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By Mark Jones

Road Test Editor


Here are the fastest SUVs in SA

You can hardly argue that an SUV is suited to high performance.


Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) started as boxy looking things that were meant to carry passengers, a bit more luggage and go to places that old family hatch or sedan could only dream of going. And for many years this rung true. SUVs were not sporty at all. They would roll and wallow all over the place and they were hardly fast, or dynamic, but like I said, they served the purpose of added convenience. But life in the motoring universe never stands still; just as customers never stop demanding more from the motor manufacturers to meet their ever-increasing needs. And…

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Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) started as boxy looking things that were meant to carry passengers, a bit more luggage and go to places that old family hatch or sedan could only dream of going. And for many years this rung true. SUVs were not sporty at all.

They would roll and wallow all over the place and they were hardly fast, or dynamic, but like I said, they served the purpose of added convenience. But life in the motoring universe never stands still; just as customers never stop demanding more from the motor manufacturers to meet their ever-increasing needs. And it is this hunger that has seen the SUV segment of the market explode and grow from humble, somewhat agricultural beginnings to something that can now costs millions of rands and breaks lap records at the world-renowned Nürburgring.

What was once the playground of the masses has become the playground of the rich and famous, as the likes of Bentley, Porsche and even Lamborghini have all come to the party with their hyper performance SUVs. You can hardly argue that an SUV is suited to high performance.

They are mostly shaped like a block of flats, they weigh just about as much, and consume enough fuel at any one time to keep all the residents employed for a month. I mean how fast do you want to get the kids to school or drive around the game reserve? But here we are, 2020, and we have SUVs that push out 500 kW of power and 900 Nm of torque, can hit speeds of over 300 km/h and get around a track quicker than a Ferrari.

The list below gives you an idea of what you can get if you have the money and the need for speed:

Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Verde
Priced from: R1 500 000
Power: 375 kW
Torque: 600 Nm
0-100 km/h: 3.8 sec
Top Speed: 283 km/h

Audi RS Q8
Priced from: TBC
Power: 441 Kw
Torque: 800 Nm
0-100 km/h: 3.8 sec
Top Speed: 305 km/h

Bentley Bentayga Speed
Priced from: R4 595 000
Power: 467 kW
Torque: 900 Nm
0-100 km/h: 3.8 sec
Top Speed: 306 km/h

BMW X3 M Competition
Priced from: R1 626 000
Power: 375 kW
Torque: 600 Nm
0-100 km/h: 4.1 sec
Top Speed: 285 km/h

BMW X5 M Competition
Priced from: R2 605 900
Power: 460 kW
Torque: 750 Nm
0-100 km/h: 3.8 sec
Top Speed: 285 km/h

Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Priced from: R2 199 900
Power: 522 kW
Torque: 868 Nm
0-100 km/h: 3.7 sec
Top Speed: 289 km/h

Lamborghini Urus
Priced from: R3 995 000
Power: 478 kW
Torque: 850 Nm
0-100 km/h: 3.6 sec
Top Speed: 305 km/h

Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S
Priced from: R1 816 000
Power: 375 kW
Torque: 700 Nm
0-100 km/h: 3.8 sec
Top Speed: 270 km/h

Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe
Priced from: TBC
Power: 450 kW
Torque: 850 Nm
0-100 km/h: 3.8 sec
Top Speed: 280 km/h

Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid
Priced from: R2 950 000
Power: 500 kW
Torque: 900 Nm
0-100 km/h: 3.8 sec
Top Speed: 295 km/h

Porsche Macan Turbo
Priced from: R1 719 000
Power: 324 kW
Torque: 550 Nm
0-100 km/h: 4.3 sec
Top Speed: 270 km/h

Range Rover Sport SVR
Priced from: R2 343 100
Power: 423 kW
Torque: 700 Nm
0-100 km/h: 4.5 sec
Top Speed: 261 km/h

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