HomeVehicleCarsTesla Model 3 Performance Vs Audi RS6: EV vs ICE Drag Racing

Tesla Model 3 Performance Vs Audi RS6: EV vs ICE Drag Racing

It’s becoming quite common to watch electric vehicles battle it out against combustion vehicles on the track recently. Most of the times, the electric vehicle in question is a Tesla since most Tesla models have put some impressive performance specs on the market. Make no mistake though, cars like the Porsche Taycan are also impressive electric cars for the track. But this time around, it is the Tesla Model 3 Performance going up against Audi RS6. The RS6 is a high-performance station wagon of the Audi A6 range.

The goal was to check which car offers better acceleration, and this was tested by conducting a quarter-mile drag race. The test also consisted of some rolling start runs instead of the normal standstill.

Audi RS6 vs Tesla Model 3 Performance: EV vs ICE Drag Racing

Comparing The Cars

The Audi RS6 belongs to Mat Watson, who is a part of the team “Carwow“. The RS6 has a 4.0-litre V8 engine, capable of producing 600 horsepower and 800 Nm of torque. It has an all-wheel-drive with an 8-speed automatic gearbox. It also has a torque converter and launch control. Being a five-seater station wagon, the car is quite heavy, weighing 2075 kg. It also costs £94,500 ($125,886) on its own, and with the accessories that Mat has ought, the price goes up to £120,000 ($159885).

The Tesla Model 3 Performance belongs to Richard Symons, who is an independent retail specialist in selling electric vehicles. The Model 3 is a dual-motor variant, which combines to give 490 horsepower and 660 Nm of torque. The Tesla Model 3 is lighter than the RS6, weighing 1849 kg. It also costs much lesser – £56,490 ($75,226).

The Drag Race

Mat in the RS6 had activated launch control, while Richard in the Model 3 switched to Track Mode. The drag race consisted of a best-two-out-of-three contest.

The first run saw Richard in the Model 3 get a slow reaction off the starting line, and the RS6 built a huge lead. The major advantage for electric vehicles is the launch, and so, once Audi got the lead, it was always going to win.

The second run saw the Model 3 get a great start and sprint away from the Audi. This time around, it was the RS6 that was slow off the line. Both drivers then agreed to go for a third run to settle the contest.

The third and final run was the closest of the lot. The RS6 got a good start, but the Model 3 was hot on its heels. It even managed to go neck-to-neck with the RS6, before the Audi pulled away at higher speeds. In this run, the RS6 completed the quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds. Model 3, on the other hand, completed the run in 11.8 seconds.

The Rolling Race

The idea was to take the launch out of the picture and race the two cars from an approximate speed of 50 mph (80.5 kph). The RS6 was put into fully automatic mode, while the Model 3 switched off the Track Mode.

They started at 50 mph (80 kph) and then gave full throttle input. The Tesla pulled away quite easily, managing to stay ahead till the end of the runway that was being used for the race. In this run, the only way the Audi could have won is if it hit 150 mph (240 kph), but the length of the runway did not allow that.

The second run saw Mat put the RS6 into manual mode, and start the race at 50 mph in 3rd gear. The Model 3 was still able to pull away quickly, but the manual mode worked better for the RS6, as it passed the Tesla at a speed of 124 mph (200 kph). So the RS6 might beat the Model 3 on an Autobahn in Germany, but not in the United Kingdom.

The third and final run saw the two cars start at 35 mph (56 kph), with the RS6 in 2nd gear. The low-speed torque saw the Model 3 pull away quite a bit once again, and by the time the Audi had overtaken it, the speed was more than 140 mph (225 kph).

You can watch the video of these tests here:

 

Mihir Tasgaonkar
Mihir Tasgaonkar
A mechanical engineer who loves reading and writing about new technologies in the automobile industry.

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