Drag Race Surprise! Alfa Romeo Stelvio vs. BMW X3 M Competition vs. Tesla’s Slowest Family Hauler

We live in a world of performance SUVs. As scary as that may be for those who worship at the altar of low-slung, well-balanced sports cars, automakers are jumping into the crossover craze with both feet by offering their cars with more firepower than ever before, even on their compact models like the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and BMW X3. In this video, we’re pitching two similar (at least on paper) SUVs against each other in an all-out drag race. Both have over 500 horsepower, and both have six-cylinder engines, eight-speed transmissions and all-wheel drive. So, which one is the quickest?

Naturally, when these two landed in the office, Roman and Nathan had to take both to the IMI Motorsports Complex in Dacono, Colorado to find out. But, there’s a twist after these two powerhouses square off against each other. The winner gets to take on our resident long-term electric SUV: the Tesla Model X Long Range. Note it’s not the Performance model, but even so can it outgun these two horsepower heavyweights?

Drag Race Surprise! Alfa Romeo Stelvio vs. BMW X3 M Competition vs. Tesla's Slowest Family Hauler

Alfa Romeo vs. BMW by the numbers

Again, these two crossovers are remarkably similar on paper. The 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio packs a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V6. On the other hand, the 2020 BMW X3 M uses a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six engine. The Stelvio manages to churn out 505 horsepower, while the X3 M Competition manages a “measly” 503 horsepower. Torque is a similar story, with the Alfa Romeo putting out 443 lb-ft to the BMW’s 442 lb-ft. Weight is the main figure that separates the two, as the Italian Stelvio Quadrifoglio is notably lighter than its German rival. While the Alfa weighs in at 4,360 pounds, the BMW is more like 4,620 pounds.

Of course, that’s nothing against the likes of our long-term 2019 Tesla Model X. Thanks to its bulky 100-kWh battery pack, it comes in almost half a ton heavier than the Stelvio. At 5,421 pounds, it’s also 800 pounds heavier than the BMW X3 M Competition. Still, while Tesla doesn’t quote exact horsepower and torque figures, it does have some advantages over its internal combustion competitors in a drag race. Since it doesn’t suffer from elevation at a mile above sea level, it may well come out ahead of the other two in a drag race, despite the weight disadvantage.

Check out the video above for the surprising drag race results! Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for news, views and real-world(-ish) family hauler drag race reviews.