Many factors can affect the result of a tug of war between two vehicles - traction and power are the two most important, but the systems that dedicated off-roaders have (low range, locking differentials, special low-grip modes) can also make a difference. You would therefore think the best tug-of-war machine between the 2022 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG, a 2023 BMW iX xDrive 50 and a 2022 BMW X7 M50 would be the first contender.
But you would be wrong, at least based on what Carwow demonstrates in the video above. In the first race, they pit the BMW iX against the X7, and it loses twice in a row. The first run, the electric SUV did far better, not allowing the X7 to pull it past the line initially, even though it was clearly really trying.
In fact, the iX initially starts pulling the X7, but then it slows down and eventually stops advancing. Looking at the instrumentation during the first run, we can see how power fluctuates and is never allowed pas the 75 percent mark - this is most likely overspeed protection for the two synchronous permanent magnet motors, although it could also just be the traction control intervening.
After the iX’s first loss, they set the vehicles up for another try and this time the X7 wins with much greater ease, this in spite of the fact that the iX is spinning all four wheels while being dragged... And to cut a long story short, the X7 wins against the more powerful and more off-road-capable G63, leaving us scratching our heads as to why this happened.
It could all just be down to the tires, of course, because in terms of power and weight, all three vehicles were fairly evenly matched. It also gives credit to the xDrive system that feeds all four wheels with power in the X7 and the clever traction management that goes on behind the scenes.
