Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio breaks Nürburgring SUV lap record

Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio breaks Nürburgring SUV lap record Fast SUV lapped the circuit in 7:51.7 – less than one minute off the pace of the Lamborghini Huracán Performante

Alfa Romeo has broken the Nürburgring lap record for SUVs, with the new Stelvio Quadrifoglio clocking a time of 7:51.7. 

This usurps previous lap record holder, the Range Rover Sport SVR, which lapped the circuit in 8:14. 

The Stelvio’s time equals those of the BMW M4 in 2015 and places it among the top 100 road cars to ever post a lap time. It's an accolade that the brand hopes will mark it out from a burgeoning sports SUV segment, with existing as well as upcoming rivals like the BMW X3 M, Audi RS Q5, Jaguar F-Pace SVR and Porsche Macan Turbo all vying for supremity.

The Quadrifoglio would have to shed a further minute and six seconds to be the fastest road car car ever around the 'Ring but is only eight seconds off the Honda Civic Type R’s 7:43.8 time – the fastest front-wheel drive lap of the track. 

The Stelvio Quadrifoglio is 39bhp down on the Range Rover Sport SVR, but its kerb weight, some 600-plus kilos lighter than the SVR, gave it the edge. 

It’s the second Nürburgring record posted in as many days: Porsche set the production road car record with the 911 GT2 RS, achieving a time of 6:47.3 – more than one minute and four seconds quicker than the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. 

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