No software render simply cannot get you that sort of look. But you can do it perfectly well without GI, if you just rethink your lighting setup slightly. Instead of relying on HDRI for lighting, just setup a series of area lights with area shadows, and you can get the much the same sort of look. I doubt AO is an issue unless your scene scale is wildly off, so that can stay, but the GI has to go if you want decent render times in a hurry.
CBR