Top eight quickest SUVs
Jeep says its new Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is the quickest SUV available, but we beg to differSeveral months out from its Australian release at the end of this year, there’s no denying the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is worth getting excited about.
The outputs of its supercharged 6.2-litre V8 alone are enough to make your hair stand on end, and shadow those of some rather high-end supercars, let alone the vast majority of five-seat SUVs.
But Jeep’s claim that its wildest ever Grand Cherokee is indeed “the quickest and most powerful production SUV on the planet” does require something of a caveat, as you’ll see from this list.
Audi SQ7
The Audi SQ7 is the highest scoring SUV to ever be reviewed here at motoring.com.au – and with a 4.9sec claim for the 0-100km/h dash, is also no slouch.
In fact, it’s so quick, it shamed more than a few contenders at last year’s Summernats in Canberra. Against the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, however, the SQ7 ranks eighth. Not bad for an oiler, eh?
Price: $153,327 (plus on-road costs)
Power: 320kW/900Nm (4.0-litre triple-turbo-diesel V8)
Acceleration: 4.9sec (0-100km/h, claimed)
Top speed: 250km/h (electronically limited)
Bang for buck: 0.0020kW/$1.00
Range Rover Sport SVR
If you can’t be the quickest on-road, you can be the quickest on any road – and that’s exactly what makes the Range Rover Sport SVR so impressive.
The first model to spring from Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations, the Range Rover Sport SVR boasts a snarling supercharged V8, all-wheel drive grip and a sharp 4.7sec 0-100km/h time.
Price: $233,211 (plus on-road costs)
Power: 405kW/680Nm (5.0-litre supercharged-petrol V8)
Acceleration: 4.7sec (0-100km/h, claimed)
Top speed: 260km/h (electronically limited)
Bang for buck: 0.0018kW/$1.00
Mercedes-AMG GLE 63
The mad scientists from Affalterbach make sure anything with an AMG badge moves quickly – and the GLE 63 is no exception.
In fact, the GLE 63 is so fast, the Victoria Police Highway Patrol have enlisted its services, albeit on purely promotional duties.
Powered by a 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8, the GLE 63 is electronically limited to 250km/h and matches the 0-100km/h dash of the BMW X5 M at 4.2sec.
Price: $193,211 (plus on-road costs)
Power: 430kW/760Nm (5.5-litre twin-turbo-petrol V8)
Acceleration: 4.2sec (0-100km/h, claimed)
Top speed: 250km/h (electronically limited)
Bang for buck: 0.0022kW/$1.00
BMW X5 M
BMW says M is the most powerful letter on the planet, but on our list the X5 M ranks fifth.
Thanks to a force-fed 4.4-litre V8, the X5 M delivers an electronically-capped full whack of 280km/h, and a 0-100km/h sprint of 4.2sec.
That’s a full half-a-second quicker than the Range Rover Sport SVR, and on par with the BMW’s arch nemesis, the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63.
Price: $180,010 (plus on-road costs)
Power: 423kW/750Nm (4.4-litre turbo-petrol V8)
Acceleration: 4.2sec (0-100km/h, claimed)
Top speed: 280km/h (electronically limited)
Bang for buck: 0.0022kW/$1.00
Porsche Cayenne Turbo S
It might beat the GLE 63 and X5 M by only a tenth of a second, but the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S is still fast enough to score fourth place in our countdown.
Thanks to a 4.8-litre twin-turbo petrol V8, it’s also as fast as the third-place Bentley Bentayga in the run to 100km/h – but has a slower top speed of ‘just’ 284km/h.
Price: $289,900 (plus on-road costs)
Power: 419kW/800Nm (4.8-litre twin-turbo-petrol V8)
Acceleration: 4.1sec (0-100km/h, claimed)
Top speed: 284km/h (electronically limited)
Bang for buck: 0.0014kW/$1.00
Bentley Bentayga W12
It mightn’t be the prettiest SUV on the market, but it’s plenty expensive, and plenty fast!
Twelve cylinders of fury ensure not only a v-max in excess of 300km/h (making it faster than the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk), but with lashings of leather and luxury features, a surfeit of comfort, too.
Like the Cayenne Turbo S, the Bentayga is capable of hitting triple-digit speeds in just 4.1sec. Here, it scores third place.
Price: $427,300 (plus on-road costs)
Power: 447kW/900Nm (6.0-litre turbo-petrol W12)
Acceleration: 4.1sec (0-100km/h, claimed)
Top speed: 301km/h (claimed)
Bang for buck: 0.0010kW/$1.00
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Jeep says the Trackhawk is the quickest SUV on the market, but we’re calling bullshit.
Against anything with an internal combustion engine, Jeep might be right (and it is when it comes to peak power, at a staggering 527kW).
And with a 0-100kmh time of 3.6sec – and a top speed of 290km/h – there’s no denying the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is something of a weapon. It will also deliver unrivalled bang for your SUV bucks with an expected price tag of just $140K.
But it’s not as fast as the Bentayga W12 and nor is it the quickest SUV on the planet.
Price: TBC ($140,000 estimated)
Power: 527kW/874Nm (6.2-litre supercharged-petrol V8)
Acceleration: 3.6sec (0-100km/h, claimed)
Top speed: 290km/h (claimed)
Bang for buck: 0.0037kW/$1.00
Tesla Model X P100D
Without using a drop of oil, the battery-powered Tesla Model X takes first place in our eight-car countdown.
The all-electric SUV combines 100kWh dual-motor performance with all-wheel drive grip to smack 100km/h in just 3.1sec in optional Ludicrous Speed Mode – a full half-second quicker than the Jeep.
It mightn’t be as fast flat-out (250 v 290km/h) – and Jeep might say it’s not even a rival – but it’s not only the torquiest production SUV bar none, it’s also the fastest accelerating.
Price: $275,598 (drive-away)
Power: 447kW/1074Nm (three-phase four-pole AC induction)
Performance: 3.1sec (0-100kmh, claimed)
Top speed: 250km/h (electronically limited)
Bang for buck: 0.0016kW/$1.00
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