Prepare yourself for the super sports utility vehicle – which we’ll abbreviate to SSUV. Fast, expensive, outrageously styled; these are a cut above the regular SUVs that are in such demand that manufacturers are falling over themselves to churn them out in all shapes and sizes.
In this rarefied and exclusive domain, Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and others are all building SUVs that will dominate the world of luxury motoring from 2018. The automotive equivalent of a Swiss Army knife, this new generation will blend outsize practicality with astonishing performance. These SUVs will carry the family and a pooch or several, yet crack the 0-62mph barrier in fewer than four seconds, in theory at least.
Even Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne has said that the company will build an SUV, one that “by definition will drive like a Ferrari” – although a production decision will not be made until 2020.
Meanwhile, a Ferrari-developed, 503bhp turbocharged V6 engine for the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is due in the summer for the Quadrifoglio high-performance version of the svelte Italian SUV.
First out of the blocks is the Lamborghini Urus. Unveiled in Italy in December, the 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 looks every bit as bonkers as the company’s Huracan and Aventador supercars. Built on the same underpinnings as the Bentley Bentayga, Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne – Lamborghini is part of the Volkswagen Group – the squat, dramatic styling has already polarised opinions.
What isn’t in question is the all-wheel drive performance, 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 304km/h. Practical? The suede-lined boot measures a whopping 616 litres, enough for an awful lot of bags of haute couture.
Due for launch in the summer, the Urus isn’t Lamborghini’s first SUV. That honour belongs to the LM002, a beastly looking four-wheel drive aimed at Middle Eastern markets and produced between 1986 and 1993 that featured a 5.2-litre V12 engine from the Countach sports car. Weighing 2.7 tons, it guzzled fuel at an alarming rate and became known as the “Rambo Lambo”.
The Urus is priced from $339,000 and, being a lifestyle vehicle, you can choose some reassuringly expensive equipment to match. Apart from the obligatory designer luggage, step into a pair of Enzo Bonafè moccasins, or wrap up in a limited edition jacket made by Hettabretz.
Rolls-Royce is being rather coy about the name of its first SUV, due this year. “Cullinan” is the working title but the official moniker is due imminently – although the name of the largest diamond ever found seems suitably grand for an SUV that appears enormous in every spy-shot of the car.
This long-awaited gem will, like all other existing Rolls-Royces, be powered by a V12 engine, but will offer four-wheel drive in a Rolls for the first time. Otherwise, details such as the price and exact launch date are scarce.
Rolls-Royce is being rather coy about the name of its first SUV, due this year. “Cullinan” is the working title but the official moniker is due imminently – although the name of the largest diamond ever found seems suitably grand for an SUV that appears enormous in every spy-shot of the car.
This long-awaited gem will, like all other existing Rolls-Royces, be powered by a V12 engine, but will offer four-wheel drive in a Rolls for the first time. Otherwise, details such as the price and exact launch date are scarce.
It will share aluminium architecture from the DB11 and offer both V8 and V12 engines – the latter expected to top 600bhp. There is also talk of a hybrid that could shatter the 0-100km/h time of 4.0 seconds for the current fastest SUV, the W12-engined Bentley Bentayga.
Photo / Ted Baghurst
A 2.4-ton car with a top speed of 300km/h, the W12 Bentayga has been making hay at the top end of the four-wheel drive sector since it was launched in 2016, well ahead of rivals.
Arguably the first SSUV, it has also managed to put a dent in the Range Rover’s long-established reputation for off-road, luxury prowess. It will be fascinating to see how Bentley responds when the new rash of SSUVs finally arrives in 2018. Bitcoin-encrusted dashboard, anyone?
At the more “affordable” £100,000 end of the luxury SUV market will be the face-lifted Range Rover Sport SVR, due out shortly. Powered by an upgraded, supercharged, 5.0-litre V8 that develops 567bhp, the 0-100km/h sprint is reduced to 4.3 seconds.
And launching in the spring is the Range Rover Sport P400e, Jaguar Land Rover’s first plug-in hybrid model, which is good for 101mpg if you believe the official figures.
Faster still is the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, which will keep up with a supercar yet costs around the same as the SVR. Unfortunately, the all-new, 2018 model has a huge grille modelled in the style of a dumbbell. Loaded with technology and bags of space, this is the perfect jack-of-all-trades for people in a massive hurry.
If you can’t bring yourself to drive a conventionally styled SUV, what about an SUC? That acronym, of course, stands for sports utility coupé. BMW started the trend with the X6M and Mercedes refined it with the GLE 63 S. Both have restricted boot capacity, thanks to a sharply sloping roofline, but a more streamlined shape supposedly makes them easier on the eye than the traditionally boxier SUV.
No downsizing to a more economical turbocharged engine here; the 63 S is loaded with a glorious, if dated, 5.5-litre V8. Compared with modern Mercedes engines, it’s ridiculously raucous – but, then, who would buy a super-SUV to be sensible?
- Telegraph UK