Europe, birthplace and spiritual home of the supercar, Desirable exotic machinery that every gearhead craves. Times are changing, two seaters are making way for a new breed of fast and cool rides, SUVs are taking over in a big way.
Where once gearheads chose between practical, rugged machinery or something fast for the weekend, SUVs are gaining ground rapidly, every major manufacturer of late has jumped on the bandwagon. From the most prestigious brands, Rolls-Royce and Bentley down to track specialists Lotus, all are planning to or already have gone big, adding more seats, more space, and greater ground clearance.
The insanity doesn't just stop with car manufacturers either, third party tuners turn the merely fast and comfortable into genuine supercars, albeit ones with space for all the family including the dog. Sleek and wedge shaped, they most definitely are not, but there is something super cool about these European 2022 SUVs.
9 Lister Stealth - The Noisy One
Lister Cars, famous for their back catalog of modified Jaguars and the quirky Storm. Also known for a lack of subtlety when it comes to presence in either the looks or sounds department. The Stealth then comes as no surprise, based on Jaguar's popular F-Type with a large dose of performance upgrades, Stealthy it isn't.
Under the hood, Jaguar's 5-liter V8 remains, already a vocal performer, but nothing compared to the Lister version. Fettling with the cylinders, lighter heads, pistons, and a remapped ECU unleashes a devilish 666 hp, for which Lister claims a 195 mph top speed. But it’s the noise that makes the Stealth so cool.
8 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio - Overlooked
Italian flair with enough get-up and go performance to keep even the most power crazed gearheads happy, and yet Alfa Romeo's sales figure for the Stelvio Quadrifoglio are nothing to get excited by. In 2020, shifting a little over 10,000 Stelvios in the US, a much smaller percentage in Quadrifoglio spec.
Overlooked for sure, but this just adds to the Quadrofoglios coolness. You're unlikely to come across another of these 505 hp supercar-baiting SUVs in your neighborhood, even then, most gearheads aren't going to give it a second glance. Anonymity is a welcome bonus, with enough grunt to out-drag Mustangs and Camaros with minimal effort.
7 Overfinch Supersport - More Of Everything
King of the off-roaders, Range Rover's reputation for the most luxurious and capable 4x4 is unprecedented, but what if you want more? More performance, no problem, More luxury, again no problem, Overfinch has a tailor made solution for even the most demanding requirements.
Taking the RR SVR as a starting point, its 5-liter JLR supercharged V8 receives custom titanium exhausts, 3D-printed intakes improving flow by 30%, Overfinch claiming the power gains boost top speed to 176 mph. Eternally, carbon fiber additions, larger wheels and a drop in ride height add a more menacing appearance.
6 Brabus 80 Shadow - Day Z-Monster
Mercedes tuner Brabus takes an entirely different approach, looking to build the most powerful and exclusive SUV money can buy. Beginning the transformation with the venerable G-Class, bolstering its rugged image with bigger wheels, brakes and a host of cosmetic add-ons, if you're in the market for the ultimate zombie apocalypse ride, this is for you.
It's fair to say aerodynamics are not part of Brabus design remit, going fast simply means bigger more powerful engines. Stuffed under the hood 4 liters and twin turbochargers pump out 800 hp backed up with 737 ft-lbs of twist, little is going to stand in the way of this monster. Inside is a different story, ruggedness makes way for leather trimmed bucket-seats and all the tech you could wish for.
5 Audi Q4 E-Tron - The Surprise Outsider
Audi's much vaunted E-tron has been a long time coming, first displayed at Geneva in 2019 with production kicking off in 2021. Smaller than the Q7/Q8 but way cooler thanks to an innovative power train.
Any gearhead thinking the hum of electric motors will never replace gasoline engines will be surprised how engaging the Q4 is. Envisaged as a showcase for Audi's technical prowess, the Q4s cabin is dripping with cool kit and offers similar space as the bigger Q5. However, it's all about performance, twin electric motors dish out 590 hp with a decent sprint to sixty in 6.2-secconds.
4 Aston Martin DBX707 - Shaken, Not Stirred
Joining the ranks of supercar brands dipping a toe into the SUV market, Aston Martin's DBX707 needs to deliver on two fronts. Firstly, there are several high-performance SUVs available that do visual drama better, and secondly it needs to be quick enough to encourage existing customers away from their two-seater GTs for the weekend.
On appearances with a familiar nose and grille design, Aston nailed it, think of the DBX as a steroid-pumped version of the DB9, and you're spot on. Cool enough to be a Bond car? Time will tell. However, it's under the hood where it gets fascinating, Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4-liter bi-turbo V8 engines churn out 707 hp gunning for a top speed of 193 mph.
3 Audi Q7 - Brutally Efficient
In this company, the Q7 seems a little out of place, It's quick but not loud with in your face styling, which makes if the perfect choice for anyone needing an SUV that just works, and brilliantly too. Since Audi debuted the Q7 back in 2005 yearly changes have been largely about improving what was on offer, it's brutally efficient.
Inside it's a techhead's dream cabin, decked out with the coolest kit without becoming a mishmash of buttons and screens seemingly placed at random. Under the hood, a choice of engines give gearheads the option of speed or range. The Q7 isn't the fastest SUV you'll come across, at the same time it's no slouch, the V6 engined Q7 55 Premium hitting sixty in 5-seconds dead.
2 Ferrari Purosangue - Into The Unknown
We're excited by this one, Ferrari has teased images of the upcoming Purosangue for a while now, with no firm details on what exactly gearheads are getting for their money. Eagerly anticipated, the Purosangue is scheduled to go on sale late in 2022.
A Ferrari SUV might not be high on serious Ferrari fans' wishlist, but the allure of a 200 mph all-wheel-drive SUV is tempting all the same. Under the hood, depending on sources, various engine options from the 296 GTBs V6 to a naturally aspirated V12. With Ferrari dealers receiving showroom models, it looks like the answer could come sooner rather than later.
1 Lamborghini Urus - The Coolest, For Now
Ferrari's imminent arrival isn't going to be plain sailing, discounting every other SUV on the market the biggest challenge comes from arch rival Lamborghini, the first of the Italian supercar manufacturers to market a performance SUV. A four-year head start is going to be tricky to overcome, the Urus, despite its bulk is the brand's most popular model of all time.
While it has Audi DNA coursing through its body, the Urus is nothing like the Germans, more shouty and faster, too, thanks to a potent 4-liter twin turbocharged V8 crammed under the hood. At 4850 lbs, it's no lightweight like its stablemates, but with 641 hp on tap it's a lot quicker than you might think, sixty takes 3.6-seconds.