The Stelvio Quadrifoglio has just lost the crown for the fastest SUV around the Nurburgring to the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S, but that doesn’t make it by any means slow. It’s still one of the most exciting models in its segment, combining a Ferrari heart with Alfa Romeo’s superb new design language. Someone was curious to find out the sort of performance it delivers out in the real world and decided to take Italy’s speedy SUV to an unrestricted section of the Autobahn in Germany.

The Quadrifoglio in question is an all-wheel-drive variant equipped with the eight-speed automatic transmission responsible for sending those Ferrari-trained 505 prancing horses to the road. The twin-turbo 2.9-litre V6 sounds great as the revs increase to unlock the full potential of the engine. The high-performance SUV needed 4.1 seconds until 62 mph and 14.2 seconds from zero to 124 mph.

It eventually got up to 168 mph in seventh gear, and there was still room for more considering Alfa Romeo quotes a top speed of 177 mph. These are not overly impressive performance numbers when you compare the Stelvio QV to a small and lightweight sports car, which the SUV certainly isn’t. With AWD and the eight-speed auto, the version we had the pleasure of reviewing back in May tipped the scales at a hefty 1,978 kilograms. That’s a lot.

The Stelvio is Alfa Romeo’s only SUV for the time being, but an official 2018-2022 roadmap published earlier this year revealed plans for two new crossovers. One will be smaller and the other will be bigger, while the Stelvio is set to spawn a roomier long-wheelbase derivative likely to cater the Chinese market where LWB cars continue to be in high demand.

Video: Automann-TV / YouTube