The folks at Carwow brought together three respectable SUVs – the Porsche Macan Turbo, Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, and the Audi RS Q3 Sportback – for a drag race.

On paper, the SUVs aren’t as closely matched as you expect them to be. If you go purely by specs and the power-to-weight ratio, you can determine the winner without even watching the race. But, we’ve seen in the past that things are generally different when you race vehicles in the real world. Do you think we’ll have a surprise winner at the end?

What Powers These SUVs?

Let’s get the specs out of the way first. The Porsche Macan Turbo comes packed with a 2.9-liter, turbocharged V-6 engine that makes 440 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to all the wheels via a seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The SUV weighs 4,450 pounds and features a Launch Control. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio is powered by a 2.9-liter, twin-turbo V-6 engine that churns out 510 horses and 443 pound-feet of twist. Power is sent to the wheels via an eight-speed automatic. It is over 400 pounds lighter than the Macan Turbo but doesn’t come with a Launch Control.

As for the RS Q3, it comes with a 2.5-liter, five-cylinder turbocharged mill under the hood that produces 400 ponies and 354 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to all the wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox. It weighs merely 3,750 pounds, but features a Launch Control. When it comes to quarter-mile races, Launch Control plays an important role and could nullify the higher power output advantages of other cars without a Launch Control feature.

The Audi RSQ3 Was There Just For The Heck Of It

In the first race, the Macan sprinted from the starting line and got a healthy lead with a couple of seconds. The RS Q3 went past the Quadrifoglio, but the latter recovered well and almost caught up with the Porsche, losing by just a nose. The second race was a replay of the first race. The Porsche and the Alfa Romeo beat covered the distance in 12 seconds, whereas the Audi took 12.9 seconds.

Next was the rolling start race at 50 mph. The Alfa Romeo just flew past both the SUVs, thanks to the fantastic low-end torque and the lightweight. The Audi, again, was placed last. In the second round, the Porsche was set in Sports mode and third gear locked in. Here, Audi almost beat the Porsche Macan Turbo. Finally, there was the brake test, and despite being the heaviest, the Macan stopped in the shortest distance, thanks to the ceramic brakes.

What are your thoughts about this race? Share them with us in the comments section below.