2022 is upon us, and are you willing to change cars? Have you caught sight of the liveliest category in the world of cars, that of SUVs and crossovers? Well, you are in the right place: welcome to Auto for Dummies, the Techprincess column which, among the millions of things it is capable of, reveals the news of the world of motors. Today we will see together what will be the most interesting SUVs from A to Z in 2022. Indeed, from A to V. From Aiways e Alfa Romeo a Volkswagen e Volvo, today we will see which SUVs and crossovers coming out in 2022 will be the most interesting of all, from the sportiest and fastest ones to those ready for anything. Are you ready to leave with high wheels and an off-road look?
Aiways, the U6 SUV coupe arrives with fury in 2022 from China
Let’s start immediately with an emerging brand that, however, wants to get serious: Aiways. Very young Chinese company born in Shanghai in 2017, has a research and development center in Munich, Germany, and also aims at the European market. Specializing mainly in electric vehicles, Aiways arrived in Italy this year, thanks to the legendary Milanese importer Koelliker, making its debut with the U5.
Equipped with a 190 hp electric motor and a 63 kWh battery, it is a midsize SUV, rival of VW ID.4, Skoda Enyaq, Ford Mustang Mach-e and so on. Aiways’ Italian debut came at MIMO 2021, in June last year, and in 2022 it will double with the second model, the U6. Based on the U5, from which it inherits the MAS platform, it is a SUV coupe from the sporty line, and with a very interesting roof completely in glass. The debut on the European market is expected in the first half of 2022.
Alfa Romeo between Tonale’s debut and the Brenner preview
2022 will be a pivotal year for Alfa Romeo. Almost a year after the birth of Stellantis, in fact, next year a fundamental model will arrive for the future of the Casa del Biscione: the highly anticipated Alfa Romeo Tonale. Presented almost 3 years ago in prototype form, the compact SUV of the Milanese company has encountered several delays in its troubled gestation.
Today, however, it seems ready for its debut. Made on the FCA Small Wide platform, takes mechanics and dimensions from the best-selling Jeep Compass. Equipped with a much sportier and more dynamic aesthetic than its Italian-American cousin, it will have one electrified engine range. From the rumors gathered to date, however, there will be no major revolutions: the heart of the range will be the version ibrida plug-in, the first with the Alfa Romeo brand, derived largely from the system seen on the Jeep Compass 4xe. Then there will be mild hybrid petrol engines, presumably with powers between 130 and 160 hp, while there could also be a diesel engine, probably with 130 hp.
The debut of the definitive version of the Alfa Romeo Tonale is really close. The world premiere will be a March 2022, while the average SUV of the Biscione will arrive in European dealerships on June 4, 2022, on the occasion of Alfa Romeo’s 112th birthday. But it will not be the only SUV presented by Alfa. Tonale is in fact only one of the five Biscione models that will see the light by 2026. The next SUV on the list will be seen for the first time at fine 2022, and it will be a Compact B-SUV, known today as the Brenner. However, we still know little about him: we will have to wait a few more months to find out more.
Alpine, the electric SUV arrives in 2022
We remain in the world of sportsmanship with Alpine, which will undergo an almost radical transformation in the coming years. The brand, famous for its sports cars devoted to lightness and chassis precision, will evolve into “Sporting branch” of Renault, aiming to create emotional cars, all with zero emissions. The first model of this new course will be, needless to say, a Electric SUV in 2022.
Very little is known about the new Alpine model. The platform on which it will rest will be the CMF-EV, the same as the Renault MeganE E-TECH and Nissan Ariya, while the aesthetics should recall the retro lines of the A110 with a coupé body. The Alpine electric SUV will have two engines, and the power will reach around 400hp, while the debut is expected in the middle of 2022.
Aston Martin, it’s time to (more) pepper for the DBX
We stay on another sports brand with Aston Martin, that two years ago launched its first SUV, DBX. Built on a platform derived from that of the Vantage sports car but modified ad hoc for this use, DBX also has its own dedicated factory in St Athan, Wales. To date, the DBX has been equipped with a 4.0 V8 biturbo engine of Mercedes-AMG origin, capable of 550 hp. In 2021, but only for the Chinese market, the DBX Hybrid arrived, the first electrified Aston, equipped with the 3.0 straight six-cylinder, also derived from Mercedes-AMG.
In 2022, however, the British SUV should receive a pillar of the House of Gaydon under the hood, the V12 engine. In fact, the unpublished is expected next year Aston Martin DBX S, a very high performance version of the British SUV. Engaged in intensive tests on the German Nurburgring track in recent weeks, the DBX S will in all likelihood have the 5.2 V12 biturbo borrowed from Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, with an output of around 700 hp. Other rumors, however, speak of a version with about 600 HP of the 4.0 V8 already present in the range. For sure, however, a vitaminized version of DBX will arrive. Finally, there is talk of one DBX Coupé ham to debut for the end of 2022, but this too could be dedicated exclusively to the Chinese market.
