Thrilling as well as practical? That used to mean a performance family sedan with wood dashboard trim and a slick 6-speed manual. But SUVs are where the big money is at right now.
Some men like to pretend that their wives won't let them buy a sports car, even though they secretly want an imposing and expensive-looking 4x4. That's how the performance SUV market came to be, but which is faster between the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio and the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S.
In many ways, these models seem completely different. Alfa Romeo uses a Ferrari-tuned V6 while Mercedes stuck a V8 under the hood. However, they have the same power output of 510 HP. At the same time, the AMG model is about 200 kilograms heavier, so you'd think it's bad at handling. But last year, it took the Nurburgring lap record from the Stelvio. What?
You can't know anything for sure these days. Hopefully, drag racing is simple enough to let us find out which is the fastest in a straight line. Top Gear made it happen three months ago, but we didn't like how they only dead one run. Lovecars did a better job in that regard, and the man behind the wheel of the German model is former Top Gear host Tiff Needell.
It all starts with a quick discussion about power-to-weight ratios and the role played by torque, which the V8 AMG obviously has more of. And in the first race, Tiff shows how the GLC 63 is slightly quicker at launch even without launch control. The second heat doesn't lead to anything while the third barely favors the Alfa Romeo. At higher speeds, the Italian is nudging ahead, which we think is due to its aerodynamic profile.
Most drag races are won or lost at the start, but the Alfa is more of a sports car than its rival. Still, the GLC 63 S is easier to tune and has a more prestigious badge for which you'll have to pay about 10% extra.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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