We are in a golden era for performance crossovers, and CarWow gets ahold of three German examples to see which is the best in a drag race. The Audi RS Q8, BMW X6 M Competition, and Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid hit a very, very wet runway to determine a winner.
As a refresher about what each vehicle is working with, the RS Q8 has a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 making 590 horsepower (440 kilowatts) and 591 pound-feet (801 Newton-meters) in the American market. The X6 M Competition uses a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 offering 617 hp (460 kW) and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm). Finally, the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid has an electrically assisted twin-turbo 4.0-Liter V8 pumping out 670 hp (500 kW) and 663 lb-ft (899 Nm).
CarWow stages three drag races from a standing start because the BMW driver jumps the starts twice. The final results don’t change during any of the runs, though. The X6 M scores a trio of victories, and the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid is consistently second place. The RS Q8 brings up the rear.
Next, they run from a 50-mile-per-hour (80 kilometer-per-hour) roll with the vehicles in their regular driving mode. In this case, there’s an interesting result. The Porsche initially rockets ahead, but then at about 130 mph (209 kph), it seems to hit a wall, and the BMW goes by.
In a similar run from a roll with the crossovers in their performance modes puts the Audi into an early, although temporary, lead. The Porsche then pulls into the lead with the BMW right behind it.
In the final braking test on the wet runway, all three crossovers stop within a few feet of each other. The BMW turns out to be the winner, though.