BMW X3 M and Porsche Macan Turbo Battle in Unfair Drag Race

With their tall profile and high center of mass, SUVs will never be nimble enough to threaten sports cars on the track or out on a twisty road, but when it comes to brute force, they're more than capable of holding their own in a plain and simple drag race.

Their awful aerodynamics don't help them there either but stick powerful enough engine under the hood, and that poor air that tries to stay in front of the vehicle has no choice but to move aside. And since people want SUVs that can fulfill any role these days, it wasn't long before manufacturers obliged and offered performance versions for nearly every model in their roster.

The two we have lined up here are the BMW X3 M and the Porsche Macan Turbo. In their more earthly incarnations, they usually serve as daily drivers with the occasional ability to fill in for the family car when the latter is unavailable. But in these top of the line versions, there's very little these two can't do.

Starting with the BMW, the X3 M is powered by a straight-six (and not a V6 as we're told accidentally in the clip) 3.0-liter turbocharged engine with 480 hp and 443 lb-ft (600 Nm) of torque. Power goes to all wheels via BMW's xDrive system and an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The Macan Turbo has similar figures, only just a bit inferior to the Bimmer's. The 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 engine develops 440 hp and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm), so considering they both weigh just under two tons, the Porsche should have a worse acceleration time than the BMW. With 4.5 seconds for the 0-62 mph sprint (0-100 km/h), it falls 0.3 seconds short of BMW's 4.2 seconds.

That means the Porsche lost even before it set a wheel on the pavement, right? Well, yes, but that's not the full story. Apparently, the BMW also had a "slight" tuning done on its engine, meaning the power output was even higher than the official numbers. Brooks and Parker, the two drivers, are well aware of the gap between the two, so they decide to compete for the best reaction time. Well, let's just say that makes things a lot more interesting, but don't take our word for it.