10 Of The Fastest SUVs Ever Made, Ranked By Top Speed
Consumer demand for SUVs is seemingly insatiable across the globe. More buyers every year are ditching smaller cars in favor of family-hauling 4x4s, including those shopping for six-figure luxury cars. That has meant that, despite the initial reluctance of some manufacturers, virtually every major brand now offers at least one SUV in its lineup. With this increased demand, a new breed of super-SUV has emerged, combining high-end luxury with the kind of performance previously reserved for supercars.
These super-SUVs boast ever-faster top speeds, with brands upping the stakes with each new iteration of their flagship cars in an effort to outdo each other. The fierce competition has resulted in some staggeringly quick family haulers, and with electrification redefining the limits of road car performance, it seems they're likely to only get quicker in the future. For now, though, here are 10 of the fastest SUVs ever made, ranked by their top speed.
Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat – 180 mph
The Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat returned for 2023 after being originally offered in a limited production run in 2021, and Its specs remained unchanged. Underneath the hood, you will find a 6.2L Hemi V8 engine making 710 horsepower, which provides an NHRA-certified quarter-mile time of 11.5 seconds, all while providing room to seat seven. Its top speed is officially rated at 180 mph. The Durango SRT Hellcat is different from every other SUV here in that it's not luxury-oriented -– instead, it's all about raw straight-line power.
It's also cheaper than many similarly fast SUVs, with a starting price that is just over $100,000 including fees. Dodge might have placed its bets on electrification, with its long-running Challenger and Charger models axed and BEV successors on the way, but the Hellcat SUV proves it's not done with its Hemi V8 just yet. Anyone wanting to get their own overpowered family hauler had better be quick, however, as the Durango SRT Hellcat is set to be discontinued after the 2024 model year.
Maserati Levante Trofeo – 188 mph
Maserati's fastest SUV is the Levante Trofeo, with an officially claimed top speed of 188 mph. It's powered by a 580 horsepower twin-turbo V8 engine, which was developed and built in collaboration with Ferrari. It sounds like a Prancing Horse too, with an exhaust note that only encourages you to keep your foot buried for as long as the road and your confidence will allow.
The SUV looks the part, too, with its Trofeo branding and red accents adding a bit of flair to what's already one of the best-looking cars in its segment. However, step inside, and some design compromises become apparent. Our reviewer noted that some of the switchgear and the infotainment system were clearly shared with cheaper Stellantis models. Considering our test car's sticker price was north of $150,000, that seemed a little stingy on Maserati's part.
We also thought the cabin felt less roomy overall than the Levante Trofeo's rivals and the ride was less comfortable even with its softest suspension settings. It's far from a perfect SUV, then, but even if we had our doubts about its competitiveness as a daily driver, it's impossible to argue with its soundtrack or performance credentials.
Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT – 189 mph
It's been thoroughly redesigned for 2024, and it's faster than ever. The Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is the brand's range-topping SUV, with a sticker price of around $200,000 and the grunt under the hood to justify that premium. The twin-turbocharged V8 engine pumps out 650 horsepower and can propel the car to a top speed of 189 mph. It's only available in coupe SUV form and features carbon fiber trim and a unique wheel to differentiate it from Cayenne variants.
It's slightly less practical than the standard Cayenne SUV, with that sloping rear roofline cutting into overall cargo capacity, but it still boasts a healthy 20.3 cubic feet of trunk space. The interior also feels suitably luxurious for the price, even if there's plenty of tough competition around the $200k range. As well as boasting straight line speed, the Cayenne Turbo GT is also one of the best cornering cars in its segment, with its adaptive air suspension helping it play the dual roles of comfortable daily driver and apex hunter.
Versatility is, as ever, one of the Cayenne's strongest suits, and that's made even more impressive by just how unflinchingly rapid the car is when driven at its limits. However, it's not the fastest SUV in the VW Group stable.
Lamborghini Urus Performante – 190 mph
The Lamborghini Urus Performante takes the joint title for the fastest VW Group production SUV with a top speed of 190 mph. The Performante is slightly lighter, stiffer, and more powerful than the original Urus, making it even more of a track weapon than before. It comes at the cost of being slightly less forgiving on rougher roads, although our first drive of the car found that, in Strada mode at least, it was more than comfortable enough for everyday driving.
Despite most Urus owners only ever using their car as an urban runabout, the new Urus Performante boasts improved track credentials and can even hold its own on a rally stage. A new Rally mode is included just in case drivers do end up taking their Urus Performantes off-road. However, with its 657 horsepower twin-turbo V8 providing seemingly endless reserves of power, the Lambo SUV is its most impressive when all four wheels are on the asphalt.
Bentley Bentayga Speed – 190 mph
Sharing the VW Group fastest SUV crown is the Bentley Bentayga Speed, which was initially marketed as being faster than the Lambo by a mere 0.5 mph. However, it seems both brands' marketing departments have now agreed that neither car should be officially faster than the other. While Urus' goal was always to showcase the wildest Italian design combined with the practicality of an SUV, Bentley takes a slightly different approach.
It follows a similar formula to the brand's top-spec sedans, providing elegant British craftsmanship, generous amounts of room for both the driver and passengers and, of course, plenty of power. The Bentayga Speed's W12 engine produces 626 horsepower, although when those horses aren't needed, it can deactivate half its cylinders to increase fuel efficiency.
