Tesla Model 3 Performance duels Alfa Romeo’s monster crossover SUV

Teslas have a reputation for being monsters on the drag strip, and for good reason. In a straight line, Tesla’s electric cars are incredibly difficult to beat due to the instant torque produced by their electric motors. The Tesla Model 3 Performance is one of these vehicles, as the sedan is capable of outrunning high-performance cars like the Ferrari 458 despite not having a dedicated feature like the Model S and Model X Performance’s Ludicrous Mode.

Electric cars are steadily getting better, but so are gas-powered vehicles. While the internal combustion engine is on the way out, veteran carmakers like Alfa Romeo continue to release fossil fuel-powered creations that are still mighty impressive. One of these is the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, a crossover SUV that is every bit as ferocious as one of the automaker’s most formidable sedans.

Based on the Giulia Quadrifoglio, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio is marketed as a high-performance crossover that provides immense levels of driver involvement. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio is a luxury performance crossover, costing approximately $79,000. For that price, one would expect the vehicle to deliver on performance, and it does. Equipped with a 505 hp, 443 lb-ft 2.9-liter twin turbo V6, 8-speed transmission and torque vectoring all-wheel drive, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio can rip through the road (and track, for that matter) in commanding fashion.

The Tesla Model 3 Performance is the complete antithesis of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. Unlike Alfa Romeo’s roaring crossover, Tesla’s understated electric sedan drives like it’s on rails and accelerates in near-silence. The Model 3 Performance holds a lot of power, with a combined 450 hp and 471 lb-ft of torque coming from its two electric motors.

The Tesla Model 3 Performance and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio went head-to-head in a quarter-mile drag race at the Circuit Zandvoort, which is located in the Netherlands. While the two vehicles seem evenly matched on paper, the Model 3 Performance’s powerful acceleration immediately became a difference-maker as soon as the race started. The electric sedan promptly pulled from the V6 crossover, keeping a lead until the end of the race.

Despite the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio’s racing pedigree, the crossover ended up bowing to the electric car. The Tesla Model 3 Performance ultimately crossed the quarter-mile mark in 12.27 seconds at 183 km/h (113.71 mph), while the high-performance crossover finished the race in 13.08 seconds at 181 km/h (112.47 mph).

Watch the Tesla Model 3 Performance and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio’s quarter-mile duel in the video below.

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