Tesla; Ferrari; Lamborghini
- A Tesla Model X raced against a Ferrari SF90 Stradale and Lamborghini Aventador SVJ.
- The Tesla won one race and was extremely close to the Ferrari across the board.
- The Model X Plaid has 1,020 horsepower but costs less than a quarter of the Italian supercars.
On the face of it, it makes no sense for a family SUV to be mentioned in the same breath as exotic, Italian supercars.
But in the new electric era, the same vehicles that haul the kids to school can also torch some of the world's most muscly speed machines in a straight line. Online car-buying marketplace CarWow proved as much in a recent YouTube video pitting the Tesla Model X, Ferrari SF90 Stradale, and Lamborghini Aventador SVJ against each other in a series of quarter-mile drag races.
The super-sporty Model X Plaid that CarWow chose for the stunt costs $109,990 in the US. That's a pretty penny but doesn't hold a candle to the SF90 and Aventador, which both cost around a half-million dollars new.
The three vehicles are more similar when it comes to performance figures. The Model X Plaid puts out 1,020 horsepower from three motors, the Ferrari cranks out 986 horsepower from a hybrid drivetrain, and the Lambo delivers 770 horsepower from a burly V12.
The Model X's advantage here is instant torque. Electric cars — even the biggest luxury SUVs — can deliver all their power to their wheels in an instant, unlike gas vehicles which need to rev their engines up to the optimal RPM before they can perform at their best.
In CarWow's best-of-three competition, the Tesla and Ferrari each took one race by a significant margin, while the third was too close to call between the two. The Aventador SVJ? It looked pretty slow compared to the others.
How's that for an SUV that can haul all your groceries plus your extended family?
Check out the video below: