If the Sixties were the stage for the Muscle Car Wars, we’re currently living through the Muscle SUV Wars, as manufacturers use new engine technologies to push the boundaries of power in sport utility vehicles. Twenty years ago, when SUVs began their rise in the marketplace, 150 horsepower represented the norm. Horsepower slowly began to creep upwards, however, as engines began to grow under bigger hoods.
Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards raised their ugly heads, and the big-engined SUV seemed to be on the way out. But advances in engine technology, including direct gasoline injection, turbocharging and supercharging granted a reprieve. Here are our favorite picks for top SUV horsepower brutes:
1. 2017 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged (shown above)
2. 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
3. 2017 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid
4. 2017 Maserati Levante S
5. 2017 Jaguar F-Pace
6. 2017 Dodge Durango R/T
7. 2017 Cadillac Escalade
8. 2017 Toyota Land Cruiser
9. 2017 Infiniti QX80
