SUVs are still a relatively recent phenomenon in the car world. They're also a type of car that often gets belittled by more purist enthusiasts. But, they have an important place in the car market, and there are some older SUVs that are quietly fantastic. Most people have forgotten about these powerful V8 SUVs. We forget them at our peril, though, because they have proven to be absolutely fantastic cars for anyone who wants a bargain-basement, practical performance machine. Mercury Mountaineer 5.0 Power: 215 hp The Mercury Mountaineer is the often-forgotten, more upmarket cousin of the Ford Explorer. It was one of Mercury's mainstays in its final years as a brand, and like the Ford Explorer it was a decent family SUV. It was also more powerful than you might expect. You could have the first-generation Mercury Mountaineer with the same 5-liter Windsor V8 that you got in the more upmarket versions of the Ford Explorer. This engine produced 215 horsepower and 288 pound-feet of torque.While that makes it the least powerful car on this list, it's still a great buy if you want an old-school, V8-powered SUV. That's because these cars are incredibly cheap now. One V8 Mountaineer with only 47,000 miles on the clock sold for just $7,500 in 2024. Those cheap prices might not stay for long, either. Enthusiasts prefer this generation of the Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer over the generation that came after, as that subsequent generation ended up having a lot of reliability problems. As more and more cars from the '90s slip into classic status, you can bet that collectors will be after these V8-powered Mountaineers. Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited Power: 245 hp Bring A TrailerThe Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited was only available to buy new for one model year. But, it's since passed down into legend as one of the best sleeper cars to ever come out of America. At first glance, it looks like a completely normal Grand Cherokee from the late '90s. Take a look under the hood, though, and you'll find something pretty crazy. It has the 5.9-liter Magnum V8 that you'd typically find in a Dodge Ram pickup truck from this era, producing 245 horsepower and 345 pound-feet of torque.Bring A TrailerMuch like the 5-liter Mercury Mountaineer, the Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited is currently incredibly cheap for what it is. A clean example with 86,000 miles sold for $9,750 in 2024, and prices typically don't tend to go much higher than that. Buick Rainier Power: 290 hp (2004), 300 hp (2005-2007) BuickIf you've ever spent a lot of time in North America, you'll absolutely be familiar with the Buick Rainier. What you may not remember, though, is that you could get it with a V8! The V8 the Rainier got is the 5.3-liter Vortec V8. 2004 Rainiers produce 290 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque, while 2005-2007 models got a bump up to 300 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque. That was thanks to the engine getting some upgrades, including a displacement-on-demand system.It can be very difficult to find out how much these cars are worth on the used market. Barely any Rainiers seem to have been sold with the 5.3-liter V8. It does look, though, like they're listed for sale for anywhere from around $2,900 to $10,900. That makes the V8-powered Rainier an absolute bargain if you can get hold of one! GMC Envoy XUV Power: 290 hp (2004), 300 hp (2005) The GMC Envoy XUV is an incredibly rare variant of what would otherwise be a fairly regular General Motors-produced SUV. Instead of a regular trunk, the Envoy XUV had an enclosed pick-up bed that was covered by a retractable roof. It was also fitted with a "midgate" — a folding wall that sat between the pickup bed and the passenger cabin that could be folded down for longer loads. This is something that was taken from the Chevrolet Avalanche and Cadillac Escalade EXT, two other odd SUV/pickup truck hybrids made by GM.Much like the Buick Rainier it shares a platform with, a lot of people probably don't remember that the GMC Envoy was offered with the 5.3-liter Vortec V8. It produces the same power in the GMC Envoy XUV as it does in the Buick Rainier, with 2005 model year cars getting the same power bump thanks to the engine upgrades.As it was only produced for two model years, the GMC Envoy XUV is a very rare car. As a side-effect of them being so rare, you barely ever see them come up for sale. When they do appear, they sell for cheap. A 2004 example with the V8 and only 24,000 miles on the clock sold for $9,750 in 2024. With how rare it is, you might want to take advantage of it being such a cheap buy right now! Lincoln Aviator (UN152) Power: 302 hp IFCAR, via Wikimedia CommonsWhen people talk about older Lincoln SUVs, they'll typically mention the early versions of the Navigator. They often forget about its little sibling, the Aviator. This is based on the same platform as the third-generation Ford Explorer and second-generation Mercury Mountaineer, and only came with the 4.6-liter Modular V8. This produces 302 