High-performance fun no longer requires making compromises. Automakers are cramming massive amounts of power into their large family crossovers and SUVs, and you can watch two potent haulers—a BMW XM and a Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT—fight for supremacy in a new drag racing video.
Neither car is stock, with the BMW featuring a tune. The plug-in hybrid SUV packed a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 that makes a combined 738 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque in its standard form. However, it churned out just over 800 hp in this fight.
It’s went up against the less-powerful Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT. It had downpipes, cranking out 650 hp and 625 lb-ft of twist. Both SUVs fought with eight-speed gearboxes and all-wheel drive, but the XM was a beefy boy at just over 6,000 pounds. The Cayenne Turbo GT was nearly 1,000 lbs lighter.
It didn’t beat the Porsche in any of the races, struggling to get off the line when the tree went dark. But the BMW did complete the quarter-mile quicker than the Porsche in the first run, returning an 11.371-second time at 124.08 mph. The Porsche did it in 11.621 seconds at 118.67 mph.
The second race was closer, but the Porsche achieved a true victory with its 11.168-second time versus the BMW’s 11.354. The third race was the same, with the Cayenne needing 11.216 seconds to the XM’s 11.263-second time.