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There’s an SUV out there for everyone, whether you have a young family, an adventurous lifestyle or just need the raised ride height. And with every form of car, there is therfore a fast version of an SUV for every one.
Updated 7th January 2021
The eight best fast SUVs for 2021
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Audi SQ8
The same engine and chassis are available in the SQ7, which is larger and can carry more people, but the SQ8 packs the ultimate style punch, especially in black, with red calipers. The engine is a big, creamy 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 diesel, with 435PS. Yes, the RS Q8 is faster, but we have a soft spot for the SQ8.
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Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe
A full-length glass roof, or an optional carbon-fibre one, new sports seats, great connectivity, sleek styling with an integrated spoiler, all assets of this, the range-topping Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid. It has a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 which, combined with an electric motor in the gearbox, produces a huge 680PS. 0-62mph takes just 3.8 seconds. Quite enough, your honour.
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Mercedes G63 AMG
Bonkers, in a most excellent way. Try a tough ladder-frame chassis, live rear axle and three diff locks, combined with a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 putting out 580PS at 6,000rpm and 850Nm of torque. The boxy styling says mud-chugging agricultural tool, the power says otherwise.
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Alpina XD3
In essence a BMW X3 diesel, but by “essence” we mean “not really at all”. The styling might be the same, albeit with cool Alpina decals running down the flanks and Alpina badges front and rear, but it’s had the Alpina wand of engineering magic waved over it to produce more power without stiffening anything too much. So that’s 335PS, 700Nm of torque and 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds, but it’s still comfy and practical.
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Lamborghini Urus
The Lambo madness is slightly dialled down in this crossover, but you still get the fighter-jet styling inside and, yes, you’ve guessed it, yet again a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 under the bodywork. This time with 645PS taking it to 62mph in 3.6 seconds. It looks the business.
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Aston Martin DBX
Stand by Germans and Italians, here comes the British one. Bigger than a Cayenne, but smaller than a Bentayga, the DBX was quite a statement when it arrived on the scene in 2020. You can expect to see quite a few of these on the streets, with Aston Martin's much loved mix of classic design flair (on a bigger scale) and driving dynamics.
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Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge
The hooligan of the pack. In Black Badge form, you get a dark Spirit of Ecstasy on the enormous bonnet, black paint and black wheels, not to mention a naturally aspirated V12 with 575PS going to all four wheels. Add in proper off-roading capability and air suspension and it’s astonishing.
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Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
It’s been around a while but has had a refresh in time for 2021. We love this Italian beast – a sonorous exhaust boom and crackle echo the workings of the incredible Ferrari-derived engine which is good for 510PS, but that’s only half the tale of any Maranello engine – it’s the character and sound that we’ve fallen in love with. A proper driver’s SUV, and you can’t say that very often. Somehow the 1,800kg Stelvio manages to make itself feel like a hot hatch the moment you attack a corner.
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