Watch Tesla Model 3 Performance Race Audi TT, RWD Model 3

Name: Watch Tesla Model 3 Performance Race Audi TT, RWD Model 3
Uploaded: 2019-03-21T11:16:22Z
Description: We see how two variants of the Tesla Model 3 stack up against the Audi TT Coupe 45 TFSI in the quarter-mile drag race.

We see how two variants of the Tesla Model 3 stack up against the Audi TT Coupe 45 TFSI in the quarter-mile drag race.

Domenick Yoney

By: Domenick Yoney

Mar 21, 2019 at 7:16am ET

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A quarter-mile tale of two Teslas (and an Audi).

The Tesla Model 3 is a pretty quick sedan. In Long Range rear-wheel-drive spec, it's said to click past 60 miles per hour in five seconds. The Performance version is even more impressive with its official 3.2-second time. Having both of these battery-powered cars in their possession, the folks over at Nextmove in Germany — a long-term electric vehicle rental outfit — decided a little quarter-mile action was in order. Just a heads up, hit the CC option for an English translation in the closed captions.

To make it a bit more interesting, they decided to throw an Audi TT Coupe 45 TSFI (turbocharged stratified fuel injection) into the mix, which they say makes 245 metric horsepower (241.6 hp) and scoots to 62 mph (100 kph) in 5.8 seconds. How this mix of powertrains and performance numbers translates into 1,320 feet of straight-line racing is revelatory.

At launch on the airport landing-strip asphalt, the RWD Model 3 is slow off the mark compared to its all-wheel-drive competitors. But, as you might have guessed, the other Tesla is anything but pokey. It quickly puts some distance between itself and the German car.

Spoiler alert*

At the line, the Performance Model 3 is the hands-down winner with an impressive 11.79-second time. Trailing somewhat at 13.67 seconds, the Audi TT is clearly outclassed by the top-spec mid-size Tesla, though it still managed to stay ahead of the RWD car. While that Model 3 did have an uninspiring start, it managed to gain quite a bit of time back over the quarter-mile distance, finishing with a 14.07-second time.

If you liked the basic race setup in this video, the host tells us that there may be some more electric-versus-combustion racing coming up. It teases a V8 Biturbo badge from of a Mercedes AMG product, as well as that of a 6.4-liter Hemi belonging to a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk at the end of the clip. The Tesla Model 3 Performance should have its hands full next time around.

Source: Motor1.com