A little while back, Tesla launched it new version of the Model S, called the P100D. The “P” in its name stands for Performance and the “D” stands to dual, referring to the dual electric motors and all-wheel drive. The “100” in its name stands for the kWh of its battery. With all of that combined, and with ‘Ludicrous Plus’ mode, the Model S P100D is the fastest accelerating car in the world. Its claimed 0-60 mph is 2.39 seconds, which is faster than any production car in history. However, the Audi RS7 Performance, while old now, still has a few tricks up its sleeve. So which car is better? Motor Trend finds out.
It’s actually quite shocking to see how the Model S is clearly designed after the Audi RS7. Its shape, size, length and width are all almost identical, something that Motor Trend criticizes Tesla for. Audi has to package and engine, transmission, two driveshafts and two differentials in the RS7 but the Model S only has to package a battery and electric motor. With that freedom, you’d think Tesla could have come up with something more exciting.
The Model S does earn back some brownie points for its extra space and two trunks, which allowed it to carry more bags of manure than the Audi. Which many Tesla and Audi customers are going to do with their very expensive, leather-lined luxury cars.
On the inside, both cars score big points in different ways. While the Audi RS7’s cabin is old now, it’s still a masterclass in design and refinement. Everything is made of extremely high-quality materials and the layout is near-perfect. Inside the Tesla, the design is more modern and the tech is more impressive, housing the best touchscreen infotainment system on the market, but its quality is seriously lacking in such an expensive car.
But you don’t to read about, and watch, the fastest accelerating car of all time haul manure. You want to see how they do on a track. Naturally, MT drag raced the two cars and the results were obvious. Under the RS7’s hood lies a 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8 that, in Performance-guise, makes 605 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. The Model S P100D, by contrast, makes a combined 680 hp from its dual electric motors. So both make over 600 hp and both are all-wheel drive. The Audi RS7 Performance is lighter but the Tesla Model S doesn’t need to rev or change gears.
The result is that the Model S destroys the RS7 in the drag race. Admittedly, the RS7 starts to catch up, due to its better high-speed acceleration thanks to electric cars falling off at higher speed, it’s not enough. The Model S fires off the line, giving it a lead it never relinquishes.
In the end, they give the win to the Tesla Model S. Not only is it faster and more practical, but it does it without using a single drop of fuel. It’s the future of the performance sedan while the Audi RS7 Performance is the past.
The post VIDEO: Audi RS7 Performance vs Tesla Model S P100D in Motor Trend Head 2 Head appeared first on QuattroDaily.