Best 4x4 sports cars 2024
These 4WD stunners are guaranteed to put a smile on your face and and keep you on the move
Having a car that can cope with winter weather doesn’t mean settling for a humdrum family hatchback or SUV. Increasingly, sports and luxury car makers are equipping their vehicles with high-tech four-wheel drive transmissions that allow you to get the power down more safely in the dry – and it’s just the same when the going gets slippery.
All of these cars have drive in each corner, and while we’re not suggesting that you’d necessarily take them out on an everyday basis, it’s good to know that just because some winter weather has hit, you don’t have to keep them locked up. After all, with those low temperatures and drizzle potentially dragging on for months, what could be a better tonic than to get behind the wheel of something special? We reckon that a spin (not literally!) in any of these will put a smile on your face this winter.
Best 4x4 sports cars
- Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
- Porsche 911 Turbo S
- Lamborghini Revuelto
- BMW M3 Competition
- Bentley Continental GT
- MG Cyberster
- Mercedes-AMG A45 S
- Audi RS 3
- Mercedes-AMG GT
- Volkswagen Golf R
1. Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
- Prices from £65,000
The speed at which electric car development has progressed over the past decade is nothing short of astonishing, and nowhere is this more obvious than with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. Admittedly the starting point was already impressive; when the Ioniq 5 arrived in 2021, we named it our Car of the Year.
The sporting N edition has gone on to impress us enough to proclaim: “This is the first electric vehicle that can be considered a true driver’s car.” High praise indeed, but a starting price of £65,000 is pretty lofty, and while the 84kWh battery is claimed to give up to 278 miles, in the winter, if you drive the Ioniq 5 N as intended, fewer than 200 miles could be the reality.
2. Porsche 911 Turbo S
- Prices from £170,000
Launched more than 60 years ago, the Porsche 911 is the consummate all-rounder. Of course ultimate practicality isn’t its thing, but the 911 is one of the most usable sports cars that you can buy, and in Turbo S form it has explosive performance courtesy of a 641bhp twin-turbo 3,745cc six-cylinder engine.
The Turbo S comes as standard with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and as with all 911s there’s a locking differential which helps to get the power down when there isn’t much grip. Naturally this doesn’t come cheap; at £170k without options the Turbo S is a costly purchase, but for your money you do get a glorious cabin and sublime handling, along with incredibly accessible performance.
3. Lamborghini Revuelto
- Prices from £454,000
When you have 1,001bhp at your disposal, getting the power down even in the dry can be tricky. So when things get a bit slippery you want one of the most capable four-wheel-drive transmissions around, and that’s just what the new Lamborghini Revuelto features.
Taking over from the Aventador, this 6.5-litre V12 hybrid Lambo is only for the seriously well-heeled thanks to a £454,000 price tag, with delivery-mileage examples now creeping onto the used market from £600,000. It would be easy to be intimidated by the Revuelto’s expense and power, but acclimatise to it and you’ll find every drive is exciting thanks to the handling, engine and exhaust noise, and the dramatic design inside and out.
4. BMW M3 Competition
- Prices from £87,700
The original BMW M3 of 1986 boasted a peak power output of 200bhp, which was transmitted to the tarmac via the rear wheels only; the latest edition has 503bhp, four-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission. As you’d expect, the result is a car that’s astonishingly fast; the twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight-six can catapult the M3 from 0-62mph in just under four seconds.
But the M3 isn’t just about pace, because it’s a tactile delight with sharp steering, compliant suspension, typically excellent BMW build quality, and the everyday usability that you get with any other 3 Series. The M3 is a luxurious car too, with all of the accoutrements that you’d expect of a premium saloon with a £75,000 price tag.
5. Bentley Continental GT
- Prices from £187,000
Should you be stranded on a snow-bound motorway this winter, because all those other drivers have ground to a halt, there are few nicer places to spend some time than in the cabin of a Bentley Continental GT.
This is one of the fastest, most refined and most luxurious cars that you can buy, which is why prices start at a hefty £187,000. In return for all that cash, you get a hand-made coupé with a 771bhp twin-turbo V8 that’s backed up with plug-in hybrid tech. The result is a car that’ll do 208mph when it isn’t icy, and although 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds is on the cards, so is 50 miles of electric driving, courtesy of the 25.9kWh battery.
6. MG Cyberster
- Prices from £60,000
If you fancy an electric open-topped sports car you’re hardly spoiled for choice just now. In fact the segment consists of just one option, and there isn’t much chance of things changing any time soon. That option is from MG, and its Cyberster has landed in rear-wheel drive (£55,000) and 4WD (£60,000) forms, both with a 77kWh battery.
The 4WD edition features twin motors to pack a 496bhp punch, and despite a kerb weight of 2.2 tons, it’ll do 0-62mph in just 3.2 seconds. But that weight takes its toll because this is no pin-sharp sports car; it’s more of a high-tech cruiser that’s refined and comfortable, and can go for up to 276 miles on a charge.
7. Mercedes-AMG A45 S
Prices from £63,000
Elsewhere in this top 10 is the Audi RS 3, which on paper is much the same as the 415bhp Mercedes-AMG A 45 S. Both are very powerful and fast hot hatches, but while the Audi feels almost sensible, the Merc seems quicker and more urgent – it’s for the heavily committed driver, who wants a more focused track car for the road.
For that reason, the AMG might not be for you, but of course you don’t have to drive it on the limit everywhere. With its standard eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, it’s easy to trickle along as you soak up the cutting-edge and relatively roomy cabin that’s swathed in premium materials – although £63,000 is a rather high price to pay.
8. Audi RS 3
Prices from £60,000
In the real world the Audi RS 3 is one of the most desirable cars available at any price, because on paper it has it all. This practical five-door hatchback or four-door saloon is discreet, but features a 395bhp five-cylinder engine to give prodigious performance.
Despite being able to do 0-62mph in just 4.1 seconds on the way to a 174mph top speed, drive with a bit more decorum and 30mpg is within reach. Meanwhile, the RS3’s interior is as user-friendly as the regular A3’s, the quattro transmission allows you to get the power down without fuss and there’s a great soundtrack throughout the rev range too. What’s not to like? Well, apart from the £60,000 price tag…
9. Mercedes-AMG GT
- Prices from £165,000
Pitched squarely against the Porsche 911, the Mercedes-AMG GT’s much lower profile ensures it’s a far less obvious choice, and that alone will make it more appealing for some. But even if there was a GT on every corner, that wouldn’t make it any less desirable, because this is a car that’s as good to drive as it is to look at.
An all-new second-generation GT has just landed in coupé form only, with V8 and V8 hybrid powertrains, all with 4WD and a nine-speed automatic transmission, priced from £165,000 and with at least 577bhp. Performance is ballistic and accessible, comfort levels are high, refinement is excellent, the cabin is luxurious and the build quality is impressive. Porsche should be worried.
10. Volkswagen Golf R
- Prices from £43,300
The Volkswagen Golf R is another one of those cars that’s vying for the title of best all-rounder. Its credentials are compelling, because the R has all of the usability and subtlety of an entry-level Golf, but it’s blisteringly quick, highly equipped and incredibly easy to live with.
Potter around town at pedestrian speeds and nobody will give the Golf R a second glance, but when you want to have some fun you can turn on the taps and make the most of the turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine’s 328bhp, which goes to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Recently facelifted, the Golf R comes in hatchback form from £43,300, or as an estate priced from £44,685.
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