The most powerful SUVs in the world

SUVs and performance have been mutually exclusive for decades

Maserati Levante Trofeo (598 hp).
Maserati entered the SUV segment fashionably late. It made up for lost time by putting its Ferrari-derived 3.8-liter V8 in the Levante’s engine bay and tuning it to 598 hp, though Trofeo models sold on the European market settle for a 581 hp output from the same twin-turbocharged engine. Chassis modifications and a near-50:50 weight balance let enthusiasts make the most of the V8’s power.
Audi RS Q8 (599 hp).
The Q8 isn’t Audi’s biggest SUV, that honour goes to the Q7, but it’s certainly not a compact. And yet, a 599 hp twin-turbocharged V8 pelts it from 0-60mph in 3.8sec, a figure normally associated with low-slung two-door models like, say, Audi’s own TT. In 2019, shortly before it made its official debut, the RS Q8 smashed the SUV lap record on Germany’s Nürburgring track by posting a time of 7min 42.2sec.
Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S (611 hp)
Mercedes-Benz helped create the high-performance SUV segment when it launched the 347 hp ML55 AMG (W163) in 1998. Fast-forward to 2021: AMG has morphed into a full-fledged sub-brand named Mercedes-AMG, the ML now goes by the name GLE, and the full-fat, 603bhp 63 S variant uses a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8. In 1998, Mercedes quoted a 6.9sec sprint from 0-60mph. In 2021, the GLE63 S takes 3.7sec to reach the same speed. AMG also puts this version of the 4.0-liter in the bigger GLS.
Alpina XB7 (622 hp).
Alpina followed BMW’s move into the SUV segment with impressive results. Based on the mammoth X7, the XB7 offers drivers a more powerful evolution of the twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 that exhales through a model-specific exhaust system. The extra power is complemented by visual tweaks that remain reasonably low-key while immediately identifying the XB7 as a member of the Alpina portfolio.