- Electric cars can achieve faster 0-60 mph times compared to their hybrid and gas counterparts.
- Hybrid vehicles leverage additional power sources to enhance performance despite added weight.
- AWD systems combined with advanced launch control significantly improve acceleration.
Speed and power are available across the automotive world more than ever before. This trio of cars, a Tesla, Mercedes, and BMW, prove that performance can come from various sources. Two drag races provide insight into just how these three sports sedans do their work.
First, let’s run the numbers. The Tesla Model 3 Performance here has the least power of the trio, just 510 horsepower (380 kW). The BMW M3 CS is next with its gas-burning twin-turbocharged straight-six making 543 horsepower (404 kW), and finally, the Mercedes AMG C63 S with its hybrid four-cylinder delivers 671 horsepower (500 kW). On the other hand, the AMG also weighs some 860 pounds (390 kg) more than the BMW and is also heavier than the Tesla.
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All of these cars benefit from power to all four wheels and all have launch control. From a dig, they all do some pretty amazing things on their own. The Mercedes manages a sprint from 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in under three seconds and slips through the quarter mile in 11.2 seconds. While that’s fast enough to keep up with a Dodge Demon 170, it finishes dead last in this group.
The Tesla launches hard and reaches 60 mph in 2.8 seconds. It continues gaining speed and finishes the race in just 11.0 seconds at 122 mph, yet is still more than a car length behind the BMW. The M3 CS is simply too good at this particular game to lose. It leverages its launch control to spool up its turbochargers before the start, then, when the hammer drops it stays almost perfectly in its power band thanks to short gears.
The result is a slightly quicker 0-60 time than the Tesla and a quarter-mile time of only 10.9 seconds but this race isn’t over. What happens when these three go back to the start line and have an old-school traffic light drag race? In other words, what happens with launch control isn’t available?
The result is dramatically different. Just like the first time, the press-and-go Tesla leaves the line for dead. The turbocharged cars behind it struggle though. The Mercedes benefits from electrified power directly to the rear axle though and has more electricity helping it build boost at low RPM. The BMW doesn’t have any of those advantages and as such ends up far behind all three.
Only at the line does the M3 manage to walk around the AMG while the pair battle for second place. What does all of this tell us? No matter what type of performance sedan you might prefer, there is something out there for you these days.