You could say that high-performance SUVs started sprouting up in the late '90s and early '00s with models such as the BMW X5 4.6is and Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.9. Those potent SUVs got to the legal limit in less than seven seconds. But times have changed and that class has really blown up in the past couple of decades. These days, these boosted juggernauts can do the 60 mph run in four seconds or less.
So today we have a trio of sports car baiting high-riders. These are the BMW X5 M Competition, Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, and the Range Rover Sport SVR. These athletic (sort or) SUVs will face each other off on the runway for a quarter-mile drag race. So which SUV has the best odds? Let's take a look at the stats.
The BMW X5 M sets a pretty high benchmark here. After all, the first-generation X5 4.6is is one of the models that defined the current breed. It gets the exact engine from the sedan it's based on, the M5 Competition. That means its 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 is good for 617 horsepower (460 kilowatts) and 553 pound-feet (750 Newton-meters) of torque. This also has a curb weight of 5,093 lbs or 2,310 kg.
Like the BMW, the Jeep is also one of the pioneers of the performance SUV genre. Like the original hot Grand Cherokee, the Trackhawk went all-out with power and displacement. It gets power straight from the Hellcat models so it's got pretty beefy numbers. The 6.2-liter V8 is the largest in this group, and so is its power rating of 707 horsepower (527 kilowatts) and 645 pound-feet (875 Newton-meters) of torque. It's a pretty hefty SUV, too, tipping the scales at 5,363 lbs or 2,433 kg.
Last but not least is the Range Rover Sport SVR. Land Rover is a relative newcomer in the high-performance SUV genre, but they've had a pretty good crack at it over the years. The Range Rover Sport SVR wades into battle with a 5.0-liter, supercharged V8 engine from the Jaguar F-Type R P575. Like the coupe it gets its engine from, this Range Rover Sport has 575 horsepower (429 kilowatts) and 516 pound-feet (700 Nm) of torque. Curiously, the Range Rover Sport has the same curb weight as the X5 M Competition at 5,093 lbs or 2,310 kg.
We're not going to spoil the results for you, so it's best to watch the video. That said, it was a tight race at the start but one of them just started pulling the gap through the quarter-mile. You can call these SUVs pointless but they sure make quite a spectacle when they're going flat out.
Source: Sam CarLegion via Youtube