Audi force 6: the brand new Q6 e-tron arrives, and the first e-tron gets a makeover
After three adrenaline-pumping houses, our focus on the new SUVs arriving in 2022 moves to Ingolstadt, to get to know the new high-wheeled models of Audi. After the launch of the Audi Q5 Sportback and the brand new Q4 e-tron this year, Audi will have a third electric SUV in its range from 2022, Q6 e-tron. This model is one of the first of the Volkswagen Group to rest on new EPP platform, dedicated to the largest and most high-performance electric cars.
Q6 e-tron, still unpublished, will in fact have external dimensions comparable to the current thermal Q5 (of which you can find our road test at this link), while the interior space will be from Q7, and the lines will resume the little sister Q4 e-tron and the e-tron GT sedan. The PPE platform will make it possible to manage a800 V electrical architecture, like that of Audi e-tron GT and Porsche Taycan, and all versions will be with double engine and all-wheel drive. The “normal” version will have a power of around 400 HP, while there will be a version RS high performance with over 600 hp.
Audi, however, will not stop there, and it will also touch up its first electric car, the e-tron SUV. Launched in 2018, the pioneer of series electrification of the Four Rings will be doing her makeup again in 2022. New optical groups, internal details and equipment, while the management of the electric motors, the battery pack and the electronic systems will be updated and retouched. Both will see the light at the end of the year, to then be launched in 2023.
BMW, 2022 reviews the compact SUV X1 and launches the brand new XM
No, you are not crazy, and I have not confused me BMW with Citroen. Although XM is the name of a popular sedan from the Double Chevron House, BMW will launch a model called just that in the coming months, and it will not be a model like all the others. In fact, BMW will launch the XM in 2022, an SUV coupé available exclusively in M versions. After the legendary M1, the mid-engined sports car of the 1970s, BMW M returns to having a brand new model. It will arrive in late 2022, and will have a sistema ibrido plug-in consisting of an electric motor and V8 petrol engine derived from M5, M8 and X5 M. The system will have nearly 750 hp, and it will have a very particular aesthetic, as well as a definitely prohibitive price.
Staying on models that are much more affordable for everyone, BMW will launch the third generation of one of its best-selling SUVs in 2022, the small X1. The little guy of the house, on the crest of the wave since 2015, will have one totally electrified range, composed of mild hybrid engines, plug-in and the new electrics iX1. This will be the smallest and, presumably, cheaper electric of the Elica brand, and will be available as the traditional version with front or all-wheel drive. The debut of the compact SUV is expected for mid 2022.
Citroen, the awaited C5 X arrives, and in 2022 the medium-large SUV C5 Aircross is granted a facelift
Let’s go back to France to talk about the House we mentioned earlier, Citroen. Equipped today with a large range of SUVs and crossovers, in 2022 the Double Chevron will debut a new model and the restyling of one of its most popular cars. The novelty will be the new Citroen C5 X. Presented in 2021 with great fanfare as one of the most comfortable cars around, the C5 X has suffered production delays in this complicated 2021, but will finally see the light at the beginning of 2022. To learn more about this particular personal sedan-SUV-wagon and original, I leave you our dedicated article in the box at the end of the chapter.
2022 will be a prosperous year for the renewed C5 brand, which in fact will see the expected restyling of one of the most popular models of the French house in recent years, C5 Aircross. The medium-sized transalpine SUV, on the market since 2017, will inherit the renewed split X grille and new LED headlights from the C5 X and the new C4. Inside, then, the infotainment and other details will be revised.
CUPRA dreams… big: here is the high-performance Tarraco
Among the houses that surprised the most in 2021, one cannot fail to mention CUPRA. The Spanish company born in 2018 is in fact establishing itself as one of the most lively and constantly growing brands on the European scene. After the first cars derived from SEAT models such as Leòn and Ateca, in 2021 it launched the excellent Formentor, of which you can find our road test by clicking here.
In 2022, however, the company’s SUVs will become three. After the first model of the House, Ateca, and the new and original Formentor, in fact, CUPRA will launch its third model with high wheels, Tarraco. Expected early next year, the 4.70-meter SUV will earn the Spanish manufacturer’s sporting care. Available in 5 and 7 seats, under the hood of the CUPRA Tarraco there will most likely be the multifaceted 2.0 TSI turbocharged with at least 320 HP, also seen on the other cars of the House. The traction will in all probability be integral, and the performance of a true sports car, with 0-100 km / h under 6 seconds.