Yesterday we saw BBC’s Top Gear show put the new Porsche Taycan Turbo S up against a Raven Tesla Model S P100D. To the surprise of many, the Porsche beat the Model S in a ¼ drag race, with slower 0-60 and ¼ mile times many expected from the Tesla.
Now it turns out the race might have been staged so that the Porsche would win, according to Drag Times. In his video below, he points out the VBOX times for the race are IDENTICAL to a similar race from an earlier episode where the Tesla went up against a Mercedes E63 S. For 2 drag tests to have the exact same exact 0-60, same 0-100, same ¼ mile time, and same top speed is next to impossible. Just taking into account the difference in climate on the day of the test would be enough to have different stats, not to mention a different state of charge (SOC).
Speaking of the battery, in the test the host mentions that both vehicles were set at above 85% SOC, but they don’t specify if they’re exactly the same, or what the different SOCs are. If the Tesla had an 86% SOC and the Porsche had a 96% SOC, they are both technically above 85%, but the Porsche’s SOC would be enough for it to be able to pull ahead of the Tesla.
In his video, he points out a few other things that all make for a compelling argument that BBC’s Top Gear deliberately set up the episode so that the new EV from Porsche would win against the Tesla. It wouldn’t be surprising to know that behind the scenes, Porsche only provided the vehicle if the review was favourable to the Porsche. To have headlines that their Taycan Turbo S can beat Tesla, and EVs in general, flagship Model S would be good for business. So good that they might even pay extra for that type of coverage.
What do you think? Did Top Gear set up the episode to be favourable to the Porsche Taycan Turbo S? Let us know in the comments below.
