Internet videos have conditioned us to understand just how quickly electric cars can get off the line and through the quarter-mile. And, indeed, they are very quick. But their speed isn’t unmatchable.
CarWow pitted the fan-favorite Audi RS6 Avant against the Tesla Model X Performance to see if a hot ICE wagon can take on a spicy electric SUV.
This being the Model X Performance, it makes 778 hp (788 PS/580 kW) and 840 lb-ft (1,140 Nm) of torque. Those figures, plus its electric motors’ immediate torque, make it a formidable fighter.
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The RS6 Avant, meanwhile, is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 producing 592 hp (600 PS/441 kW) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque. As with practically every fast Audi, the fast wagon sends power to all four wheels, giving it pretty good off-the-line traction.
In the first standing quarter-mile, the weight advantage of the RS6 Avant isn’t enough to enable it to keep up with the Tesla, and a small lead gained on one of its shifts is too much for the RS6 Avant to make up, giving the EV the win, but not by as much as you might expect.
A botched start in the second quarter-mile drag race gives the RS6 Avant an easy win and leads the CarWow team to run a third, best-two-out-of-three race for all the marbles. And wouldn’t you know it, a very good start for the RS6 Avant gives an impressive by-a-nose win.
In the rolling races, though, the Audi simply can’t keep up with the Tesla’s instant torque, and only when the deck is stacked heavily in the RS6 Avant’s favor does it manage to save a little face. The braking test, though, gives the lighter internal combustion car another win, meaning that overall it fared very well against the new-school EV.
