Luxury SUV owners are often chided for not taking their vehicles off-road. In truth, many SUVs aren’t really developed for serious off-road duty. Despite that, this video proves that even classic luxury SUVs are probably more capable than many would believe.
The three competitors make up the upper echelon of luxury SUVs available in the early 2000s. The first is a Porsche Cayenne S with a 4.5-liter V8 under the hood. The second is a BMW X5 with a 4.4-liter V8 powerplant. Finally, a 3.0-liter diesel engine lurks under the bonnet of a Range Rover in the competition.
All four leverage four-wheel drive, an automatic transmission, and clever suspension components too. The first competition is about as simple as it gets; an uphill drag race in the dirt. The race starts with a quick dip into a mud pit and then the competitors begin to separate.
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The Porsche pulls away with the BMW close behind and the Range Rover lagging behind. The next challenge demonstrates how well each SUV manages tight and undulating terrain over a short U-shaped course. In this race, the results are reversed. The Porsche loses, the Range Rover wins, and the BMW takes the middle spot again.
Safely descending a hill is next up on the menu and frankly, all three do a fine job. Getting back up that hill individually proves tougher though. Nevertheless, their results fall in line with the drag race.
As though someone was rigging these games, the next challenge again sees the three cars switch places again. This time, they’re judged on their ground clearance and abilities on a very uneven trail and the Range Rover dominates. The Cayenne comes in last and all is tied for a test of traction up a rocky hill.
It’s so steep and slippery that the Range Rover fails to make it all the way up. The BMW and Porsche do though which leads to a finale of rock crawling with the Range Rover needing to make up ground. We’ll let you find out how it finishes by watching below. What we will tell you is that all three are far more capable than they might look when they’re crawling around your local mall parking lot.