Nobody is going to buy a Mercedes-Benz S-Class with the expectation that they can keep up with a Tesla Model S. Nevertheless, CarWow recently decided to pit a new S500 against an old Model S P100D to have some fun and show how the two compare.
When the Model S was first launched in P100D guise, it was the electric car of the moment with roughly 600 hp and upwards of 900 lb-ft of torque. It may be a few years old but it can leave pretty much most other car in its wake and in flagship Ludicrous+ guise, can hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in roughly 2.3 seconds.
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By comparison, the new Mercedes-Benz S500 is fitted with a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six rated at 435 hp and 383 lb-ft (520 Nm) of torque. Like the Tesla, it is all-wheel drive and despite its size, it does actually weigh slightly less than the Model S.
The Model S P100D obviously takes the victory in the first drag race that was held, running through the quarter-mile in a mere 12.2 seconds while the S-Class needed 13.6 seconds. A rolling race was then held. Of course, the Tesla took the victory in that race as well but in the final performance test that saw the drivers slam on the brakes from 70 mph, the Mercedes actually took the victory.
It’s hardly a surprise that the Tesla is quicker than the Mercedes-Benz, but if you could only choose one to take on a long roadtrip, would you take the Model S or the S-Class?