Although faster EVs do exist somewhere out there (Rimac Nevera, anyone?), Tesla is value-for-money champ with the Model S Plaid. The American company further sweetens the deal with the so-called Track Package, which makes the tri-motor sedan feel more at home on a racing circuit.
Tipping the scales at 2,162 kilograms (4,766 pounds), the Model S Plaid isn't for the faint of heart because of its 1.99-second acceleration to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour). Top speed? Make that 200 miles per hour or 322 kilometers per hour.
Priced at $89,990 in the United States, the Model S Plaid corners pretty well from the outset. Opting for the MSP-specific Track Package unlocks even more on-track performance thanks to a carbon-ceramic brake kit, updated firmware for the braking system, and Zero-G wheels mounted with 285/35 R20 and 305/30 R20 grippy rubber shoes from Goodyear. It's not exactly affordable, though, because Tesla wants an eye-watering $20,000 for said Track Package.
The Model S Plaid with the go-faster package lapped the Nurburgring in 7 minutes 25 seconds with Tom Schwister behind the steering wheel. This record may have been shattered by Porsche with the soon-to-be-revealed Taycan Turbo GT, which is a three-motor affair with 1,000-odd horsepower on tap as well.
Pictured on a rather damp runway in the United Kingdom, the MSPTP in the video below easily outperforms the Porsche Taycan Turbo S and platform sibling Audi RS e-tron GT in a straight line. Be it a good ol' dig race or a rolling start race from 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour), the Tesla doesn't even break a sweat on its way to a clear and dominant victory.
Photo: AutoTrader on YouTube
AutoTrader UK has also raced these battery-electric vehicles in the dry to see whether the shooting brake-bodied Taycan and sedan-bodied Audi can redeem itself. Not surprising in the least, the Model S Plaid Track Package asserted dominance once again. Rory Reid quotes 11.2 seconds in the quarter mile for the RS e-tron GT, 10.8 seconds for the Taycan Turbo S, and a staggering 9.6 seconds at 144 miles per hour (232 kilometers per hour) for the American EV.
Truth be told, the Model S Track Package is quite a bit lighter than its German competitors. The Porsche weighs 2,320 kilograms (5,115 pounds), whereas the Audi has 2,345 kilograms (5,170 pounds) to its name. Also remember how much torque the Tesla produces: 1,424 Nm (1,050 pound-feet) compared to 1,050 and 830 (774 and 612) for the rival electric vehicles.
The Model S Plaid Track Package lost the final challenge, though, for its Goodyear Supercar 3R summer-only tires aren't exactly adequate for wet braking. In the emergency braking test from 100 miles per hour (nearly 160 kilometers per hour), the MSPTP came in dead least. The Taycan settled for second place, whereas the Audi won this round by quite a few meters.
Had it been your hard-earned money, which of these three EVs would you put a deposit on and why?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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