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Mercedes-Benz G550 4x4 Squared vs. Tesla Model X Tug of War Is Closely Fought

Tug of war provides an overly simplified view of how well a vehicle's all-wheel-drive system, traction control, and powertrain work together compared to those of another vehicle.
Tesla Model X Vs Mercedes-Benz G550 4x4 Squared tug of war 5 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Tesla Model X Vs Mercedes-Benz G550 4x4 Squared tug of warTesla Model X Vs Mercedes-Benz G550 4x4 Squared tug of warTesla Model X Vs Mercedes-Benz G550 4x4 Squared tug of warTesla Model X Vs Mercedes-Benz G550 4x4 Squared tug of war
Like in so many other cases, though, there's one other component that can influence the result, and that's the human one. Like in drag racing, people tend to underestimate the driver's importance based on their task's apparent simplicity (keeping the car straight and flooring the throttle), but just like in drag racing, it takes more skill and knowledge to come out on top.

Unfortunately, that means that videos like the one below only bring an entertainment value and won't provide us with any actual insight into the vehicles' capabilities. Still, you can't say "pass" on a clip featuring a Tesla Model X and the mighty Mercedes-Benz G550 4x4 Squared going at it in a tug of war, can you?

People tend to give the 4x4 Squared more credit than it deserves, though it deserves plenty. They seem to think it's somehow more capable than any other V8-powered G-Class, and it is, but only as far as clearing obstacles is concerned. Beyond the portal axles that make it look as if it's on stilts, it's just a regular G-Wagon.

In a tug of war, the extra height is actually a disadvantage, especially when going against a Tesla Model X carrying most of its weight down below. It'll have to pull forward, battling Tesla's two motors, but also up, against gravity, and we all know very few things win a fight against Earth's pulling force in the end.

We're kind of setting the G550 4x4 Squared up to lose, and that's not necessarily the case. The guys putting the contest together (Dobre Cars) made it a two out of three, and it needed to be with each of the two vehicles taking turns in winning the first two rounds.

The only real gripe we have is that they let all that grass around them go to waste when they could have (and should have) repeated the whole thing off the asphalt as well—especially since the G-Class seems to be on a set of Pirelli Scorpions with a more aggressive tread pattern that's suitable for off-roading as well (or isn't suited for either asphalt or off-roading, if we're being honest).

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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