Right now in the heat of the political debate, both sides are arguing the effectiveness of trickle down economics. There is, however, no question that trickle down technological innovation is real and in effect, especially when paying attention to the auto industry. Proof of this is found in the high-octane pudding that is made up of new hypercars in the work capable of putting the hurt on Formula 1 cars while supposedly retaining the ability to be road legal daily drivers.

On the receiving end of the trickle is the SUV, a vehicle type that was once slow and cumbersome through the corners.

Not that SUVs are suddenly better than the sports cars of today, but the fact that SUVs and wagons like the BMW X6 M or the Audi RS6 Performance can make sports cars worry about justifying their existence is proof of how far technology has come. Now that most automakers are dumping money into SUVs, the performance utility vehicle is only getting better. Take the Range Rover Sport SVR for example. With all-terrain mastery in its blood and a supercharger in its V8 heart, this Rover can tackle the harshest non-roads while still beating some hot hatches around the track. And then there's the Bentley Bentayga, which isn't a cornering fiend, but may be one of the most self-assured SUVs on the drag strip.