- The French hypercar has a power advantage over its Swedish foe but also weighs much more.
- A trick all-wheel drive system helps the Bugatti puts its power to the ground, unlike the Jesko.
- The Jesko tested here wasn’t fitted with the E85 engine upgrade that gives it 1,600 hp.
The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport and Koenigsegg Jesko Attack are two of the craziest hypercars ever created, but which is quicker in a straight line? CarWow has been able to answer that question while celebrating hitting 10 million subscribers, bringing a Chiron and a Jesko together for a series of high-speed drag races.
The Chiron Super Sport uses an 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine delivering 1,578 hp and 1,180 hp (1,600 Nm) of torque, which is sent to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. By supercar and hypercar standards, it’s also very heavy, tipping the scales at 1,995 kg (4,398 lbs).
Watch: Koenigsegg Jesko Storms Around Top Gear Test Track, Setting New Road-Legal Lap Record
The Jesko Attack is very different. It has a higher-revving 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 1,280 hp and 738 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque. Importantly, it’s rear-wheel drive only and uses Koenigsegg’s in-house Lightspeed transmission with nine gears. While it lacks the power of the Chiron, it only weighs 1,420 kg (3,130 lbs).
In the first race, the lighter Jesko is no match for the Chiron as it struggles to put its power to the ground. The Bugatti gets a far better launch and quickly builds a commanding lead, taking an easy victory. Things were much closer in the second race.
This time, the Koenigsegg did a better job putting its power to the ground, and as the speeds started to build, the two cars remained locked together. When they crossed the line, it was a photo finish, but the Chiron just edged its Swedish rival. Both cars ran the quarter-mile in 9.6 seconds.
Two rolling races were also held. In the first, both cars were in first gear and pulled away from 10 mph, while in the second, the cars were in third gear and started at 62 mph. With better traction, the Bugatti claimed the victory in the first race, but the Koenigsegg claimed an easy win in the second race.
Interestingly, while the Super Sport is the quickest version of the Chiron available, the same cannot be said about the Jesko that was tested. Koenigsegg offers an engine upgrade that allows it to run on E85, increasing grunt to 1,600 hp, but this Jesko doesn’t have the upgrade, which, in theory, should make it more competitive against the Bugatti.
