So you think SUV's can't go fast? Well you need to think again, because the 'Sport' in these masculine high build machines is meant for a reason.
There was a time when
SUV's were considered as big vehicles meant to carry loads and passengers, they
never ran that fast because of all the weight. Now, thanks to the efforts of a
few ridiculously unnecessary manufacturers, you can achieve that with the car
in your garage.
Read on for a roundup
of 10 of the most gratuitous super SUV on the market.
Lamborghini LM002
Sure thing even Lamborghini was not really convinced of what they were making, specially looking at the prototype of the LM001, so they stuck to naming it a SUV that runs as a sports car making it a canned
project to create an off-road military vehicle, mutated into a Countach
V12-powered luxury SUV. Truly, the world had never seen anything like this
before.
But while it was a big
leap into the motoring void, which had not gone unnoticed by celebs like Sylvester
Stallone, a bevy of Saudi princes and King Hassan of Jordan. In other words,
the very same types of people who now drive V12 G-Wagons and Bentley Bentayga,
some 30 years later.
So the SUV was built accidently
for complete madness, the final production version (in service from 1986–1993)
could be specked with a 7.2 liter marine V12, which is also found in Class 1
offshore powerboats. This mean machine surely lived up to more than just its
name.
Bentley Bentayga
If its a Bentley, it has to be fast and it has be luxury, size pretty much never matters with them. Its 187mph top speed rides over all other production
SUVs; acceleration of 4.0 seconds to 60mph is supercar territory; but
fastest of all is how quickly this gargantuan SUV will turn other road users
against you.
Its ostentation knows
no bounds, and makes the average Range Rover Sport driver look like they are a
paid-up member of Greenpeace. But bling is the name of the game in places where
this car will sell well. And we heartily suggest you to go for it only if you have a lot of spare cash burning a hole in your pocket with 6 lane asphalt waiting for you.
That familiar W12 sits
under the hood, hooked up to twin-scroll turbos and a ZF 8-speed automatic
gearbox; everything is channelled through a chassis with eight settings
including Sport and, err, “Sand Dunes.” You know where all this is going –
that’s right, everywhere. And very, very fast.
Brabus G800 Widestar
Having first appeared
in 1979, the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon should have really disappeared a long time
ago. Even Mercedes is rumored to have attempted to get rid of it numerous
times, but people just keep buying them.
It really is a curious
thing, the G-Class: originally designed to traipse around farms, it has gone on
to be fitted with the same high performance AMG-built V8s and V12s that punt
SLs and Maybachs down the autobahn. The madness peaks at the Brabus G800 — an
800hp breezeblock that will hit 62mph in 4.2seconds and a top speed of 167mph.
Try pitching over 5,000lbs of steel into an Autobahn right hander at that speed
and you will know what true fear feels like.
Porsche Cayenne Turbo S (2016)
While some SUVs may
benefit from some fettling, there is little you can do to improve a Porsche
Cayenne Turbo S.
Let’s put it into
context. The Range Rover Sport SVR had previously been the quickest SUV around
the Nurburgring, with a time of eight minutes and 14 seconds. But Porsche likes
the Nordschleife lap times to look like a party only it is invited to, so the
new Turbo S set a time of 7:59.74. That puts this 570hp, two-and-a quarter tone
luxury SUV almost side-by-side with the track-biased 996 GT3.
Never before has so
much effort been put into a car to change it from its on-paper purpose. At its
heart is a 4.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, driving through an eight-speed auto
and everything is stopped by gargantuan ceramic brakes. All this will cost you
$158k.
Nissan Juke-R
Proof that super SUVs
need not be supersized is the Nissan Juke. The Japanese company shocked the
world in 2011 when it proved the Juke ain’t no joke, with an R version
designated for ultra-limited production. The popular-yet-gawky inner city off
roader had been crammed full of the go-bits from a Nissan GT-R — you know,
the one that laps the Nurburgring quicker than a Ferrari Enzo.
