Okay friends, here’s the deal. These tug-of-war battles between cars are, for lack of a better term, bloody stupid and serve no purpose aside from showing who has better traction. Then again, massive smoky burnouts are also bloody stupid and serve no purpose aside from showing who has worse traction. However, it’s all about fun, and we’ll freely embrace the low-brow pleasure of roping two vehicles together and watching them battle to the death. Hence this new video from CarWow showing just that, but without the death.
A vehicle tug-of-war isn’t about power but grip, which is why even a modest tree without any engine will always beat your neighbour's lifted pickup truck. These vehicles do have engines, however – specifically the Mercedes-AMG G63 features a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 making 585 bhp, versus a Range Rover Sport SVR packing a supercharged 5.0-litre mill with 575 bhp. Both are capable off-roaders, though in this case the Merc has a healthy advantage with torque. It also has an extra gear in its manual transmission, and it’s upwards of 200 kilograms (440 pounds) heavier. On paper, then, it seems the mighty G63 has an advantage, but again, this isn’t about power, or gears. It’s about grip.
Gallery: Mercedes G63 vs Range Rover tug-of-war
More weight pressing down on the tyres can translate to better grip, but Mercedes loses the first battle despite being the heavyweight. The failure is chalked up to a front differential not being locked in, so the off-roaders square off again and go nowhere fast. It’s declared a dead heat though the SVR did hold a slight advantage. The video makes no mention of tyres, but it seems the Range Rover has better rubber for gripping the grass in which the contest is held.
Fight!
Several additional matches are held, with the Mercedes trying various techniques to gain an advantage. Meanwhile, the SVR picked up a second passenger for extra ballast, and yes, it all made a difference in the various outcomes. We’ll let the video wrap up the story of which vehicle takes the overall win, but as is always the case with vehicle tug-of-war, it all comes down to grip.