Here’s Why We Don’t Have a 200-MPH Production SUV… Yet

      Aston Martin

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      Last week, I had the chance to drive the Aston Martin DBX S, which boasts 717 horsepower. This performance vehicle is surprisingly agile compared to other SUVs. (It’s easier to comprehend when you realize it weighs 555 pounds less than a new BMW M5 while producing the same power.) It matches the Bentley Bentayga Speed as the fastest production SUV, hitting a top speed of 193 mph. Although I didn’t reach that speed, I can certainly imagine its ability to accelerate to such an impressive maximum velocity.

      This raises a question: Where is the 200-mph SUV?

      It has been 37 years since the Ferrari F40 became the first production car to exceed that significant threshold. Now, 200+ mph is not exclusive to supercars; for instance, you can find a Dodge Charger that goes up to 203. Do we need an SUV to attain those speeds? Not necessarily. However, in a market dominated by SUVs, with increasing baseline power figures, and manufacturers running out of new features to showcase, isn’t it worth investigating why no one has attempted this? I believe it is.

      The primary challenge is aerodynamic drag. If it poses difficulties for low-slung supercars, it’s an even greater challenge for elevated family vehicles. I won’t dive too deeply into the science, but the power needed to overcome drag increases cubically with speed. (Yes, it’s starting to feel like math class!)

      Let’s simplify the numbers for clarity. If you want to double a vehicle's speed from 100 mph to 200 mph, you need not double the power or quadruple it, but actually require eight times the power. This is because the car is displacing air at double the speed, necessitating four times the kinetic energy, and displacing double the volume of air as it covers twice the distance in the same time frame.

      When speed doubles, work is accomplished twice as quickly. Since power is the rate at which work is done—check the definition of horsepower, if you're unfamiliar—doing quadruple the work in half the time demands eight times the power.

      For example, if a car requires 500 hp to reach 200 mph, then 1,000 horsepower would allow it to hit 252 mph without altering the vehicle's fundamental design. You can see that, in this scenario, doubling the power results in a mere 26% increase in speed. It takes exceptional engineering skill to enhance performance significantly without dramatically enlarging the engine.

      We can reference the Bugatti Veyron, which is quite large compared to Lamborghinis and Ferraris, due to its quad-turbo, 8.0-liter W16 engine. That hefty engine contributes significantly to the car’s approximate 4,300-pound weight, which is about 500 pounds less than the Aston Martin DBX S. However, the early Veyron needed only 270 horsepower more than the Aston SUV to achieve 253 mph—60 mph faster than the British vehicle's top speed.

      High-riding SUVs are inherently larger than supercars, necessitating even greater power to overcome aerodynamic drag, along with substantial cooling systems. This complicates the aerodynamic challenges even further, as airflow is required for both the engine intakes and around the vehicle. Creating a powertrain that is powerful enough to meet these demands while still remaining drivable and refined in everyday conditions is an enormous undertaking.

      Historically, some SUVs have reached 200 mph, but they are not what you would call production models. One example is the Toyota Land Speed Cruiser, a special project that utilized 55 pounds of boost to generate 2,000 hp and ultimately hit 230 mph. Another is the Brabus Rocket 900 Edition, based on the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S, which is limited to just 25 units. However, I wouldn’t categorize these as conventional models, and I don’t think you should either.

      Yet, we can learn from these projects about why major brands like Aston, Ferrari, Bentley, and Lamborghini haven’t produced a 200-mph SUV. Toyota's land speed effort illustrates the level of re-engineering necessary to accomplish this feat. It required not only a significant power increase compared to today’s luxury vehicles priced over $350,000, but also an entirely new gearing setup with a three-speed automatic transmission. Top luxury brands are unwilling to sacrifice drivability for a 200-mph top speed, and honestly, these cars benefit from that decision.

      Moreover, consider what it takes to certify a vehicle for such speeds. Manufacturers set extremely high thresholds their vehicles must meet before they feel comfortable claiming a product can achieve certain performance levels. They must ensure that the vehicle can demonstrate the speed without risking structural integrity, and the chassis and suspension need to withstand the stress as well. This issue is