So, that means a 485hp
V6 under the bonnet and a 250mm-shortened drivetrain of a GT-R beneath the
skin. The sprint to 60mph took just 3.7seconds. Rumour had it that it was an
unofficial in-house project that went under the radar of the Nissan top brass. But,
as a PR stunt, it worked just well enough to the point where Nissan agreed to
build it in limited numbers of just 23.
In the end, and with a
price tag of roughly $500,000, it is thought just three were made. The good
news is there is a Juke-R 2.0 upgraded to 600hp, so if you want one, just ask
Nissan nicely…
Range Rover Sport SVR
No SUV run-down would
be complete without one Range Rover. One of the most name-checked brands in the
history of hip hop, the Range Rover ferries everyone from Chris Brown to the
Queen.
What makes it so
special is not its ability to scare bikers on the ‘Ring, or how it accelerates
to 60mph in 4.5seconds and reaches 162mph. It’s the fact this Range will still
tackle muddy terrain better than Arnie in Predator, and look damn good doing
it, that makes it so great.
The engine is lifted
from the Jaguar F-type V8 R. And, with optional 22-inch wheels wrapped in
Continental ultra-high performance rubber and hiding blue Brembo brakes, this
is a seriously classy machine.
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is no slouch, but the SRT version is the model to have if you’re looking for colon-punching power. This SUV’s 6.4-liter HEMI V8 churns out 475 horses, thus pegging a zero to sixty time of 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 160 without issue if the occasion should ever present itself. Starting at $64,895, it’s an expensive play on the Chrysler badge, but when compared to some of the other SUVs on today’s cheat sheet, this slice of Detroit muscle is one hell of a good bargain.
Tesla Model X
To some, an electric
SUV is like a mild-mannered Donald Trump – it just doesn’t work. But then you
show those people the Tesla Model X, and they usually shut up.
The all-American SUV,
with its production delays and Marty McFly gull-wing doors, is like no other
car. With four-wheel drive, seven seats and a 5,000 pound towing capacity, it
does what most SUVs do and more, but here’s the thing: it is also claimed to be
the fastest SUV on the planet.
How fast? With
acceleration to 60mph happening in as little as 3.2 seconds, it should be able
to (on paper at least) leave a Huracán LP 580-2 at a Malibu traffic light. All
this from 90 kWh battery providing 250 miles of range. There are even regular
over-the-air downloadable updates adding safety and navigation features to the
dashboard, enhancing performance and improving the driver experience. But, for
the SUV purists out there, this just isn’t what it’s all about. Guess it’s up
to you to decide.
BMW X5 M (2016)
There was a time when, if you had a BMW with two letter ‘Ms’ in its model designation, you could pat yourself on the back. But when an X5 arrived in 2009 with an M screwed to its trunk, it seemed like a step too far.
However, with 550hp
from a 4.4-liter twin turbocharged V8 combined with BMW’s legendary chassis
engineers, it had to be worth a look. It would also hit 171mph with the M
Driver’s Package, which was nothing to be sniffed at seven years ago.
The reality, though,
(even with 50:50 weight distribution) didn’t quite hit the spot — especially if
you’d ever had the fortune of a few minutes behind the wheel of an E30 M3. With
the latest model stuffed with 575hp and hitting 60mph just shy of 4.0seconds,
there’s no denying this is a gravity defying piece of kit. You just can’t help
wondering if Range Rover did the same job with less fuss.
Mercedes ML 63 AMG (2016)
Mercedes-Benz’s
flagship ML has a 525hp twin turbo V8, and will hit 60mph in yadda, yadda,
yadda…
It’s testament to the
current crop of mad SUVs that a car like this can start to sound so run of the
mill. So what makes the AMG so special? Well, in many ways, it’s the fact that
it isn’t. While many of these super SUVs make a big song and dance out of defying
their SUV characteristics with supercar-level performance, the AMG does what it
was designed to: waft about and be easy to drive — albeit at faintly
ridiculous speeds that you barely notice in the cabin.
Commanding in both
driving position and quality, and with an exhaust waffle just to remind you of
the AMG heritage, this could be the best or worst super SUV of the lot,
depending on which way you look at it.
