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it all started as most things do these
days with the tweet well two tweets
actually from Elon Musk back in May last
year he announced the performance specs
for the Tesla Model 3 performance but he
also announced it would be 15% quicker
than a bmw m3 that it would out handle a
bmw m3 and that it would be any rival on
track
well Elon it's taken us nearly a year to
get hold of these two cars but we have
and we're here at the Thunderhill
Raceway in California and the day of
reckoning has arrived
our two contenders then the model 3
performance a pure electric four-wheel
drive super saloon and the bmw m3 the
original rear-wheel drive super saloon
driven here in standard non-competition
Pack trim to make the prices line up ok
so this is gonna be a battle on four
fronts we're going to do a naught to a
hundred tune or acceleration and brake
test we're gonna set a lap time in each
car we're gonna have a big Top Gear
drift ability challenge thing at the end
but first it's a straight quarter-mile
drag race oh and to make sure it's a
level playing field and make sure it's
all relevant to the vast majority of you
out there it will be high a moderately
skilled driver doing all the driving
rather than some hotshoe racing driver
so you might want to stand back
Oh Oh it kicks and just at the point for
a petrol car be changing gear it kicks
again and I've left that BMW I thought I
was gonna win I didn't think it was
going to be quite that easy anyway first
blood to the Tesla
all right this should even things out I
know I'm quicker to a hundred than him
but he's almost 300 kilograms lighter so
he's gonna be better on the brakes here
we come
hundred miles an hour ah all that was
close I think I got it it's about who
stops first of course he stopped in less
distance which is interesting numbers
numbers give me numbers so despite the
BMW coming to a stop in a shorter
distance it was actually the Tesla that
came to a standstill
first I'll work out the maths on that
one later but what it means is to kneel
to the Tesla next up the hot lap right
then time for our fast laps Tesla up
first simple as that really it'll go as
quickly as I can around the west course
at the Thunderhill Raceway track mode
enabled of course none of this one foot
rollout or flying start nonsense a
standing start because that's how it's
done right also plays into the Tesla's
hands doesn't it because it's so quick
off the line this thing anyway enough
jibber-jabber four-wheel drive off the
line warp speed right here we go now
this is quite a tight little technical
track we've got here quite a few tight
corners it does weigh quite a lot so
understeer is our enemy here but what's
clever about this Tesla Model 3 is in
this new track mode
it increases the regen so actually if
you lift off mid-corner it tuck six nose
in it tries to lift off oversteer a bit
like an old French hot hatch which is
genius right concentrate is a tightening
left-hander yes and then on the exit
just boot it the way it shoots itself
out of the corner once you got the nose
straight is absolutely incredible right
here's a blind crest call me out earlier
oh don't live there jack another hairpin
right
we have oversteer on the exit and that
tight corner to finish onto the main
straight use all the tractor use all the
track there's the line command well it
felt quite good it was eventful I'll
give you that right then one minute
thirty four point zero seven to beat in
the BMW running on something called
petrol apparently haven't heard of it
myself right so we've got the ESC in MDM
mode we've got the suspension fully firm
sport plus we've got the gearbox dialed
up we've got the engine in sport here we
go
alright so manual ready
not the best eye in the world
it's like loss of traction oh come on
Oh John I oversteer there at the first
corner ah this long left-hander patience
jack patience patience patience and down
the hill listen to the end and roar
interestingly because the engine so loud
you don't quite hear as much about what
the what the tires are doing what's
going on with the tires and the Tesla
you can tell whether it's the front left
back right squealing away and that tells
you a little bit about what's going on
underneath you hear oh it's just the
noise from the exhaust all right here we
go hit the tight left-hander tuck it in
and straight
use those brakes family second is the
tight hairpin
unless the lack of weight nearly 300
kilograms lighter this thing it just
tucks in a little bit better than the
Tesla weight is everything of course not
necessarily a light car the BMW but when
the mass isn't there you can really feel
it is the last corner
throwing spear on the exit there's the
finish line
all right did I do
did I do it one thirty four point oh