Separating the Bentayga Speed from its less rapid lineup siblings are a suite of upgrades including unique wheels, body colored side skirts, and dark-tinted headlights and taillights. The interior also gets a makeover, including new Alcantara upholstery and contrasting leather accents. The Bentayga Speed's last model year was 2023, as the 2024 Bentayga lineup sees the W12 engine retired.
Gemballa Tornado – 193 mph
While the Gemballa Tornado might not be winning any beauty contests, its angry, almost insectile looks are backed up by some very impressive performance figures. It's based on the Porsche Cayenne and packs a heavily modified version of the donor car's twin-turbo V8 engine. Gemballa adds new, beefier turbochargers, upgraded intercoolers, and a new exhaust alongside several other tweaks that push its power output up to 750 horsepower. Top speed is officially quoted as 193 mph.
As well as the power boost, the Tornado also gets a new bodyshell with extra vents and scoops, all of which serve a purpose, according to Gemballa. Nearly all the new panels are made from carbon fiber, which helps shave 154 lb off the car's curb weight. Also keeping weight down are new, lighter Brembo brakes, which were designed specifically for the car.
The Tornado is limited to a maximum of 30 units, and no official pricing figures are given. The car's unique looks are certainly an acquired taste, but for anyone who thinks a top-spec Cayenne is just a little too common, then Gemballa has the answer.
Aston Martin DBX 707 – 193 mph
Taking its name from the number of metric horsepower its engine produces, the Aston Martin DBX 707 is extremely fast. However, it's unlike other super-SUVs in that it makes little to no attempt to tame its power for everyday driving. The result is a car that wants to be driven fast, all the time, no matter what. Depending on personal tastes, this is either a great way to trounce all-comers or makes for an exhausting driving experience.
Acceleration remains unrelenting from a standstill all the way to the car's top speed of 193 mph. Some luxury SUVs prefer to cosset their occupants and thus shield them from the sense of speed that comes with hitting triple-digit speeds, but the DBX 707 is happy to make its brutish power perfectly clear to both occupants and bystanders. Not only will it pass by said bystanders in a flash, but it'll sound as good as any other Aston Martin while doing so.
In many ways, the DBX 707 is unlike other conventional luxury SUVs. Rivals offer greater refinement at urban speeds, and many cost considerably less -– the Aston can get perilously close to $300,000 with all the options ticked. However, few other SUVs embody the "brute in a suit" stereotype quite as well as the DBX 707.
Ferrari Purosangue – 193 mph
Despite insisting that it would never make an SUV as recently as 2016, Ferrari eventually caved and made one anyway. Predictably, some purists were not happy, but at least the resulting car is one of the fastest SUVs on the planet. It tops out at 193 mph thanks to a 715 horsepower naturally aspirated V12 engine. That V12, incidentally, is an upgraded version of the F140 V12 that debuted in the Ferrari Enzo over twenty years ago.
The Purosangue SUV is, according to Ferrari at least, not actually an SUV at all. Rather, it's a four-door sports car that just so happens to look like an SUV. It's unlikely that any buyers are fooled by Ferrari's attempts to hide its blatant U-turn about entering the lucrative segment, but its ambiguous marketing has had no negative effect on sales. Quite the opposite, in fact — Ferrari reported in April 2023 that its order backlog had already stretched well into 2024, crediting the Purosangue with the boost in sales.
ABT Audi RS Q8-R – 195 mph
As the Urus' Audi-branded sibling, the RS Q8 has slipped under the radar of many enthusiasts, despite being able to hold its own against the Lambo. However, in 2020, German aftermarket specialists ABT created a limited-run special edition of the car aimed at shaking off any such notion of being the forgotten child, capping its production at just 125 units. The RS Q8-R boasted 740 horsepower thanks to a new ECU and upgraded intercooler, which in turn pushed the car's top speed up to 195 mph.
A new exhaust system also gave the car a suitably thunderous soundtrack, while an ABT-designed interior overhaul added an extra level of luxury sportiness. The car was built to commemorate ABT's 125th anniversary as an engineering company, with ABT CEO Hans-Jürgen Abt saying they'd "really pulled out all the stops" when designing the car. Considering this is one of the very fastest SUVs on the planet, that seems like a fair assessment.
Brabus 900 GLE Rocket Edition – 205 mph
The Mercedes-Benz GLE 63 S 4MATIC Coupe is one of the brand's fastest SUVs, but its stock form seems tame compared to the Brabus 900 Rocket Edition. Brabus takes a GLE and overhauls almost every aspect of the car, starting with the engine. Like many of the other super-SUVs, the 900 Rocket Edition sources its power from a twin-turbocharged V8 that produces the 900 horsepower from which the car takes its name. In total, those horses can haul the Brabus to an officially quoted top speed of 205 mph.
Aside from the performance upgrades, the car also received an exterior and interior overhaul, with the liberal use of carbon fiber throughout. Every owner is able to customize the car to their tastes, with a variety of fine leather and Alcantara upholstery options available, plus contrasting accents throughout the cabin. Prominent Brabus badging on both the inside and outside ensures that no one will mistake this for a regular AMG, while the Brabus-designed exhaust system ensures that it won't sound like one either. Thankfully, a Coming Home mode muffles the engine noise to comply with inner-city noise regulations.
The car is limited to just 25 units, with prices reportedly starting from around $450,000. However, making full use of Brabus' customization program will likely drive the final bill even higher.