Car and Driver - USA (2020-01)

THE NUMBERS

HOW WE GOT HERE

A brief history of the hyperactive SUV and how fast each game changer warped the scenery.

1992 GMC Typhoon

The first high-performance SUV was gene-

spliced together not in Germany or Japan,

but in Michigan. The Typhoon was so far

ahead of its time that no manufacturer

cashed in on the potential it represented

for another eight years.

2010 BMW X 5 M

Though hi-po SUVs were proliferating, it

took another seven years after the Cayenne

Turbo came out before one of these beasts

could haul itself to 60 mph in under four

seconds. It was the X5 M that did it, thanks

to its ripped 555-hp twin-turbo V-8.

Base ............................... $29,530

Engine ..................... turbo 4. 3 - liter V- 6

Torque ............... 350 lb-ft @ 36 00 rpm

Braking, 7 0 – 0 mph ...................... 185 ft

Curb Weight .............................. 3822 lb

Base ..............................$86,225

Engine ............ twin-turbo 4. 4 - liter V- 8

Torque ................ 500 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm

Braking, 7 0 – 0 mph ...................... 1 62 ft

Curb Weight .............................. 5 329 lb

2003 Porsche Cayenne Turbo

Porsche stunned its fan base when it took

the leap into SUVs with the 2003 Cayenne.

Despite howls that Zuffenhausen had

betrayed its heritage, the Cayenne sold

well. The Turbo model was also the first

SUV to reach 60 mph in five seconds flat.

2019 Lamborghini Urus

And then there is the Urus. Not only is its

3.1-second 60-mph time the quickest we’ve

ever recorded for an SUV, but it performs

better than many sports sedans. It’s a

prime example of how far engineers have

pushed back at the laws of physics.

Base ............................... $89,665

Engine ............ twin-turbo 4.5-liter V- 8

Torque ............... 45 7 lb-ft @ 22 50 rpm

Braking, 7 0 – 0 mph ...................... 170 ft

Curb Weight .............................. 5 724 lb

Base ...........................$203,995

Engine ............ twin-turbo 4.0-liter V- 8

Torque ............... 627 lb-ft @ 22 50 rpm

Braking, 7 0 – 0 mph ...................... 1 49 ft

Curb Weight ............................... 531 4 lb

2000 Mercedes-Benz ML55 AMG

The Typhoon may have been the first per-

formance SUV, but it looked like an evolu-

tionary dead end until Mercedes bred the

ML55 AMG. Its track numbers are modest by

today’s standards, but it stirred up enough

excitement to prove the hot SUV’s viability.

2016 Tesla Model X P 9 0D

The next leap came when a Tesla Model X

lowered our 60-mph record for SUVs to 3.2

seconds in 2016. For reference, the Bentley

Bentayga and Jeep Grand Cherokee Track-

hawk could manage only 3.4-second blasts

to 60 in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Base ............................... $65,495

Engine ............................... 5. 4 - liter V- 8

Torque ............... 376 lb-ft @ 3 000 rpm

Braking, 7 0 – 0 mph ...................... 1 78 ft

Curb Weight ............................... 491 3 lb

Base .............................$116,700

Motors .............. 2 induction AC motors

Torque ..................................... 71 3 lb-ft

Braking, 7 0 – 0 mph ...................... 1 72 ft

Curb Weight .............................. 55 94 lb

60 mph, sec 1/4-Mile, sec @ mph

Typhoon

5.3*

14 .1* @ 9 5

ML55 AMG

6 .5*

15.1* @ 94

Cayenne Turbo

5.0*

13 .5* @ 104

X5 M

3. 9

12 .4 @ 112

Model X P90D

3. 2

11.6 @ 116

Urus

3 .1

11.3 @ 121

Power, hp @ rpm

Roadholding, g

Typhoon

280 @

4400

342 @

5500

450 @

6000

555 @

(^6000532)
641 @
6000
Cayenne X5 M
Turbo
ML55 Urus
AMG
Model X
P90D
0.79
Typhoon
0.75
ML55
AMG
0.82
Cayenne
Turbo
0.89
X5 M
0.86
Model X
P90D
1.02
Urus
*Acceleration times using 3-mph rollout, not our current rollout standard of 1 foot.
CAR AND DRIVER ~ JANUARY 2020 ~ PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL SIMARI 83
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