We Indians love SUVs for their do it all nature. They are safe, have abundant room inside, offer a commanding seating position and are also good at tackling rough roads. Fast SUVs are now taking over the market as they are the perfect blend of speed and practicality. With their performance, they can put sports cars to shame while doing the school duties – the perfect Jekyll and Hyde personality. Demand for powerful SUVs is now more than ever and this rage isn't about to stop anytime soon as more carmakers are entertaining this segment with new products.
Here are the top ten most powerful SUVs you can currently buy in India:
The X3 is BMW's compact SUV and for the first time in its life cycle BMW has given it the full M treatment, that includes a 3-litre inline six-cylinder engine with 476bhp and 600Nm torque. The engine is paired to an eight-speed transmission which sends power to all the four wheels via BMW's M xDrive AWD system, this makes possible a sprint of 0-100kmph in just 4.2 seconds. Sadly, we don't get the full-fledged Competition variant of the X3 M in India, which gets 506bhp and a 0-100kmph time reduced to 3.3 seconds.
The Porsche Cayenne is the SUV that started the performance SUV rage back in 2003. The most powerful version of the Cayenne and its sibling the Cayenne Coupe on sale in India currently is the Turbo. The Turbo twins are powered by the Volkswagen Group's 4-litre twin-turbo V8 that makes 542bhp and 770Nm of power – identical to the Bentley. This engine can hurl these 2.2 tonne SUVs from 0 to 100kmph in just 3.9 seconds and to a top speed of 286kmph.
The third British SUV on our list is the new facelifted Bentley Bentayga, which recently made its India debut. Powering the Bentayga is a 4-litre twin-turbo V8 that churns out 542bhp and 770Nm torque and claims to achieve a 0-100kmph time of 4.4 seconds and a top whack of 290kmph.This isn't the fastest version of the Bentayga though, that honor goes to the Bentayga Speed which houses a 6-litre W12 engine with 626bhp and 900Nm torque under its hood. The Bentayga Speed also tops out at 306kmph which currently makes it the fastest production SUV.
The Aston Martin DBX is the British Marque's first ever SUV in their 108 years of existence. Built on an all-new platform developed specifically for the DBX, it is powered by the Mercedes-AMG sourced 4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine that has been tuned for 542bhp and 700Nm torque. The DBX does the 0-100kmph run in just 4.5 seconds and will go on to hit a top speed of 291kmph.
The Range Rover Sport is smaller, and as the name suggests, a more sportier version of the Range Rover. In it's SVR variant, the Range Rover Sport gets a supercharged-V8 from the Jaguar F-Type SVR. The engine is rated to produce 567bhp and 700Nm, enough to get the big SUV from 0-100kmph in 4.3 seconds and ultimately to 283kmph. It does all that while sounding extremely intoxicating. What more does one need.
The second generation of the W463 G-Class saw the SUV lose 65 kilos of weight, while increasing in length and becoming more civilised and more modern with new tech incorporated inside. The folks at Affalterbach couldn't have gone to sleep without doing one last thing though, putting in a fire breathing V8 in this Gelandewagen. Powering the AMG G 63 is a 4-litre V8 twin-turbo engine that makes 577bhp and 850Nm torque. 0-100 is claimed to be covered in just 4.5 seconds and top speed is limited to 220kmph which can be stretched to 240kmph with the optional performance pack.
Often referred to as the pinnacle of luxury SUVs, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan gets the brand's Black Badge treatment which adds more power, darkened elements on the outside and darker materials inside. Performance wise, the Black Badge Cullinan gets a power bump of 29bhp and 50Nm torque. The 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 makes a total of 592bhp and a mahoosive 900Nm torque figure. This translates to a 0-100kmph time of 5.1 seconds. Which is pretty fast for a 2.6 tonne SUV aimed to provide utmost comfort first. Top speed is electronically limited to 250kmph and the Cullinan Black Badge can be yours for an eye-watering price of Rs 8.20 crore, ex-showroom, Delhi. Without options that is.
An RS badge on an Audi means only one thing. It is fast, very fast. The RS Q8 lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes and 42 seconds, making it the fastest SUV around the extremely demanding race track in Germany. Just for context, that is as quick as the Lamborghini Murcielago SV's time from 2010. The RS Q8 is powered by a 4-litre twin-turbo V8 which produces 592bhp, 800Nm torque and catapults it from 0 to 100kmph in 3.8 seconds and to an electronically limited top speed of 250kmph.
Read our full review of the Audi RS Q8 here
BMW's M division has fitted the X5 with the M5 performance sedan's 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 This makes it the most powerful SUVs that BMW has ever made, sharing that claim with the X6 M Competition which sadly hasn't reached our shores yet. The X5 M is available only in the Competition guise in India, where the power number jumps to 616bhp. It is capable of clocking in a 0-100 time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 290kmph, if specced with the M Driver's Package.
Following in the steps of its predecessor, the LM002 SUV from the 1980s, the Urus does everything the Lamborghini way, with sharp styling, a big engine with loads of power and unworldly road presence. There's no mistaking the Urus to be anything else but a Lamborghini. It is powered by a 4-litre twin-turbo V8 that produces 641bhp and 850Nm torque which helps it to achieve a 0-100kmph time of just 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 305kmph.
The Urus has been a sales success here in India for Lamborghini, they have sold over 100 Urus in the country in a span of just three years and the number continues to grow.