Click to see the contenders: Audi RS Q3 | Audi SQ5 | BMW X5 M | Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT | Lexus NX200t F-Sport | Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG | Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG |
Check out the test summary here (click). Find the drag results here (click). The final verdict is here (click).
Oy fey! The big fishes that got away…
No performance test would be complete without a Porsche, and we had two models lined up for this feature. The first was the new Porsche Macan S, powered by a three-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine that delivers 250 kW and 460 Nm (at just 1450r/min). The second was a Porsche Cayenne Turbo with 382 kW and 750 Nm of torque. Both these Porsches, we reckon, would have ranked at the sharp end of the results.
Unfortunately, both models earmarked for the test were sold a couple of weeks before the event, and with units in short supply, that was that.
Another new player is the mighty Range Rover Sport SVR, which has 405 kW and 680 Nm. However, the new SVR is available only on special import and there was already a backlog of customers waiting for their cars. So we had a better chance of getting an interview with the man in the moon than getting a press unit to test.
And the last obvious omission on our wish list was the Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG. Although Mercedes-Benz SA occasionally do have a vehicle like this available, our luck was out this time round, and we were limited to the GLA45 AMG and G63 AMG.
It’s a traffic light dice!
This test’s aim was simple: race each vehicle over the quarter-mile at Tarlton Raceway. This 402m drag was designed to simulate a typical traffic light to traffic light sprint – the most extreme test that owners of SUVs and crossovers like these are likely to put their rides through.
We added a Subaru WRX STi to the mix as a reference point for a typical performance sedan, as well as RGMotorsport’s supercharged Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT – with 520 kW under the right foot! This is how it went down:
9 – Lexus NX200t F-Sport
15,68sec/142,7km/h
Okay, so here horses for courses counted against the cool Lexus NX. With “only” 175 kW of power, it managed a time of 15,68sec. It also did it in what was described as the most refined and comfortable manner – the refinement of the Lexus drivetrain and cabin really are impressive. It launched off the line efficiently and without wheel spin as the electronic 4WD system sorted out the details. A solid if slightly clinical overall performance.
8 – Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG
15,24sec/154,6km/h
The little Benz features a cool launch control system which combines the ideal amount of power versus engine revs versus road conditions versus clutch engagement. However, despite our best efforts and numerous attempts to get the system to engage, the GLA’s computer brain would have none of it, so we had to “launch” the Benz the old-fashioned way. The turbo lag off the line counted against it, resulting in a disappointing sprint time. If the launch control system had engaged, we would most certainly have been talking about a 14 second time.
7 – Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
14,26sec/156,1km/h
Despite losing out in the power game in the thin Highveld air against its turbocharged rivals, the naturally aspirated SRT proved to be really quick out of the blocks, setting a very competitive time. Tipping the scale at 2340kg, the Jeep is no lightweight. But thanks to its launch control and plenty of cubic inches, the most powerful production Jeep ever blasted through the quarter-mile beam in 14,26sec – with a beautiful aural track to boot.
6 – Audi SQ5
14,12sec/157,1km/h
The turbodiesel Audi raised a few eyebrows after its sprint. It surprised friend and foe alike with a 14,12sec time. The SQ5’s main party trick is the 650 Nm of torque, which is available from just 1450r/min. Floor the go-faster pedal, and the response is an immediate shove in the backside as this Audi hunts down the horizon. And while it chases the line it’s all very calm and collected in the cabin. A real turn-up for the books, then!
5 – Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG
13,79sec/166,1km/h
Launching 2,5-tons off the line, accompanied by thunder and mayhem and the kind of sound effects that will be mentioned around camp fires for many decades to come, the G63 seems to defy all gravity laws as the brick-like shape hurtles forward. It even manages some tail-wagging wheel spin as all of that 400 kW and 760 Nm of torque is channelled through the chassis. Although the time of 13,79sec was not the fastest, the G63 put up the best show – no doubt about that!
4 – Audi RS Q3
13,54sec/158,2km/h
In the impressive case of the RS Q3, horsepower, torque and launch control combined in a most decisive display of a quick getaway. With the electronics keeping the five-cylinder engine ticking over in the prefect range, the Audi RS Q3 blasted off the line in a perfect manner, and it set a blistering time of 13,54sec. The launch control really worked its magic to circumvent the inherent turbo lag. A really impressive traffic light to traffic light blaster!
3 – Subaru WRX STi
13,52sec/159,0km/h
Flying the flag for the performance sedans of the world, the four-wheel drive Subaru WRX STi did a grand job with a time of 13,52sec, beating the RS Q3 by a whisker. The latest STi has grown in size over previous versions, but Subaru has managed to keep the weight down to a reasonable 1500kg. It is powered by the older generation 2,5-litre four-cylinder Boxer engine with 221 kW and 407 Nm of torque. It was the only vehicle in this test with a manual gearbox (a six-shooter). Traction off the line is extremely impressive, but compared to all the SUVs and crossovers in this test, the ride and drive is a combination of edgy dynamics and a hard ride. As the sprint time suggests, the STi is plenty fast, but as a daily driver it’s uncompromising and hard. A real hardcore machine then, aimed at hardcore performance car drivers.
2 – RGMotorsport Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
12,77sec/174,6km/h
Running a 12sec quarter-mile is a pipedream for the owners of many performance hatches and sedans, but for a hefty SUV to run a sub-13 second time is rather special. Enter the RGMotorsport Jeep SRT. This supercharged beast delivers 520 kW of power at 6000r/min and a mammoth 1000 Nm torque at 5000r/min!
This specific SRT is equipped with the older generation five-speed automatic gearbox, but it nevertheless managed an amazing time of 12,77sec. But here’s the real punch line: You can pick up a 2013 Jeep SRT with low mileage for around R600 000. Then you take it to RGM and spend anther R200 000 on the supercharger conversion. So for about R800 000 you can park a 520 kW super-SUV in your garage.Now there’s food for thought!
1 – BMW X5 M
12,42sec/182,7km/h
Speechless. Breathless. And a little bit scared. That was the reaction of the driver who piloted the BMW X5 M on the quarter-mile drag. It is staggeringly fast. With 423 kW of power and 750 Nm of torque, the twin-turbo V8 propels the BMW, weighing 2,2 tons, from standstill to 402m in just 12,42sec (at a terminal speed of 182,7km/h). And remember, the X5 is stock standard, just like the one Joe Public will drive off the showroom floor!
Equally impressive is the composure of the BMW when it is driven at speed in a straight line. In the cabin you can listen to your favourite classical track in a completely unflustered, undramatic environment. And this is while the world around the X5 M is warped into a different time zone.
The BMW is then, without doubt, the winner of the quarter-mile drag. And by a long way, too. It is a brilliant machine in a straight line. Surely it can’t be as good in the corners? Surely not?