Mercedes-Benz sets SUV Nurburgring lap record
The Germans have beaten the Italians – AMG GLC 63 pips Alfa Romeo by two seconds to claim bragging rightsThe Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S has stolen the crown of world's fastest SUV from the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Q, after setting a lap time of 7:49.369 around the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
Mercedes-AMG development engineer Markus Hofbauer set the SUV lap record (in his first attempt) in the $164,900 mid-size family SUV with an evil alter ego, thanks to its thumping 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.
The AMG missile drives all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission and is claimed to use an average of 10.9L/100km. Just don't ask how much fuel it slurps down doing 263km/h.
Some of the other tricks up the red-hot GLC's sleeve include torque vectoring, a slippery diff at the rear and track-ready ceramic composite brake rotors.
Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S review
With its colossal output of 375kW and 700Nm, together with an adaptive chassis that adjusts the shock absorber rates depending on how the car is reacting, the high-riding German power wagon beat the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Q's 2017 lap record by just under two seconds.
When the $149,900 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Q set a lap record of 7:51.07 around the 21km road circuit in 2017, it showed that SUVs have made huge performance strides in the past few years.
And that the Italians knew a thing or two about crafting a performance vehicle.
It remains to be seen if Alfa Romeo will have another crack at the lap record or whether an electric SUV will gazump them both... but for now the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 has bragging rights.
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