Ford Explorer ST Drag Races Dodge Durango SRT, 3-Row SUVs Almost Pop Wheelie

Ford is probably the first American automaker to adopt turbocharging as a blend of performance and economy. It's delivered some awesome results with the Raptor and the GT, but folks are somehow still apprehensive every time an EcoBoost badge pops up.

3-row SUVs are mostly boring to drive, so if you're looking to buy one with chili added to its recipe, this is probably the drag race video you wanted to see. That's because, besides the Explorer ST, the Durango SRT is pretty much your only non-premium pick.

The Durango SRT is no Trackhawk, but its normal SRT engine is still impressive. Out of a simple 6.4-liter V8 setup, Dodge is able to give you 475 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. We think it sounds epic, plus there's none of that fake exhaust trickery like on a Mercedes or Audi.

On the other hand, Ford's all-new Explorer ST has an engine less than half the size. The 3-liter V6 matched up to twin turbochargers will produce 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque, but only when running on premium gas. It's hooked up to an equally new 10-speed automatic with a rotary shifter that weirds people out.

Speaking of weird stuff, the gasses come out the bottom of the exhaust. Even though it's got straight tips. There's Ford for you, always worried about those emissions!

Anyway, you guys came here for some drag race results. Right off the bat, we want to mention that these are 1/8 -mile results, though it's probably for the best. These hefty SUVs would probably look very slow and you wouldn't buy one.

The Explorer does an 8.96s pass at 78.68mph while the SRT does 8.48s at 82.41mph. So Dodge really was right to call its product the fastest 3-row American SUV. But what if you had the Ford modified? Well, a 5Star Tuning tune that's super-cheap adds about 100 horsepower and 160 lb-ft. People tell us it's still going to be reliable, but you'll have to watch the video and find out if this has made the Ford faster than a Dodge.