seven to beat come on that's fairly
comprehensive then electric wins that
one has we said my drifting skills are
intermediate at best but this is science
people so I'm prepared to take one for
the team here
BMW first because well it's kind of the
original drift machine isn't it so I've
got ESC off I've chosen a corner same
corner for both cards obviously level
playing field at all times and here we
go
second gear manual everything off give
it a bung see what happens
not bad I can do better that was good
fun actually has to be said this m3 the
non-competition pack especially has a
reputation for being a bit of a handful
for being a little bit spiky and
throwing gobs of talking its rear tires
when you're least expecting you have to
say that broke away quite nicely and
will actually quite smooth maybe its
reputation isn't deserved get them a run
up this time
I'm damaged second turning in
brain for that time was life ah
whoever said this car was all by to use
chicken frankly it's boy I'm gonna have
another go oh good have another go
oh I'm liking it I'm liking it a lot and
the left-hander for good measure right
yes you're not scary at all BMW you're
great fun the Tesla's gonna have to work
bloody hard to beat that I tell you what
with its trick four-wheel drive track
mode
well done BMW good start okay so here's
the big question will a Tesla actually
drift Tesla says yes it's got track mode
but it's not as simple as just banging
all that talk to the rear tires no
there's very clever algorithms at work
here it knows the steering angle the the
amount of throttle that you're applying
the angle of the car the wheel spin at
the rear it knows whether you're going
for a big biffer of a drift or whether
you've got a bit of oversteer that you
didn't want so then it will send talk to
the front and pull you straight lots of
clever things going on all I want to do
is go sideways and let's bear in mind
these ham fists but anyway here we go
I've been told you need to rotate it in
a little bit on the regen so shift the
weight a sponge well what can I say that
was definitely sideways it wasn't simple
there was lots of stuff going on there
was lots of weight transfer and you do
feel the weight of this car it's low low
down which is a good thing when you get
in the BMW it feels like you're sort of
perched up a little bit higher your
centre of gravity is that much higher
alright let's give this another go
here's the corner we'll come in a little
bit more speed
lift off feel the car rotate there it is
and then you give it the bow okay and it
comes back the other way all right I'm
getting the hang of this you feel it you
wait for that point of rotation and just
as the car starts to turn it's either
just in oversteer or just neutral then
you give it the full throttle doesn't
feel as natural as the BMW here we go
let's give it another go bit braver this
time a bit more speed give it a Chuck
there it goes now we're on both ways we
used all the curb there Wow all right so
it will go yeah that was interesting
doesn't it will a Tesla trip yes it will
but this test was about what was easier
to drift what was more fun for someone
like me in a control situation same
corner for both cars and hands-down the
BMW has to win this one I'm seriously
glad that Tesla has done something like
this they've engineered in this sense of
humor into their cars the fact that
people might want to take it on track
and do a little bit of sideways stuff
but it always feels like that like an
algorithm like the car doesn't
necessarily want to go sideways but the
computers are telling it to do so right
what's that then three points to one for
the Tesla bit of a landslide big win for
the Tesla maybe Elon isn't as crazy as
we all think well done little Tesla Elon
will be proud let's have a look we cap
shall we it was quicker over the pool
tomorrow it was quicker naught to a
hundreds and naught it set a quick and
lap time but there was a bonus point for
the BMW at the end there in the drift
off so the Tesla is unquestionably
faster but is it more fun I'm not so
sure it is you know thank you be wrong
that sledgehammer acceleration is one
hell of a party piece and the body
control is pretty good too but there's
always a sense with the Tesla that
you're fighting against the weight it
never feels truly nimble if I had to
have one last lap of that track
it would be in the bmw m3 having said
that the fact that the Tesla is so quiet
and comfortable and refined out on the
public road and it can do all that stuff
on the track is quite remarkable really
the BMW is much less civilized so it's a
win with the caveat for the Tesla but a
win is a win anyway isn't there supposed
to be a brand new bmw m3 out later this
year yeah there is
over to you BMW
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