In a sense, seeing fast SUVs on the drag strip is still somewhat of a novelty. These types of vehicles have only been around since the turn of the century, and people weren’t exactly in a hurry to race them over a quarter mile back then. In other words, there weren’t that many ML 55 owners lining up next to Cayenne Turbos for our viewing pleasure.
Nowadays though, everybody who’s anybody is making people haulers that will put most sports cars to shame in a straight line, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk certainly qualifies for those honors. Its opponent today, the BMW X3 M Competition is an impressive piece of kit too, especially off the line.
Normally, the Trackhawk’s 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 engine (like the one you’d find in a Challenger Hellcat), is putting down 707 hp (717 ps) and 645 lb-ft (875 nm) of torque, going to all four wheels through an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. This Trackhawk however has been modified and according to a dyno sheet posted by its owner on social media, it is now producing 929 hp (942 ps) and 834 lb-ft (1,130 nm) of torque.
On paper, the stock Trackhawk will hit 60 mph (97 kph) in 3.5 seconds, while covering a quarter mile in 11.7 seconds. This one did it in just 10.1 seconds, so it’s almost a 9-second car.
As for the X3 M Competition, the uploader claims that it’s running on E30, while the owner of the vehicle mentions a catless downpipe tune. On paper, this should be a 12-second car, but here you’ll see it pull off a remarkable 10.7-second run on the second attempt.
Without any mods, the X3 M Competition's 3.0-liter twin turbocharged inline-six engine produces 503 hp (510 ps) and 443 lb-ft (600 nm) of torque. It should really be no match for the Trackhawk, and yet all three races were relatively close, so color us impressed.
Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration. Full profile
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