The Tesla Model 3 Continues a Tradition of Quickness

The Tesla Model 3 was a game changer in the EV market, and it continues to impress.
In the past, the only benefit you received for an EV was the saving of fuel money in favor of electric power, but these vehicles were slow, plodding, and only the most committed environmentalist would choose them for the drive. Tesla changed this with the Model S and continues to make sure we have excellent models to drive with the new Model 3. The Model S is considered to be one of the quickest cars on the road for the past few years and now that we’ve seen a video of the Model 3 running a quarter-mile in 13.3-seconds at 104 mph, we can discuss cars that are slower than the Model 3.

Audi TT Coupe

The Audi is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that allows this car to turn in a 13.8-second quarter-mile time, but that’s not enough to take down the Model 3. Even so, the TT Coupe reaches 99 mph during this run to make it a car that can reach the speed in a hurry, but the long-range Model 3 is able to make the run faster and at a higher top speed.

Chevrolet Camaro 1LE Coupe

This is the V6-powered Camaro that is tested against the Model 3 and it’s capable of reach the quarter-mile in 13.8 seconds at a speed of 101 mph. This car brings in 335 horsepower and 284 lb.-ft. of torque while using the six-speed manual transmission for the drive. There will likely be an answer from Chevrolet to combat the Model 3 being faster in this sprint.

Subaru WRX STI

With this car, you have AWD and a turbocharged flat engine under the hood, but it’s still not fast enough to beat the Model 3 across the line. This car is able to finish the quarter-mile in 13.8 seconds and reach a speed of 102 mph while doing so. This is a respectable time for a four-door sports sedan, but it’s not enough to be as fast as the Model 3.

Ford Mustang EcoBoost

This version of the Mustang uses a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine for the power under the hood. This gives the Mustang enough power to reach the end of the quarter-mile in 13.7-seconds and make it across the line at a speed of 102 mph, but that’s not nearly enough speed to take down the Model 3 during this sprint.

Nissan 370Z

You may not see this car as often as you want, but the current Z car is one that provides you with 332 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of torque in an exciting two-door sports car build that looks amazing and feels even better. You won’t feel as good though when the Model 3 leaves you behind during this sprint which takes the 370Z 13.7 seconds to complete at 106 mph.

Infiniti Q50 3.0t Sport

The popularity of luxury sports sedans makes this an important addition to the market and with the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine this sedan can finish the quarter-mile in 13.6 seconds and make it to a speed of 103 mph. That’s a pretty good run for this car but the Model 3 is still the winner as you can see and will be just a bit faster than this car.

Honda Civic Type R

This car came with a huge fanfare and has been one of our favorite cars on the market since it arrived in the US. This car is able to offer you 306 horsepower from the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine to go along with 295 lb.-ft. of torque. The Civic Type R reached the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds at 108 mph to be slightly slower than the Model 3 on the track.

Ford Focus RS

You would think a hot hatch that brings you 350 horsepower from a turbocharged four-cylinder engine would be able to take down the Model 3. This car certainly has the power but the fact that the Model 3 doesn’t have to shift gears makes the run only slightly slower for the Focus RS as it crosses the quarter-mile line at the 13.4-second mark at 104 mph to be close.

Volkswagen Golf R

This is one of the most popular hot hatches offered on the market today with the power and the driving dynamics you want. This car might make it around the track faster than the Model 3, but the 292 horsepower isn’t enough to win the race as the Golf R reaches the quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds at 104 mph to be only a hair slower than the Tesla.

Jaguar F-Type S Coupe

This is a shocker when you think about the massive 380 horsepower and 339 lb.-ft. of torque coming out of the engine if this car. In a sprint, the small Tesla has the edge by only a small amount as the Jaguar model reaches the end of the quarter-mile run in 13.4 seconds at a speed of 105 mph to be only a little behind the Model 3.