10 Sleeper SUVs That'll Easily Keep Up With A Mustang

Don’t be fooled by their modest looks and large size; these SUVs will put the Mustang to shame if given a chance.

In the modern automotive era, SUVs are no longer mere family haulers and on- or off-road cruisers. They now serve your need for speed just as fast as your favorite sports cars and muscle cars. So, they give you the best of both worlds—performance and comfort. But not every fast SUV comes with a ton of extra body styling and badges, so you might have to plow through the bland, bulky structure before you can hit gold.

These sleeper vehicles do not possess the head-turning charm of the Ford Mustang, but they will embarrass the iconic muscle car on the track if given a chance. And make no mistake, the 2023 Mustang, especially in the GT form, is no slouch. Consumer Reports testing shows that while the EcoBoost models hit 60 mph in 6.4 seconds, the GT needs just 4.9 seconds, thanks in large part to the 5.0-liter V8.

The performance specs of these sleeper SUVs are based on manufacturers’ claims as well as data from Acceleration Times, Consumer Reports, Kelley Blue Book, and Zero To 60 Times.

Related: 10 Family Cars With Unexpected Sporty Performance

The 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 delivers both sport and utility, with its 7-slot grille, hexagonal wheel arches, V8, and 68.7 cu.ft. cargo space. It will never leave you disappointed, whether it’s for off-road expeditions or on-track brawls.

The 6.4-liter Hemi V8 is a powerstation, returning 465 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. If you have to haul a Labrador in a straight line in 4.7 seconds, there’s almost no better option than the Cherokee SRT8. Acceleration Times claims the sleeper SUV tops out at 160 mph, which is pretty decent for a 5,234-pound SUV.

0-60 MPH

4.7 seconds

Top Speed

160 mph

Curb Weight

5,234 lbs

Horsepower

465 hp

Torque

465 lb-ft

Layout

Front engine, all-wheel drive

Related: 10 Reasons Why Gearheads Should Consider Buying A Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT

With its blacked-out front and rear fascia, quad tailpipes, 22-inch alloy wheels, and burly structure, it’s hard not to acknowledge the presence of the 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V on the road. But don’t mistake the 2023 Escalade-V as just a luxury full-size SUV.

With a tire-smoking 6.2-liter supercharged V8 under its hood, the 2023 Escalade-V is a muscle car disguised as an SUV. According to Zero To 60 Times, the seven-passenger Cadillac covers 60 mph in 4.3 seconds—a 0.6 seconds difference from the 2023 Mustang GT.

0-60 MPH

4.3 seconds

Top Speed

125 mph

Curb Weight

6,217 lbs

Horsepower

682 hp

Torque

653 lb-ft

Layout

Front engine, all-wheel drive

Land Rover introduced the Sport SVR as the range-topping model for 2015, and it was one of the most powerful and fastest Range Rovers at the time. With its recalibrated sport suspension and torque-vectoring system, the Range Rover Sport SVR feels at home whether it’s on rutted English back roads or freeways.

The 2015 Range Rover lineup comprises three supercharged engines, but the SVR’s 5.0-liter supercharged V8 is the real deal, producing 550 hp and catapulting the 5,148-pound SUV to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, per Zero To 60 Times.

0-60 MPH

4.2 seconds

Top Speed

162 mph

Curb Weight

5,148 lbs

Horsepower

550 hp

Torque

502 lb-ft

Layout

Front engine, four-wheel drive

Even though the AMG GLE63 S 4MATIC is fitted with unique body styling bits, quad tailpipes, and 20-inch wheels, it doesn't really look all that different from regular GLE models and M-Class. And don’t be fooled by the roof rails; the AMG GLE63 S 4MATIC is not just a utility vehicle, but also a serious performance machine.

The 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 is perhaps the most special part of the AMG GLE63 S, as it delivers a supercar-matching performance. According to Zero To 60 Times, a 0-60 mph sprint will be over in 3.8 seconds for the AMG GLE63 S. That’s a full 1.1 seconds gap between the new Mustang GT.

0-60 MPH

3.8 seconds

Top Speed

155 mph

Curb Weight

4,845 lbs

Horsepower

577 hp

Torque

561 lb-ft

Layout

Front engine, all-wheel drive

The Range Rover Supercharged is not merely an opulent SUV for pulling up to the opera. This big luxury SUV is as capable on the track and off-road as it is on a highway, thanks to a four-wheel drive configuration, upgraded terrain-management system, and supercharged V8.

