A drag race between an SUV and a sports car would’ve been nothing more than a joke in the past. Things evolve though and so does technology and today, that idea doesn’t seem so far fetched. And when you take a look at the performance figures some of the cars on sale today have, you understand why. And if that doesn’t work, the video below might offers some perspective.
In this footage we get to see how a BMW X3 M Competition matches up against a proper sports car, one with incredible pedigree at that too. The thing is, this BMW has been tinkered with. Normally, the X3 M Competition has 510 HP coming out of the 3-liter straight six twin-turbo S58 engine and delivered to the four corners of the car via an 8-speed automatic gearbox. This time round, we’re looking at 650 HP at the crank and some 600 HP at the wheels. Wowza!
The 992 Carrera S is pretty impressive in stock guise too. It also has a 3-liter engine but with a different, flat configuration. Thanks to turbocharging it develops 450 HP and it’s a pretty fast machine no matter how you look at it. It’s also a lot lighter than the X3 M Competition, by some 1,200 lbs all in. Will that be enough? Well, it depends a lot on whether the race is done from standstill or from a roll.
As you’re about to see, the BMW wins in the 30-mph roll race without a doubt and even reels in the Porsche the second time, even though the 911 did jump the start. In the standing drag race the BMW wins once again, understandably so, since it has all-wheel drive but the truth of the matter is, the RWD Porsche did a lot better than expected. That’s a true testament to the brilliant Launch Control system the PDK gearbox has.
