BMW X3M Comp Spanks Ford Explorer ST, Crumbles Under Pressure Against Camaro SS

No matter how much power the Bavarians put in these things, they will always be too large, too heavy, and too brick-like to trouble a decent sports car with similar technical specifications. They will always be the big fish in a small pond, with the pond being the SUV segment. And even there, they might have to run and hide whenever the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk shows up.

That's all the more true for the smallest of the BMW M SUVs, the X3 M Competition. The model gets a twin-turbo three-liter straight-six engine producing 503 hp (510 PS) and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of maximum torque, all channeled through an eight-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels via the proprietary xDrive all-wheel-drive system. Impressive numbers, no doubt, but let's not forget it also weighs about 4,597 lbs (2,085 kg), which isn't necessarily fringing on the obese territory these days, but it still generates a lot of inertia that needs to be overcome.

Lining up against a Ford Explorer ST, then, should make for a good warm-up race. With its twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 making 400 hp, the American SUV poses no threat to the BMW. Quite surprisingly, though, the ST is lighter than the X3 M (by more than 200 lbs), but we all know it's not going to make a difference.

The first race between the two looks even worse than it needed to for the Ford model. The driver failed to build up boost at the start, so he found himself lingering there for almost a full second after the lights had gone out, presumably still trying to launch the Explorer properly. Over in the other lane, the X3 M Competition driver managed a 0.06-second reaction which meant the gap between the two was unsightly large.

Whether they asked for it or not, the Ford Explorer ST gets a rematch against the Bimmer, but even though the roles at the start switch this time, the X3 M Competition still has more than it needs to catch the ST and win comfortably.

The third race was run without any opponent, and funnily enough, it was the X3's quickest on that day: 12.147 seconds with a trap speed of 114 mph (183 km/h). With a Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE lurking around posting similar figures, a race between the two seemed like a pretty mouth-watering proposition.

Unfortunately, the X3 M Competition driver must have felt the weight of the entire BMW company pushing down on his shoulders, so the pressure got to him. He started building boost too early, so eventually, the brakes couldn't hold the car back and he had to let go. Unfortunately, it was way too early, so the race was lost right from the start. A bit anti-climactic, but we can find some comfort in the fact that, when it comes back, the X3 is going to be tuned and sporting even more power. We could leave it there and end on a positive note, but we have to mention all of the facts: that will likely happen about two months from now.