You might call these two high-performance SUVs brothers from another mother. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio and Grand Cherokee Trackhawk both share a home beneath the FCA umbrella, though Alfa Romeo and Jeep are about as far apart in lineage as brand identity as you can get in the automotive landscape. One is an Italian legend known for building stirring road-going sports cars, and the other is, well, Jeep.
Never the less, this SUV odd-couple actually compares surprisingly well in straight-line performance despite the Trackhawk’s considerable power advantage. To refresh your memory on these models, the Stelvio QV wields a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 under its hood. It produces 503 horsepower (375 kilowatts), which is a considerable amount by all rights. However, the Trackhawk packs a Hellcat 6.2-liter supercharged V8 good for 707 hp (527 kW), and the Jeep isn’t shy about using it.
Race Race Race:
Despite this disparity, on paper the Alfa hits 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.8 seconds and turns a quarter-mile time of 11.8 seconds. That’s extremely close to the Trackhawk’s stats of 3.5 seconds and 11.6 seconds for the same metrics, and it’s not like U.S. brands under FCA have ever stretched the boundaries of truth when it comes to published stats. In other words, this could be a really good drag race.
Gallery: Stelvio QV Vs. Jeep Trackhawk Drag Race Screenshots
And you know what? It totally is. The SUVs get an even launch and in defiance of the numbers, the Alfa takes an early lead. It clearly got a cleaner launch, and at half-track, the Stelvio is still in front. There’s no denying the pull that comes from over 700 horsepower, however, and the Trackhawk starts to claw back.
This is a short video from Car Magazine, so we won’t spoil the ending for you. We will offer the elapsed times, however – 12.37 and 12.77. Which SUV claims the win?
Source: Car Magazine via YouTube