We’ve already seen the new BMW F90 M5 doing some drag races around the world, even taking on its arch rival E63 AMG in S guise, but we haven’t yet seen it take on what seems to be a supercar killer these days, even though it’s a much more sedated vehicle: a Tesla Model S. In this video though, we get to see the thoroughbred from Munich take on not just one Tesla, but two of them.
Comparing an electric car to one powered by an internal combustion engine isn’t necessarily fair, especially when comparing acceleration runs. That’s because of a number of factors, most importantly, the instant torque delivery. EVs are deadly off the line because they don’t have to build up speed or revs to benefit from all the power the motors can deliver. In this case, both the Model S and the Model X are in P100D guise which means they can rely on 588 HP and some 920 lb-ft of torque.
There’s more to it though. Tesla’s powertrain loses considerably more power along the way than it’s the case with the BMW. Nevertheless, the 600 HP M5 now has all-wheel drive and stands a lot more of a chance than it was the case with its predecessor, the F10 which was RWD.
As for the runs, the first one is ruined by the extremely slow reaction time of the BMW M5. The slips from the drag strip show that the M5 was actually just barely slower than the Model X in terms of speed. Then came the turn of the Model S. This was a lot closer, as the M5 driver wasn’t as slow to launch. As a matter of fact, the two battle it out till the end and the Tesla wins by just .03 seconds, showing just how fast the M5 really is.
