Porsche Tries to Keep Up With Tesla, Fails Miserably
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n4_EMGdRZg
The Porsche might look bad, but this wasn’t a fair fight.
Two fast cars come up next to each other on a road, and you know what’s bound to happen. One driver is going to try to flex his sports car muscle, and the other driver will try to outdo them. Well, what happens when you have a Tesla Model S and a Porsche 911, and the Tesla wants to flex their acceleration muscle? In one particular case, the Porsche 911 just looks silly.
In a YouTube video that’s going viral right now, a Model S is stopped at a red light, when a white Porsche 911 pulls up behind them. The Tesla driver shows off the incredible Model S acceleration, while the Porsche driver is left behind to wonder what just happened. As the two cars approach the next intersection, both drivers know what’s up. Making a right turn, the Tesla again shows off its powerful acceleration. Next, the Porsche driver, now understanding what’s happening in this situation, tries to accelerate just as fast, but ends up spinning out, looking like a fool, with the Tesla driver laughing hysterically as he drives off. Ouch.
Now, this situation illustrates what is currently a hot button topic among sports car aficionados. Some say that the Tesla Model S, while fast, isn’t a true sports car due to it’s electric motor and sedan-like style, pointing out a car like the 911 is a much more classic performance vehicle with a much beefier engine. Others will say that no matter what’s under the hood, and what the car looks like, the Model S is still a performance vehicle, and can hold its own against any sports car. There’s validity to both arguments, for sure.
In the situation presented in the video, the Model S has a clear advantage. With the “ludicrous” mode engaged, the Model S has a 0-60 speed in only 2.3 seconds. So, in a test of acceleration, the Tesla is a clear favorite, but acceleration does not equal speed. In fact, once you get past the 0-60 time, you start to see the Tesla’s flaws. The torque, thus acceleration, is off the charts, but the true speed, as in top speed, is severely lacking compared to other performance vehicles. Since horsepower is a more clear determination of top speed, the Tesla just finds itself falling behind.
So, while the Tesla wins the day today, the Porsche 911 probably wins overall. However, it’s hard to forget that image of the poor Porsche spinning out and the Tesla driver laughing all the way to the closest charging station.
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