Fiat Chrysler produces the fastest sport-utility on the planet, the question is how do you quantify fastest?
Earlier this year, the company rolled out the 707-horsepower Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. Using the same 6.2-liter supercharged V8 powerplant as the newly minted Hellcat model. Jeep has never been shy about offering performance versions of the Grand Cherokee, but the Trackhawk is about 50% more powerful than any SUV it previously offered.
However, another member of the FCA family is now boasting it has the fastest SUV in the world: Alfa Romeo and the Stelvio Quadrifoglio.
The first-ever Alfa SUV boasts an ultra-high-performance SUV is an all-aluminum, direct-injection, 2.9-liter 24-valve twin-turbo intercooled V-6 engine, delivering 505 horsepower and 443 lb.-ft. of torque, and a standard Q4 all-wheel-drive system.
(Jeep’s 707-hp Grand Cherokee Trackhawk unveiled in NY. For the story, Click Here.)
Alfa claims it will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and tops out at 177 mph. While impressive, it’s fourth tenths of a second slower than the Jeep Trackhawk in the sprint and 3 mph slower overall, so what gives?
Apparently, no one at Jeep ran the Trackhawk around Germany’s world-famous Nürburgring. The folks at Alfa set a new benchmark lap time with the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. It tackled the 12.9-mile Nordschleife (north loop) in a record 7 minutes 51.7 seconds. This new benchmark time is a full eight seconds faster than the previous production SUV record.
“We specifically engineered and designed the Stelvio Quadrifoglio to set world-class benchmarks and it did not disappoint with a world-record Nürburgring lap time of 7 minutes and 51.7 seconds,” said Reid Bigland, head of Alfa Romeo.
(Trucks muscle up. Click Here for the story.)
“We’re proud to now hold two Nürburgring lap time records with the Giulia Quadrifoglio as the fastest four-door production sedan and the Stelvio Quadrifoglio as the fastest production SUV.”
It defeated previous record, held the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S of 7:59 and dusted the Land Rover Range Rover SVR by 23 seconds. The Cayenne puts out 565 hp and the Rover comes in at 542 hp. It’s also faster than some popular super cars like the BMW M4, Lamborghini Gallardo and the last-generation Ford GT.
(To see more about Alfa’s first-ever SUV, Click Here.)
So can we get a Nürburgring run from the Trackhawk to settle this burning debate once and forever?
Marchionne’s too busy trying to dismantle FCA and sell-off the most prized pieces to worry about TrailHawk vs Stelvio comparos…