Tesla Model X Drag Races Porsche Cayenne, Internal Combustion Tastes Defeat Again

Filmed at the Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida by Brooks Weisblat of DragTimes, the go-faster sport utility vehicles clock 119.11 miles per hour and 141.85 miles per hour first time out on the strip. In metric, that would be 191.68 and 228.28 kilometers per hour. Care to guess which one required 9.8 seconds and which crossed the finish line in 11.5?

Of course, Tesla's three-row crossover proved the quicker and faster of the two performance SUVs. In the second and final race, the owner of the Model X Plaid was joined by no fewer than five passengers to give the guy in the Cayenne a chance of winning.

Spoiler alert: internal combustion enthusiasts will be disappointed once again. It's not the Porker's fault, though, but the cold and hard truth of electric muscle versus internal combustion in the quarter mile. With peak torque generated much quicker than a twin-turbo V8 gets into its sweet spot, the Tesla's three-motor powertrain is far superior in this scenario.

There is, however, a drawback to going electric. 5,390 pounds (2,445 kilograms) of curb weight is obviously detrimental to the vehicle's handling. The Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is a bit on the heavy side of SUVs as well at 5,055 pounds (2,293 kilograms), and it's not even the heaviest Cayenne of the lot.

Unleashed in August 2023, the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid is a plug-in hybrid with a monstrous 729 horsepower and 700 pound-feet (950 Nm) on deck. Over in the United States, the German automaker lists a whopping 5,664 pounds (2,569 kilograms), meaning that it's heavier than the Model X Plaid.

Slowly but surely, Porsche will electrify its production vehicles out of necessity rather than desire. The last model to switch to electric propulsion exclusively will be the 911, which is certain to survive the 2035 ban on the sale of new combustion-engined passenger vehicles in the European Union.

How come? As it happens, the European Commission accepted to make an exception for certain internal combustion vehicles running on synthetic fuels rather than dinosaur juice. However, it remains to be seen how much a gallon of synthetic fuel will cost in 2035 compared to a gallon of gas.

Regarding the Palo Alto-based EV manufacturer, did you hear that the Cybertruck is right around the corner? Deliveries kick off November 30, but alas, production output for the Cybertruck at Giga Texas will leave much to be desired in the first year or so.