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From Milan to London: KALMAR 9X9’s 3000km Real-World Test Across Europe
Join us on KALMAR 9X9's 3,000km real-world test from Milan to London.
December 20, 2024
Paul ponders the rise of the ultra high-performance SUV, and runs through the pros and cons of the very best you can buy.
It’s happened. Winter has arrived. The first snow of the season has fallen, and the mornings are now a grim exercise in de-icing, fumbling for gloves, and pretending that soggy toast dunked in coffee counts as breakfast. For those of us who drive proper cars — supercars — this time of year has traditionally presented a conundrum: do you park your low-slung, fragile masterpiece in the garage for the next three months and resign yourself to a dreary crossover? Or do you risk it all, shivering in Italian leather as your hand-built pride and joy pirouettes helplessly into a ditch?
This year, though, my thoughts have turned to all-season supercars for another reason: our Ice Drive 25 tour is just around the corner, running from Thursday 23rd to Monday 27th January 2025. It’s an event designed to push your winter driving skills to the limit, with full tuition and a fleet of cars including Audi R8s, Aston Martin Vantages, and Subaru rally cars. As I was preparing for it, I thought, why not take a look at the growing world of supercars that claim to deliver thrills all year round?
The ultra-high-performance SUV has been with us for a year or two now, and it’s no longer a controversial niche. These machines are settling in, cementing their place as tools for the wealthy to tackle snow-covered B-roads in the morning and still turn heads at a Michelin-starred lunch. Today, we’re revisiting the Ferrari Purosangue, Lamborghini Urus Performante, and Aston Martin DBX 707, but for those who sneer at the idea of SUVs, don’t worry, we’ll also examine two of the maddest supercars to hit the market in recent years: the Porsche 911 Dakar and Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, one of which has already been put through its paces on two of our European tours this year.
When the Purosangue launched last year, Ferrari took the sort of flak you’d expect if you were caught eating crisps in the Sistine Chapel. Ferrari, maker of art on wheels, finally caved to commercial pressure and built an SUV. Naturally, they denied this completely. “It’s not an SUV”, they insisted, “It is a four-door sports car with all-terrain capability”, which is exactly what an SUV is, but don’t tell them that.
The reality, now that the hype has settled, is that the Purosangue isn’t just a cynical money-spinner — it’s astonishingly good. Beneath its sculpted bonnet lies a 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 that howls out 715bhp and propels this 2.2-tonne behemoth to 60mph in just 3.3 seconds. On the road, it feels so sharp, so agile, you’d swear Ferrari sprinkled some kind of magic dust over it. The steering is telepathic, the ride sublime, and the engine note? It’s pure Ferrari, a wailing symphony that turns heads in any weather.
But — and this is a big but — the Purosangue isn’t quite as versatile as Ferrari would have you believe. It’s for tarmac only, preferably the sort that winds through the Alps. Mud? No chance. Gravel? If you must. The Purosangue is really for ski chalets, not ski slopes. At £313,000 before you’ve ticked a single option, it’s also the kind of car that comes with a house in Kensington thrown in for scale.
The Lamborghini Urus is the car that makes people clutch their pearls. From the moment it launched, it’s been the loudest, brashest, most unapologetically ridiculous SUV on the market. The Performante version, released last year, takes this lunacy and straps a rocket to it. Subtlety is not in its vocabulary.
Its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 pumps out 657bhp, blasting it to 60mph in just 3.3 seconds, but that’s not the story here. The story is how it looks. With its extra carbon fibre, vents that appear to have been installed with a chainsaw, and a spoiler big enough to double as a garden table, it’s like a Hot Wheels car designed by a very excitable 10-year-old.
Unlike the Purosangue, though, the Urus can actually do off-road. Not that its owners ever take it there, but they could. Snow, mud, gravel — the Urus Performante eats it all for breakfast and then roars into the afternoon looking for dessert. Over the past year, it’s cemented its place as the SUV for people who don’t just want to conquer winter; they want to beat it into submission, strap it to the roof, and drive away laughing.
The DBX 707 is Aston Martin’s quiet revolution — or at least as quiet as 697bhp and a snarling V8 can be. While the Ferrari and Lamborghini scream for attention, the DBX 707 lounges back with a wry smile, letting its understated brilliance do the talking.
Its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 delivers power that feels effortless, while the ride is so smooth you’d swear you were gliding over the tarmac. It’s fast — frighteningly fast, in fact — hitting 60mph in just 3.1 seconds. But it’s also practical. Owners who’ve spent the last year with the DBX 707 rave about its comfort and usability. It’s the kind of car you can use to drop the kids at school and still embarrass sports cars on the way home.
But don’t let the civility fool you. When pushed, the DBX 707 delivers. It’s the gentleman of the SUV world, but it still has a right hook like Mike Tyson used to have — before Jake Paul asked him if he’d like to perform a carefully choreographed routine on Strictly Come Dancing.
If the idea of an SUV makes you itch, the Porsche 911 Dakar might be your cure. Launched last year to a mix of amazement and confusion, the Dakar is a 911 that’s been lifted, armoured, and equipped for rally raids. Porsche has spent the last year proving that this isn’t just a gimmick — it’s brilliant.
With a 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six pumping out 473bhp, the Dakar can hit 60mph in 3.2 seconds, even with its knobbly off-road tyres. Its suspension has been jacked up, giving it the clearance to bounce across snowy trails and gravel tracks, and yet it still feels like a proper 911. The steering is precise, the handling immaculate, and it does it all while looking like it just won the Dakar Rally.
Owners love it for its sense of adventure. It’s the kind of car you’d drive to a Christmas tree farm and end up sliding around the car park for fun. And because it’s a Porsche, it’ll do it all without so much as a squeak of complaint.
And then there’s the Huracán Sterrato. If the 911 Dakar is the responsible one in this duo, the Sterrato is the lunatic. It’s what happens when Lamborghini decides that turning its mid-engine V10 supercar into an off-road beast is not just a good idea, but a necessary one.
With its 610bhp naturally aspirated V10 and raised ride height, the Sterrato is as wild as it gets. Over the past year, it’s proven that it can handle anything you throw at it — snow, mud, gravel, even two European tours, thanks to one of our very own members who’s already made it the centrepiece of their driving adventures this year.
It looks utterly ridiculous, with its rally lights and chunky body cladding, but that’s what makes it brilliant. Lamborghini didn’t just think outside the box; they strapped the box to a rocket and launched it into space.
So, after a year or two to settle in, where do these all-season supercars stand?
If you want theatre and V12 drama, the Ferrari Purosangue is your dream car. For sheer aggression and versatility, the Lamborghini Urus Performante remains king. The Aston Martin DBX 707 is the understated choice for those who value refinement, while the Porsche 911 Dakar and Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato prove that off-road madness isn’t just possible — it’s spectacular.
And don’t forget, if you want to experience snow driving for yourself, our Ice Drive 25 tour from 23rd to 27th January 2025 is the perfect opportunity. With just four places left, it’s your chance to master snow, ice, and everything in between. Winter may be cold and miserable, but with these cars — and that tour — at least your drive doesn’t have to be.
Written by: Paul Pearce
