Top 5 Fastest Production SUVs Around The Nürburgring (2024)

The modern SUV has become the “car” of choice for most, and it’s not hard to fathom why. Seating room, cargo space, and the higher driving position are a given. Although some SUVs have morphed from everyday vehicles to high-performance machines capable of outrunning a sports car. After exploring the fastest production cars around the Green Hell, we now pay tribute to the fastest production SUVs around the Nürburgring.

#5. Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

• Time: 7:59.74
• Date Announced: 2015
• Fun Fact: The 2016 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S is the first production SUV to lap the Nürburgring in under eight minutes.

The first-gen Porsche Cayenne that debuted in 2003 was a bold effort by the German automaker. It drew flack for its 911-inspired styling, but the Cayenne was an instant hit with its sporty performance, premium cabin, and potent lineup of powertrain options. The second-gen Cayenne arrived in 2011, bearing Carrera GT styling cues and plenty of functional performance.

Professional racecar driver Walter Röhrl, a man no stranger to achieving lap records in a Porsche, entered the record books again while piloting a 2016 Cayenne Turbo S. He lapped the Nürburgring in 7:59.74., making the Cayenne Turbo S the world’s first production SUV to circle the ‘Ring in under eight minutes.

#4. Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio

• Time: 7:51.7
• Date Announced: September 29th, 2017
• Fun Fact: The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio was a full eight seconds faster than the previous record holder, the 2016 Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

The Alfa Romeo name has been conquering racetracks since the automaker’s founding in Milan, Italy, in 1910. Jeremy Clarkson of The Grand Tour famously said that you couldn’t be a true petrolhead until you’ve owned an Alfa, possibly a gentle dig at the brand’s propensity for unreliability and shoddy build quality.

However, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio is a different kind of Alfa. It’s a sporty-looking SUV, for starters, but one with eye-watering credentials. It has an all-aluminum 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 and an eight-speed automatic, pumping 505 horsepower to all four wheels. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio rockets from zero to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds and is one of the quickest SUVs you