In November 2019, Tesla showed the very first prototype of the Cybertruck and displayed a video, in which the electric truck smashed a Ford F-150 in a tug of war challenger. The video caused a sensation, though not everything in this race was fair. A story on Motor1.com detailed all the inaccuracies in the video and quickly became one of our all-time most popular articles (see the related links below). Ever since then, we are keeping an eye on combustion engine vehicles going against electric vehicles in tug-of-war races.
That’s why we decided to share this new tug of war video coming from Carwow with you. The nearly 10-minute clip takes us to the United Kingdom where two of the most powerful and heaviest BMW SUVs currently available are challenged in search of the ultimate pulling machine. On the left is the BMW iX and against it is the X7, both in ‘50 versions, which means they have a similar output. Many factors contribute to the final result here – power, weight, traction, and more. But let’s see the numbers first.
The electric SUV uses two electric motors with a combined output of 523 horsepower (385 kilowatts) and 564 pound-feet (765 Newton-meters) of instant torque. It’s pretty heavy tipping the scales at 5,533 pounds (2,510 kilograms). Against it, the X7 puts to use a 4.4-liter V8 twin-turbo engine, good for 530 hp (390 kW) and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm). It’s nearly as heavy as the iX at 5,489 lbs (2,490 kg), though it has one key advantage – its towing capacity is 7,716 lbs (3,500 kg) versus 5,511 lbs (2,500 kg) for the luxury electric SUV. So, with the numbers put on the table, it’s time to see how they translate into actual performance in this tug of war.
The two vehicles are put on a slippery surface, likely to protect their tires and drivetrains from excessive damage. This means traction is not great and the first half of the challenge is not really exciting – both cars are staying almost completely static and are desperately spinning their wheels. However, the combustion model gains traction at some point and beats the iX. The second run is shorter and has the same winner. At the end of the video, there’s a little surprise, though - a Mercedes-AMG G63 tries its luck against the X7.
