Tesla Model S Plaid pulls off surprisingly mixed result against supercharged Suzuki Hayabusa, Koenigsegg Agera RST

While the Tesla Model S Plaid might not be the best-selling Tesla around, it’s by far the most impressive performer in production. Since its release, the Tesla’s Model S Plaid has repeatedly defied expectations when facing off against the world’s fastest cars, winning out in several competitions to justify its spot as the quickest road-going vehicle in production. Mat Watson and the team at Carwow on YouTube have put the Model S Plaid through its paces once again.

While the Koenigsegg Agera RST is powered by a 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, the Suzuki Hayabusa features a comparatively tiny 1.3-litre engine with half as many cylinders as the Koenigsegg. The only cylinders and litres in the Tesla Model S Plaid are in the form of battery cells and luggage space, respectively, thanks to its 1,020-hp dual-motor electric drive train.

While there were some unavoidable launch shenanigans, the Tesla Model S proved itself a worthy competitor, running circles around the Koenigsegg in the 1/4-mile race but losing to the 380-hp Hayabusa by a hair — 0.1s, to be precise. Observing the footage of the race, it’s interesting to note that the Koenigsegg was starting to catch up to the Tesla towards the end of the run, but it was too little too late.

The 1/2-mile rolling-start test was a different story entirely, with the Koenigsegg leaving the Model S Plaid in the dust thanks to the Tesla’s 165-mph speed limiter. The race had the three competitors start side-by-side at 50 mph in second gear — with the exception of the Tesla, of course — and race over a half a mile to the finish line. In this race, the Hayabusa finished last, if only slightly, while the Model S Plaid still had the drop on the Koenigsegg for a short stint. Once the Koenigsegg got into its stride, it was immediately obvious it would pull ahead of the Tesla.

The results of these tests make it obvious that the Model S Plaid’s biggest strength lies in its instant acceleration, while the gear shifts — quick as they may be — let the ICE-powered Koenigsegg and Hayabusa down. It’s a bit of a shame Mat and the team didn’t redo the roll race, because the Hayabusa had a bit of a messy start that set it back a bit — a disadvantage it very well might have been able to make up, given how close the 1/2-mile race was in the end.

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Julian van der Merwe – Magazine Writer – 216 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2022

My interest in tech started in high school, rooting and flashing my Motorola Defy, but I really fell down the rabbit hole when I realised I could overclock the i7 930 in my Gigabyte pre-built PC. This tinkering addiction eventually lead me to study product design in university. I think tech should improve the lives of the people using it, no matter the field. I like to read and write about laptops, smartphones, software and trends in technology.