Tesla’s supremacy at the dragstrip is based almost entirely on the Model S Plaid’s insane specs and figures. The other top brawlers from Elon Musk’s car company aren’t afraid to throw a heavy punch from time to time. Still, when it comes to down-to-earth regular, everyday, normal mother drivers’ cars, the Speed Knight's shiny armor has plenty of cracks for the rivals to thrust their swords through. And Volvo is doing a pretty good job kicking Tesla between the taillights.
‘Horsepower sells cars, but torque wins races.’ Remember who said that? If Carroll Shelby had been around in this day and age of electric vehicles, it would have been a very interesting EV vs. ICEV debate. The argument has been settled by Rimac, Tesla, Lucid, Porsche, and other high-performance socket-suckers manufacturers. The new horsepower wars will be fought over electric grounds.
While Tesla is the automotive EV equivalent of Google Chrome for internet browsers, some alternatives might be surprisingly good (or better), all things considered. Taking the Oh-So-Dragstrip hugging Plaid models out of the equation, Teslas aren’t that menacing. And here is Swedish proof (spoiler alert – it’s not from Koenigsegg).
A 2024 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance throws the gauntlet at a 2024 Tesla Model 3 Long Range, and the umpires to settle the challenge are the car vloggers from the E-Drive Sweden YouTube channel. The two cars are fairly close to sitting in the same class but also far enough from each other to make this race interesting.
Photo: YouTube/E-Drive Sweden
Twin motor versus twin motor, all-wheel drive versus all-wheel drive – both cars are the top performers in their respective series. The EX30 comes in the Twin Motor Performance guise, with 315 kW (428 PS) and 543 Nm (422 hp and 400 lb-ft). The Tesla Model 3 Long Range packs 366 kW (498 PS 491 hp) and 493 Nm (364 lb-ft).
The power advantage is on the American’s side, but the Swede makes up with more torque. However, the Volvo is a bit heavier, at 1,963 kg / 4,333 lbs, 48 kg / 106 lbs more than the more powerful Tesla 3 (1,915 kg / 4,227 lbs).
Official specs claim a better 0-62 mph (100 kph) time for the Volvo: 3.6 seconds, eight-tenths faster than the Tesla’s 4.4-sec sprint. The paper math is right on the money this time – the EX30 Twin Motor shoots off the line and puts the Model 3 Long Range in the rearview mirror to the quarter-mile mark.
The race gives each contestant equal chances, with the cars running on both sides of the track in the two rounds. The Swede doesn’t even break a sweat in the frigid conditions – both EVs run on winter tires (make and model unspecified) – and scores 12.5 seconds versus the Tesla’s 12.8-second run.
After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads. Full profile
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