Top Gear still hates Tesla

[Irace86.2.0]

Top Gear has never been a fan of green cars, and why should they? They are a performance car show, but this hasn't stopped them from getting the opportunity to show their disdain for econoboxes.


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKIryzmF-VM[/ame]



Then they had an opportunity to review the Tesla Roadster, and well, they had a show to run and a story to tell that fit their tastes and talking points, so they lied a bit to make the EV look like a bad car.


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc_A34G6UAw[/ame]



Moving the timeline forward, they did have a few other Teslas on the show for review, but then Porsche came out with the Taycan, and they needed to support the right brand, so they couldn't help but fib a little, or lie. I don't really know.


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F28i1D1OJ5o[/ame]



But now it seems like they have been caught.


https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-mode...results-video/

Just recently, motoring publication Top Gear posted a video comparing the Porsche Taycan Turbo S to the Tesla Model S Performance. The publication featured a drag race between the two vehicles which ended with the Taycan taking the win from the Model S. The quarter-mile race seemed to be a clean win for the Porsche, but according to a veteran drag racer, there are some aspects of the race that were, to say the least, suspicious.

Brooks of DragTimes has extensive experience on the drag strip, being the owner of vehicles like the McLaren 720S and the new Ford GT. With a garage filled with high-performance cars and innumerable straight-line races under his belt, Brooks knows a thing or two about drag racing. His experiences with his Model S P100D also make him a veteran Tesla owner who knows all the quirks of the all-electric sedan inside out when launching from a straight line.

With this in mind, the veteran drag racer noted that there seems to be several things that are wrong about the results of Top Gear‘s quarter-mile race between the Porsche Taycan Turbo S and the Tesla Model S Performance. The motoring publication listed the Model S’ 0-60 mph time at 2.68 seconds, its 0-100 mph at 6.46 seconds, and its quarter-mile time at 11.08 seconds at 124.0 mph. The DragTimes host noted that this immediately rings some alarm bells, as the Model S Performance is known to clock 10.6-second quarter-mile times regularly.

But it gets stranger. Looking at the figures listed by Top Gear after the two vehicles’ drag race, it appears that the publication basically copy-pasted the exact same performance figures of the Model S from a race against a Mercedes AMG E63S from 2017. This, according to Brooks, is highly suspicious, since the chances of a vehicle having the exact same 0-60 mph, 0-100 mph, quarter-mile time, and trap speed in two different drag races are incredibly thin.

Apart from this, the DragTimes host argued that the Model S which raced against the Taycan Turbo S did not seem to be in Launch Mode. This is because the Model S squats when Launch Mode is engaged, something that did not seem to happen in Top Gear‘s video. The motoring publication did not seem to engage the full capabilities of Ludicrous Plus Mode as well, as the graphics on the vehicle’s MCU and instrument cluster do not feature the same settings as a Model S with its maximum performance enabled.

Top Gear noted that the Porsche Taycan Turbo S completed the quarter-mile in 10.69 seconds, which is 0.39 seconds faster than the Model S’ 11.08-second quarter-mile time. Brooks noted that in drag races, a 0.39-second gap would usually correspond to about four car lengths. This is pretty odd since in the Top Gear video, the Taycan Turbo S was only one car length ahead of the Model S Performance when it crossed the quarter-mile mark.

If the DragTimes host’s observations are correct, then it means that Top Gear misrepresented the Tesla Model S in its recent comparative video against the Porsche Taycan Turbo S. This is unfortunate, as the two vehicles are actually neck-in-neck, and they do feature quarter-mile performance that can make an exciting drag race. The Porsche Taycan Turbo S is a great vehicle too, and its two-speed gearbox will likely give it an advantage over the Tesla Model S Performance at high speeds.

Simply put, the Porsche Taycan Turbo S is a worthy competitor that has the potential to win against a Raven Tesla Model S Performance with Launch Mode and Ludicrous Plus fair and square. Misrepresentations, whether intentional or not, only do Porsche an injustice. The Model S deserves better, and the Taycan Turbo S does too.

Watch Brook’s breakdown of Top Gear‘s Porsche Taycan Turbo S vs Tesla Model S Performance drag race in the video below.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE9eJtG8jaU[/ame]


I get that Top Gear is entertainment, yet I've always assumed that they are like most motor journalists, in that, when comparing cars, they provide ACTUAL performance data then they provide subjective comparisons. At this point, I wouldn't trust them to provide anything factual.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by Irace86.2.0

At this point, I wouldn't trust them to provide anything factual.

