Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Takes Nurburgring’s SUV Lap Record
Another Nurburgring lap record has fallen and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio has taken the sport as the fastest production SUV around the Green Hell.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is the fastest four-door production car to lap the Nurburgring. If it was feeling lonely on that leaderboard, it now has the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio SUV for company. Covering the 12.8-mile circuit in 7:51.7 (and without breaking down!) the butch SUV beat the previous record holder of the fastest production SUV on the Nurburgring by a remarkable margin. Porsche fans have all the right to irked by this news, as the Cayenne Turbo S used to be in that seat since 2014, with a lap time of 7:59.7.
Behind the wheel of the Alfa Romeo was the same bloke who had piloted the Giulia sedan on its record-breaking run. While the 7:32 lap time of the performance sedan couldn’t be beaten, despite both vehicles sharing the same platform, Fabio Francia successfully got the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio the record that the company wanted.
The test driver found the SUV to be more challenging than the sedan as the dynamics are not exactly suitable for attacking corners the way the sedan could. However, armed with his familiarity of the Nordschleife race track and of course with the able assistance the all-wheel drive system the Stelvio packs, Francia nailed his lap record attempt.
And let’s not forget the 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 which produces 505 hp of power and 443 lb-ft of torque mated with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Performance numbers are fancy figures with 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 177 mph. Stopping power comes from carbon ceramic brakes which bite firm, deep and sharp, while still making sure that the SUV behaves.
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The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio record for the fastest production SUV around the Ring may be a short-lived one as both Porsche and Lamborghini will be hitting the Green Hell with full force once they are ready with the new Cayenne Turbo S and Urus respectively.
Source: FCA US Media