Remember the times when drag racing SUVs was looked down upon as a stupid idea? Those sure feel like a distant past now that two heavy off-road machines may have over 1,200 horsepower between them – like in this comparison of German vehicles.
Standing in the red corner of the ring is the BMW X5 M Competition. In the luxury SUV world, it is largely unchallenged thanks to a 4.4-liter V8 rocking dual turbos and making 625 PS (616 hp / 460 kW). Its opponent is a Mercedes-AMG G 63 also armed with a V8, but with only 4 liters of displacement and 585 PS (577 hp / 430 kW).
But paper specs are one thing, while reality often yields unexpected results. A recent video by Archie Hamilton Racing confirms just how little numbers matter for acceleration, especially in cold weather on a partially iced-over asphalt.