Big and powerful SUVs are not uncommon anymore, and nowadays, even sports cars have to choose wisely their enemies on the drag-strip since the once slow behemoths are quick on their feet, despite their heavy nature.
Unlike many other car YouTubers, Archie Hamilton is a professional racing driver whose career is covered in medals and trophies. Moreover, he's racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup in the UK. But when he doesn't compete for trophies, he's making videos with supercars. And this time, he chose another weapon of drag-destruction: the Mercedes-AMG G 63. He is very confident with the AMG beast, even if there is a BMW X5 M Competition next to him. Many celebrities also chose this rig as their daily driver.
The G 63 packs 577 horses and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque from its biturbo 4.0-liter V8 engine. It is mated to a nine-speed AMG Speedshift TC T 9G-Tronig gearbox and sends the power to all corners. It features a live rear axle and independent front suspension. Will this be enough to stay ahead of the X5 M Competition? BMW offers its well-known SUV with a 4.4-liter V8 aided by twin-turbochargers. The M version packs 600 horses, and the Competition package adds 17 more ponies to the stable. The torque for the Bimmer in this configuration reaches 553 lb-ft (750 Nm). Its V8 also sends the power to all corners via an eight-speed automatic transmission provided by ZF.
The first run between these two behemoths shows us how the G-Wagon jumps ahead about a car's length. At the Merc's wheel, Archie Hamilton is happy. But not for long since the Bimmer catches up and leaps ahead towards the end of the quarter-mile run. BMW's driver blamed the traction control system for the slower start and decided to shut it off for the second run. The result is that the G63 jumps ahead for about half a car, and then... it got walked by the stormy X5M. At the end of the quarter-mile, the distance between these two may be seen from outer space. After all, it's still a very fast vehicle.
The third time is a rolling start, and now both drivers are using manual modes for the gearboxes and start in second gear. At first glance, it looked like the G63 would keep up with the Bimmer. But then, the obvious result happens, and the X5 M Competition pulls ahead, passing the finish line with a bus-length distance in front of the AMG.
At the end of the day, the X5 M Competition proved its value. It might look very expensive at a $115,000 MSRP, but it is still 30k bucks less than the AMG G 63. Sure, the G-Wagon will dominate the X5 on hard-core off-road situations. But on the streets, it should stay away from the Bavarian SUV.
Tudor started his automotive career in 1996, writing for a magazine while working on his journalism degree. From Pikes Peaks to the Moroccan desert to the Laguna Seca, he's seen and done it all. Full profile
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