x4 family.

Many years ago, you might have snorted at such a consideration, but the world has changed. Still punch-drunk from the hypercar triumvirate of LaFerrari, McLaren P1 and Porsche 918, we appear to have sleepwalked into a new age of luxury, luxury SUVs.

LaFerrari vs McLaren P1 vs Porsche 918

Why? Because of that Maybach Merc. And the upcoming Aston Martin DBX (pictured). And the new ‘tall-bodied' Rolls. And the Lambo. And...

Well, we've rounded them all up here; a list of the biggest, baddest and most expensive luxury SUVs headed your way in the near future. Choose your weapon of gold-plated opulence wisely.

"There are several [Maybach] options within the Mercedes portfolio, it's just obviously a question of which one comes first."

So said the VP of Merc's SUVs and Sportscars division, Wolf Dieter-Kurz, confirming the company was considering a halo SUV.

When it appears, such a Maybach could also be offered as a hybrid, too, following in the footsteps of the GLE 500e launched at New York; a car that essentially uses the S-Class hybrid's drivetrain. "This is always an option," says Dieter-Kurz. "We see the hybrid models as a growing part of the segment overall," he added.

First drive: Mercedes-Maybach S600

Good news! Crewe has dropped the EXP 9 F name, and ‘completely modified' the styling from that controversial concept, too, ready for a 2016 launch.

It's called the Bentayga, which comes from the ‘Roque Bentayga', a rugged peak in the Canary Islands, and when it arrives, will be sold exclusively as a W12. Bentley CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer said: "We want to mark the peak of the SUV segment," while company sources have confirmed that the asking price will sit somewhere north of £150,000.

Game on.

More on the Bentley Bentayga

Only Rolls-Royce can get away with launching an SUV without actually calling it an SUV. In an open letter issued earlier this year, the Goodwood firm revealed it was developing an all-new model "that can cross any terrain", describing it as a "high-bodied car". Yep, that'll be the 4x4 Roller, then.

"Many discerning customers have urged us to develop this car," the letter stated, "and we have listened." So, there you have it.

And that picture above isn't just a questionably tuned Phantom - though it technically is modified - but a development mule to test the all-new four-wheel-drive system and suspension across a variety of terrain for the new Roller. It'll take in on-road and off-road in equal parts, including test surfaces such as Belgian Pavé, cobblestones, corrugated concrete, noise development and measurement surfaces, resonance road, and acceleration bumps.

Details at this early stage are scant - we're unlikely to see a Rolls SUV much before 2018 - but we understand it'll sit on an all-new aluminium structure, and embody the brand's motto of ‘effortless luxury'. We're hoping for that V12. And a spookily cool name. The Rolls Poltergeist, perchance?

We got our first inkling that Maserati was itching to get an SUV done when it revealed the Kubang concept a few years back (pictured). Thankfully that Batman-inspired name has gone, and the Maser 4x4 is inching closer to production.

We'll likely see the Levante late this year, with V6 and V8 engines expected from launch. It's a big car for Maserati, this, with the Italian firm hoping to raise annual sales to a lofty 75,000.

We first saw the concept way back in 2012, but most of the shock was probably unwarranted. Sant'Agata don't forget, has form in this type of thing, with the 'Rambo Lambo' LM002 in its back catalogue.

It's a point Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann made to TopGear.com at Lambo's 50th anniversary celebrations a while back. And it's why the company has just announced a third model in its line-up (after Aventador and Huracan).

"We were always the bad boys in the car industry," explains Winkelmann. "We have a responsibility to create something which is unexpected and ahead of the peoples' dreams."

Expect sharp edges, lots of speed, and a price tag north of £200,000.

Read the full story on Lamborghini's upcoming SUV

Here's what happens when Land Rover's Special Ops team - surely the coolest in-house tuning team's name - is let loose on the company's most opulent offering. It's the SVO Autobiography, and it's a big, bad, expensive SUV.

Unlike the others in this list, you can buy it now, but at £148,900, we suspect not everyone will be queuing up at your local dealer. Still, for those that do, there's a two-tone body colour, lots of plush materials, really quite thick carpet, powered deployable tables, and ‘event seating' at the back. No, really.

Read more on the Range Rover SVO Autobiography

A little further down the food chain, and not the most exclusive, but one of the fastest SUVs on this and many other planets. Yes, it's Porsche's range-topping Turbo S, a car with the pace and grip to embarrass some pretty serious supercars.

Not to mention power. Because now that the 918 Spyder has officially sold out, this Cayenne is the most potent Porsche you can buy. That 4.8-litre, twin-turbo V8 offers up 562bhp, a 0-62mph of 4.1 seconds (and Porsche is conservative with such figures, don't forget), and a top speed of 176mph.

Not only that, it'll lap the Nürburgring in under eight minutes, too. Pretty effective? We'll say. Pretty? Not so much.

First drive: Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

OK, so technically the Aston has been dubbed a 'crossover', but it's a high-riding, all-wheel-drive concept, which new CEO Andy Palmer has confirmed is heading for the production line.

We suspect the road-going version might ditch the all-electric powertrain of the DBX concept we saw at Geneva this year, but there could be some sort of hybrid setup.

Either way, it's a huge step away from the Lagonda concept of 2009. What do you make of the big Aston?

With all the noise from the big guns - Bentley, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Land Rover and Porsche - we felt it necessary to remind you that despite what everyone else is doing, Ferrari won't be building an SUV.

Speaking at this year's Geneva Motor Show, new boss Sergio Marchionne said: "I think for SUVs and four-doors, the answer is no. The structure of the portfolio is pretty well set".

He did confirm that Ferrari remained committed to the V12 for the future - good news! - but anyway, who needs a Ferrari SUV when you've got the four-wheel drive FF?