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. This makes the first-generation Lincoln Aviator surprisingly powerful (and fast) for a luxury American SUV from the 2000s.The Lincoln Aviator is one of the more expensive options on this list. A good, low-mileage example from 2003 sold for $16,500 in 2023. Those prices will likely go down a bit more over time, as the Aviator still isn't near the age to become a modern classic. Infiniti FX45 (S50) Power: 320 hp The Infiniti FX45 is one of the quirkier options on this list. It drives more like a sports sedan than an SUV, and its coupe-style looks were ahead of their time in some ways. It's also one of the few Infiniti models that had a V8 — a 4.5-liter unit that produces 320 horsepower and 329 pound-feet of torque. It has all that, too, in a car that looks relatively unassuming. If anything, people might think it looks a bit boring!The Infiniti FX45 wasn't such a big bargain some years ago. But, examples are regularly selling for less than $20,000 now. A 2006 example sold for just $8,300 in 2024. With prices that low, it's definitely one of the next big performance SUV bargains out there. Porsche Cayenne S (955) Power: 335 hp Bring A TrailerThe Porsche Cayenne was snubbed by snobby purists. But, as time's gone on, it's become a brilliant buy on the used market for anyone who wants a great performance SUV. While the Turbo and Turbo S models are for the real performance junkies, the 955-generation Cayenne S is the best choice for anyone who wants a V8-powered luxury SUV that gives you real bang for your buck. To show you how cheap these cars are, you can pick one up for as little as $8,000!Powered by the naturally aspirated version of the 4.5-liter V8, the 955-generation Cayenne S has 335 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. It's also the only car on this list that you can have with a manual transmission, making it the best choice for the driving purist too. If you can find one of those manual transmission examples, it might be well worth hanging onto it. Manual transmission cars are only going to become more desirable as time goes on... Mercedes-Benz ML55 AMG (W163) Power: 342 hp The first of two high-performance Mercedes-Benz SUVs on this list, the W163 ML55 AMG is an underrated gem that's been (unfortunately) ruined by the bad reputation of the model it's a variant of. Powered by the naturally aspirated version of AMG's standard-issue 5.4-liter V8 from back then, the Mercedes-Benz ML55 AMG has an output of 342 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque. That makes it more powerful than some of its rivals from the same era, and more powerful even than the 955 Porsche Cayenne S that we mentioned earlier!The ML55 AMG is now one of the biggest performance SUV bargains on the market. If you're lucky, you can pick one up for as little as $4,600! Even the best of the best examples will only cost you around $15,000. If you're willing to overlook the poor reputation of the W163 M-Class, you could have a real gem on your hands that'll only become more desirable with time. Chevrolet Trailblazer SS Power: 395 hp via Bring A TrailerThe Chevrolet Trailblazer SS is the most powerful American car on this list, and easily one of the most legendary in enthusiast circles. This beast has the same 6-liter V8 that you got as standard in early versions of the C6 Corvette. That means it has 395 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. While it's far from the only Corvette-engined sleeper car out there on the used market, it's probably one of the best just for the fact that it barely looks any different from the regular 2000s SUV it's a variant of.via Bring A TrailerThe Trailblazer SS is starting to become a genuinely valuable proposition. The best examples of these are selling for as much as $27,750. You can still get one for under $20,000, though. Just make sure you take advantage of that quickly, before more collectors jump on them. Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG (W164) Power: 510 hp Bring A TrailerThe most powerful car on this list by a long way, the W164 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG has to be one of the most underrated performance SUVs to ever come out of the 2000s. While it's nowhere near as flashy or impressive to look at as its rivals (like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo), it can definitely match them in terms of pure power. It has the legendary 6.2-liter naturally aspirated AMG V8, producing 510 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. That's impressive even by today's terms, and can certainly keep you level with proper sports cars in a straight line.Bring A TrailerAs you might expect, this is one of the most expensive cars on this list. Really good ones with very low miles can cost over $35,000. But, if you're willing to go for a higher-mileage example, you can get a real bargain. This 2008 one with 85,000 miles on the clock sold for $12,500 in 2024.Sources: Bring A Trailer, Buick, Chevrolet, Edmunds, GMC, Infiniti, Jeep, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Porsche