High-performance SUV’s are just like every other high-performance car available these days in that they’re continually getting faster and more powerful. Vehicles like the BMW X5 M, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and Grand Jeep Cherokee SRT8 have been around for quite some time now and are all capable of running with even the fastest cars of the muscle car era in a drag race. But now there’s a whole other level of SUV’s and that’s the uber high-end luxury performance segment that includes vehicles like the Bentley Bentayga and Range Rover SVAutobiography.
The Bently specifically is a vehicle that’s really grabbed our attention as of late because it’s being considered one of the fastest and most powerful SUV’s ever built, not to mention one of the most luxurious. Under the hood sits a twin turbo 6.0L V12 that produces 600hp and 664lb-ft of torque that’s sent to all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission. Even though it weighs 5,300lbs it still has a manufacturer listed 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds. Now it should be mentioned that real word testing has shown closer to 4-4.5 seconds but still that’s lightning fast for a big old SUV. Apparently, the Bentayga can fo from 0-100mph in under 10 seconds and Bentley claims it will top out just under 190mph. Needless to say, this thing is a beast, and it better be when it has a price tag around $230,000.
Range Rovers have always been slightly overpriced in my opinion for what they were. But as of the last 5-10 years, they’ve made significant improvements that now almost justify the premium price tags. The Range Rover Sport was their attempt at a high-performance SUV thanks to its supercharged 5.0L V8 that produces 550hp and 502lb-ft of torque. In order to compete in this new uber high-end segment, the Range Rover needed to be stepped up a few notches. Enter the Range Rover SVAutobiography. The Autobiography is the highest trim level available and the SV adds in the performance aspect. They decided to use the same motor from the Sport which is still less than the Bentley but only just. The overall performance of the SVAutobgraphy is listed as 5.5 seconds 0-60 and 0-100 in just over 13. The biggest difference between these two SUV’s on a performance level is the weight. The Range Rover tops out just under 7,000lbs so it’s at a major disadvantage.
Auto Express managed to get their hands on each of these SUV’s and they decided to line them up in a full kilometer drag race so the Range Rover might be able to catch up to the Bentley. Well maybe. Each vehicle is similarly priced, so the question is which one would you take if you happened to be in the market for a $200,000 SUV? Which one is going to come out on top at the end of the race? Tune in to find out.