Today, we're watching a battle between two titanic SUVs: the ugly BMW XM Label Red and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT. Before we go ahead, folks, I must warn you that this race might be a bit too one-sided. However, the champion isn't who you probably think it is. Or is it...? Let's find out.
Let's meet our SUV titans before we start burning tires down the specially treated 1/4-mile drag strip. First, we have the ugly giant duckling, the BMW XM Label Red. This white-colored mammoth is equipped with a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 paired with an electric motor. The 29.5 kWh battery pack helps the 4-wheeled giant travel up to 51 miles or 82 kilometers.
The car isn't completely vanilla, having gone through a proper JB tuning session. This model can deliver up to 738 hp (748 ps) with 738 lb-ft or 1000 Nm of torque. To no one's surprise, it has an all-wheel-drive system and an eight-speed gearbox. Oh, and the best part is terrifyingly good V8 orchestral exhaust symphony.
The interior reflects the exterior's philosophical design, albeit with a different color scheme. On the outside, it's a shade of white with a red line, whereas inside, you'll find the opposite, with a lot of black. The roof's ambient lighting and diamond-shaped geometry aren't half bad, either. The entire package made the owner $189k poorer.
Photo: DragTimes
On the other side of the ring, there's the almighty Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT, which is a force to be reckoned with. This no-nonsense monster has a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that's had its downpipes slightly tuned. It now puts out 650 hp or 659 ps with 626 lb-ft or 849 Nm of torque. Behind the wheel is Brooks Weisblat from the DragTimes YouTube channel.
It's obviously AWD with an eight-speed automatic transmission system, and overall, it cost $250,000. That's a whopping $61,000 more than the BMW XM. The final scores will show us exactly if the price difference was worth it or not.
During the first race, by the end, the Porsche was so extremely far ahead of the BMW, that it put Bavarian automotive engineering to shame. The second time, the BMW had a much better start and was neck and neck with the Cayenne, but the latter managed to score another victory. The third time... you pretty much guessed it by now. The Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT won again, completely defeating the 738-hp BMW XM down the quarter-mile.
A half-mile roll race would have been interesting because the XM always seemed to catch up to the Porsche by the end. The fastest time for the Cayenne was 11.168 seconds at 122.18 mph or 196.6 kph, while the BMW did it in 11.263 seconds at 125.15 mph or 201.4 kilometers per hour.
Coming back to the price difference, simple math tells us that the extra $61k for the Porsche SUV is only worth 0.095 seconds in a quarter-mile run.
Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive). Full profile
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