I'm not entirely sure I trust a website named Teslarati to provide anything factual either...

[HKz]

doubt the majority of people who buy Teslas bother listening to Jeremy and Top Gear...they are all too busy sleeping at the wheel..

[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by Spuds

I'm not entirely sure I trust a website named Teslarati to provide anything factual either...

BTW, that article was based on information from the youtube video by Brooks at DragTimes (video was posted at the bottom).

Would you believe your own eyes then (car ran 10.54 at 126)?


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeT2lEAaSQo[/ame]

[Dadhawk]

OK so the posted numbers are suspect, but did or didn't the race end up with the Taycan ahead? That's all that really matters in a drag race.

The speculation about them not using launch mode in the Tesla would be the bigger point to me.

Also, there was some other articles that talked about how these cars would not have been drag raced at all had they been ICE since they are not the same type of car. Then again, Top Gear drag races across types all the time.

The S family sedan is fast enough to keep up with the sports car. That's pretty cool. Still wouldn't want one as exemplified by the whole "No, I want my Mommy" button and the warpspeed graphics.

Sorry, it would make me feel like I've installed one of those Walmart radios with 75 running colors on every screen. I outgrew that a LONG time ago.

[Lantanafrs2]

I think there is still an undercurrent of dislike towards tesla or more specifically Elon musk. Call it achievement envy. Those guys are lucky to be selling their show in a market that still considers car ownership a privilege.

[ScoobsMcGee]

If you want to bring up a valid argument:

Point out the fact that the base Taycan starts at about $50,000 more (Conveniently 50% more) than a Model S performance.

Point out that despite the price difference, the Taycan also has a slightly shorter range.

Do not claim that a car show hates green cars when complaining about a comparison between two electric vehicles. One of them literally green.

Do not point out an issue between a former presenter of the car show and the owner of Tesla as proof of bias on behalf of the current cast and producers.

Do not use a long winded explanation from a drag racing expert to rant about a difference in a quarter mile time of 0.39 seconds from non-professional drivers.

Realize that you could probably drag race these two cars 100 times and not have a consistent winner. A lot of science goes into drag racing, but drag racing isn't an exact science. When the difference is that small, countless variables could affect it. From the condition of tarmac to the driver's reaction time. The point that should be taken away from this is that both cars are very, very fast.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by ScoobsMcGee

If you want to bring up a valid argument:

Point out the fact that the base Taycan starts at about $50,000 more (Conveniently 50% more) than a Model S performance.

Yea, I saw this in one of the comments when I first read the article, except that said (paraphrasing), "bring up the point you could have the S, and a Model 3, with $20,000 to spare".

[Lantanafrs2]

The taycan is beautiful but was designed for a smaller market. Tesla is a sedan. Probably a lot nimbler than jeremy clarkson trying to squeeze through an amusement park turnstile though.

[NWFRS]

All the people I've known who drove Teslas were insufferable narcissists.

[EAGLE5]

Originally Posted by NWFRS

All the people I've known who drove Teslas were insufferable narcissists.

I better go get one then.!

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by Lantanafrs2

or more specifically Elon musk. Call it achievement envy.

The guy is a delusional egomaniac. I'm glad he's throwing his money into neat things but realistically I firmly believe his endeavors would be MORE successful if he took his fat mouth off twitter took two BIG steps back away from the day to day operations of Tesla, SpaceX and Solar City.

The cult of personality that has developed around billionaires is sickening.

[EAGLE5]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

The guy is a delusional egomaniac. I'm glad he's throwing his money into neat things but realistically I firmly believe his endeavors would be MORE successful if he took his fat mouth off twitter took two BIG steps back away from the day to day operations of Tesla, SpaceX and Solar City.

The cult of personality that has developed around billionaires is sickening.

Musk is a showman and part conman, but he's built up companies that have accomplished a lot.

[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

OK so the posted numbers are suspect, but did or didn't the race end up with the Taycan ahead? That's all that really matters in a drag race.

If the Porsche bogged down in traction control or the Tesla spun the tires and ran a 13.0 then would they show that race and claim it realistically demonstrates the performance comparison? No.

As the article and guy pointed out, the Tesla P100D in ludicrous mode and in launch control will do a 10.6, so the fact that it ran an 11.08 is suspect. It is possible the car was made to lose, and if it did then they could have quoted those times, but they used times from an older model. It could be that the Taycan’s numbers are also made up, as was the whole race, and they pulled some times off the internet after getting the shots they wanted.