In yet another drag race video from Carwow, we get to see some of the quickest SUVs on the planet duke it out for straight-line speed-supremacy. The BMW X5 M might be among the oldest cars in the test but it’s still among the quickest in the world. Of course, this isn’t truly the world’s quickest SUV drag race, or else cars like the Rivian R1S and Aston Martin DBX 707 but you get the idea. These big bruisers are flipping quick.
The cars in the test are the BMW X5 M Competition, Tesla Model X Plaid, Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S, and Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT. In terms of power, though, the Bimmer is a bit outgunned. Its 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 makes 617 horsepower, which is the second weakest of the bunch, ahead of only the AMG’s 603 horsepower 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. Next up is the Porsche Cayenne GT, with 631 horsepower from its own 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. To round out the VW Group 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8s was the Lamborghini Urus Performante, with 657 horsepower. However, all of them are shamed by the Tesla Model X Plaid’s 1,020 horsepower tri-motor electric powertrain.
Obviously, the Tesla is the heaviest of the bunch, as it’s the only EV in the group. However, it has nearly double the horsepower of the other cars in the test. So it more than makes up for its weight.
In the quarter-mile drag race, the Tesla smashed the bunch as if they were standing still. However, right off the line, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT actually kept pace with the Tesla for a bit, before the electric car’s massive power helped it run away. That said, while the BMW, Mercedes, and Lamborghini kept messing around with weird launches over three races, the Cayenne was consistently the fastest piston-powered SUV of the test, despite being down on power to the Urus. Being the lightest SUV of the bunch likely helped.
Much the same happened with the rolling races as well, which was to be expected. The braking test was interesting, though. The Urus, with its manhole cover-sized brake discs and million-piston calipers, stopped almost two car lengths shorter than the Porsche, which was a car length shorter than the BMW, which was a car length shorter than the Mercedes, which was about a quarter-mile shorter than the Tesla. For all of the Tesla’s power, it has the brakes of a 1994 Toyota Corolla, which doesn’t bode well for owners who want to test out its power on the road. Many Model X Plaid owners are going to have soiled pants.
