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World's Fastest SUVs to Take on the Autobahn

Top speed runs are not what you’d expect an SUV to be especially good at, given that a high top speed requires excellent aerodynamics, and most SUVs don't have that.
Jaguar F-Pace SVR 8 photos
Photo: Jaguar
Lamborghini UrusBMW X5M CompetitionBentley Bentayga SpeedJeep Grand Cherokee TrackhawkJaguar F-Pace SVRLister LFPAlfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
However, instead of cutting through the air to go fast, you can also bludgeon it into submission and that’s exactly what the modern crop of monster SUVs does. They are big, brash and ridiculously powerful, powerful enough to compensate for their not-excellent aerodynamics and mass penalty over regular sedans, wagons and hatches.

There are plenty of SUVs that currently can reach 250 kph (155 mph) - this isn’t even an achievement for a modern sporty-high rider; even diesel SUVs reach such speeds these days. But there are those SUVs that are even faster, models that approach the 322 kph (200 mph) barrier, and there’s apparently even one that exceeds it.

Jaguar F-Pace SVR

Jaguar makes one of the fastest SUVs in the world, the F-Pace SVR, the most powerful and extreme version of the Big Cat’s largest high-rider. It packs a 550 horsepower 5-liter supercharged V8 that also makes 680 Nm (502 pound-feet) of torque, good enough to send it from naught to 100 kph (62 mph) in 4.3 seconds.

There are plenty of sub-5-second SUVs out there these days, yet far fewer of them will actually keep accelerating all the way to 283 kph (176 mph) like the Jag. And if you watch videos of it in action, you’ll see that it’s remarkably effortless in the way it builds speed, even once it passes 200 kph(124 mph).

Jaguar F\-Pace SVR
Photo: Jaguar

Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio is the only six-cylinder SUV in this list, yet that doesn’t mean it’s slow. Power from its Ferrari-developed 2.9-liter V6 is rated at 503 horsepower, while torque comes in at 600 Nm (443 pound-feet), so it’s not as gutsy as the F-Pace SVR.

Even so, flat out, it matches the earlier-mentioned Jaguar’s top speed perfectly, topping at the exact same 283 kph (176 mph). It’s actually a bit quicker to accelerate than the SVR too, dispatching the benchmark sprint in under 4 seconds, undoubtedly helped by the fact that it weighs some 160 kg (350 pounds) less than the British super-SUV.

Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

Moving back into V8 territory, we have the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, a big SUV that can reach a top speed of 286 kph (177 mph). It’s motivated by a turbocharged 4.0-liter engine with 550 horsepower and 770 Nm (567 pound-feet) of torque.

That’s quite a lot more twist than any of the two aforementioned speedy SUVs, but it isn’t any quicker off the line than they are. It still sprints to 100 kph (62 mph) in around 4 seconds, and it’s not the lightest thing in the world, tipping the scales at nearly 2.2 tons.

BMW X5M/X6M

BMW has just pulled the wraps off its new X5M and X6M duo, both of which have 33 horsepower more than their predecessors. That means their twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 makes 600 horsepower in standard trim or 617 horsepower in Competition trim.

The latter allows for a claimed sprint time to 100 kph (62 mph) in 3.7 seconds and while top speed is electronically limited to 250 kph (155 mph), the limiter can be removed if you opt for the M Driver’s package. This increases the top speed for both models to 286 kph (177 mph), exactly the same as the Cayenne Turbo S.

BMW X5M Competition
Photo: BMW

Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk

Next up is that Jeep that doesn’t really feel or behave like a Jeep - the Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk. It is the most powerful of all the SUVs on this list, with its supercharged 6.2-liter V8 making 707 horsepower and an 875 Nm (645 pound-feet) of torque.

And even though it weighs 2,433 kg (5,363 pounds), it still is able to catapult itself to 100 kph (62 mph) in a little over 3.5 seconds (it does 0 - 60 mph exactly 3.5 seconds). But it keeps on accelerating all the way to a very impressive 290 kph (180.2 mph) with almost frightening ease.

Lamborghini Urus

The Lamborghini Urus was briefly the fastest SUV in the world, after just nudging ahead of the Bentley Bentayga last year. It’s powered by a 4-liter force-fed V8 with 650 horsepower and 850 Nm (627 pound-feet) of torque, enough to send its 2.2-ton mass to 100 kph (62 mph) in 3.6 seconds; naught to 60 mph comes up in 3.4 seconds, according to the manufacturer.

In terms of top speed, it exceeds the 300 kph (186 mph) mark, a significant milestone in places where they measure speed in kph. The Urus tops out at 305 kph  (189.5 mph), a hugely impressive feat for an SUV, and not only that.

Bentley Bentayga Speed

Bentley didn’t sit idly by and watch its Bentayga SUV be dethroned as the fastest SUV in the world, which is why it launched the even faster Bentayga Speed. The extra speed was achieved mostly thanks to an extra 26 horsepower extracted from its 6-liter W12 engine.

That brings the total horsepower rating to 635 while torque stays the same at 900 Nm (663 pound-feet). The Bentayga Speed also manages to dip below the 4-second mark in its sprint from naught to 100 kph (62 mph), achieving it in a claimed 3.9 seconds.

Bentley Bentayga Speed
Photo: Bentley

Lister LFP

The final and theoretically the fastest entrant on this list is the Lister LFP, a vehicle that’s not been launched yet, but one that promises to reach and maybe even exceed the 200 mph (322 kph) mark. Its essentially a modified and more aggressive version of the Jaguar F-Pace SVR, breathed upon by sports car specialist Lister.

The 5-liter supercharged V8 will be tuned to make 670 horsepower and this will be enough to push the Lister LFP past 200 mph, according to the manufacturer. As of right now, we’ve not seen this vehicle turn a wheel, and it’s been over two years since it was announced, so right now it’s the world’s fastest SUV purely on paper.
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