Carwow has arranged a competition between two superfast electric saloons – the China-made Xiaomi SU7 Ultra and the U.S.-designed Tesla Model S Plaid. The Xiaomi is about 50% more powerful, so it’s impressive how close it landed to its rival.
A trio of electric motors – one at the front axle and two at the rear – drive the wheels of the SU7 Ultra with a combined 1,547 PS (1,526 hp / 1,138 kW). Tipping the scales at 2,360 kilograms (5,203 lbs), it’s not exactly a lightweight car, but not a tank, either.
The Tesla Model S Plaid has its own tri-motor powertrain that produces a humbler 1,033 PS (1,019 hp / 760 kW). On the upside, it weighs in at 2,190 kg (4,828 lbs) – quite a bit lighter than its opponent.
Carwow began with standing races that showed that the Xiaomi ran a 9.3-second quarter-mile and the Tesla was 0.2 seconds behind. The Chinese sedan pulled off a convincing victory in a rolling race that followed, but largely thanks to its Boost mode used to ramp up the motor output for several seconds. Both performed reasonably well in a 160-0 km/h (100-0 mph) deceleration test, with the Plaid coming slightly ahead of the SU7 Ultra.
All in all, we’d say the competitors were almost evenly matched. And what do you think?