To achieve the Zero To 60 Times-claimed top speed of 140 mph and 0-60 mph time of 4.6 seconds, the British luxury car manufacturer forged the 2013 Range Rover’s unibody structure out of aluminum. This resulted in a 700-pound drop in the sleeper SUV’s weight.

0-60 MPH

4.6 seconds

Top Speed

140 mph

Curb Weight

5,137 lbs

Horsepower

510 hp

Torque

461 lb-ft

Layout

Front engine, four-wheel drive

The all-new 2023 GV60 is not the most handsome electric SUV in Genesis’ lineup, but even some of your fastest sports cars will have a hard time keeping up with the electric SUV in a straight line.

The Performance model comes with bigger motors at both ends and if you hit the Boost button on the steering wheel, the output jumps to 483 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. According to Zero To 60 Times, that’s more than enough power to blast the 4,890-pound EV to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds—a whole 1.2 seconds quicker than the new Mustang GT.

0-60 MPH

3.7 seconds

Top Speed

146 mph

Curb Weight

4,890 lbs

Horsepower

429 hp

Torque

446 lb-ft

Layout

Dual-motor, all-wheel drive

Related: 2023 Genesis GV60: Costs, Facts, And Figures

Even though the 2021 RS Q8 looks quite like your typical Audi SUV, it promises to deliver supercar fun for a family of five. Audi borrows mechanical elements from the Lambo Urus, so you might easily exceed speed limits on surface streets if you aren’t paying close attention.

The twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 in the RS Q8 shoves out a staggering 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. Transferring all that energy to all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission takes the RS Q8 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, according to the German luxury carmaker.

0-60 MPH

3.7 seconds

Top Speed

155 mph

Curb Weight

5,490 lbs

Horsepower

591 hp

Torque

590 lb-ft

Layout

Front engine, all-wheel drive

If you want an SUV with the capability of a pickup truck and the performance of a sports car, the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT is for you. Dodge doesn’t take the styling of the top-ranging Durango SRT overboard, but it sports an exclusive hood with extra vents on the front end to help cool the powerful V8.

The 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine is the secret behind the Durango SRT’s 475 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. With that amount of power, the 5,510-pound Durango SRT SUV will leave many sports cars and muscle cars in the dust. Zero To 60 Times claims the 2018 Durango SRT hits 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, while the 2023 Mustang takes about 0.4 seconds longer.

0-60 MPH

4.5 seconds

Top Speed

155 mph

Curb Weight

5,510 lbs

Horsepower

475 hp

Torque

470 lb-ft

Layout

Front engine, all-wheel drive

The 2014 Audi SQ5 is based on the regular Q5 small luxury crossover, so it feels like a sports sedan. Even though the SQ5 sports a massive, trapezoidal grille, and twin tailpipes, you’d probably never have guessed it's an under-five-second SUV.

According to Acceleration Times, the 2014 SQ5 needs just 4.8 seconds to hit 60 mph, making it just as fast as the Mustang GT.

0-60 MPH

4.8 seconds

Top Speed

155 mph

Curb Weight

4,233 lbs

Horsepower

354 hp

Torque

347 lb-ft

Layout

Front engine, all-wheel drive

With the quad exhausts and 20-inch Pirelli ultra-high-performance tires, the BMW Alpina XD3 looks good enough to steal a glance now and then, but not to the extent of gawking.

The Alpina XD3 is powered by a 3.0-liter inline-six diesel engine with an output of 333 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough force to haul the X3-based SUV from 0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds, according to Alpina. By comparison, a 0-60 mph run takes the new Mustang GT 0.3 seconds longer than the XD3.

0-60 MPH

4.6 seconds

Top Speed

166 mph

Curb Weight

4,728 lbs

Horsepower

394 hp

Torque

590 lb-ft

Layout

Front engine, all-wheel drive

Peter Akpejeluh is a content writer with years of experience in the automotive industry. His love for cars makes crafting colorful stories around them quite effortless. When Peter is not developing automotive content, you can find him taking one of his favorite cars for a spin.