$4.5M Koenigsegg Agera RST Struggles Against Tesla Model X Plaid in Drag Race
In the world of hypercars, the Koenigsegg Agera RST is a titan—1,360 horsepower, 278-mph capability, and a price tag of $4.5 million. But in a head-to-head drag race against the much heavier, all-electric Tesla Model X Plaid, the Swedish powerhouse found itself in unfamiliar territory: struggling to keep up.
The race, organized by YouTuber Mat Watson of carwow, pitted the Agera RST against Tesla's tri-motor, 1,020-horsepower family SUV. While the Agera weighs significantly less at just 1.4 tons compared to the Tesla's nearly 2.5-ton mass, the instant torque and all-wheel drive of the Model X Plaid proved formidable.
Despite its engineering marvels, the Koenigsegg posted a quarter-mile time of 10.2 seconds—the exact same as the Tesla. However, the Swedish hypercar ran into trouble mid-race, requiring remote diagnostics from Koenigsegg's tech team.
The matchup revealed an unexpected Achilles' heel for the Agera: while its monstrous 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 can deliver breathtaking speeds, launching it effectively is another challenge altogether. Owner Tom Beardsmore, who has put nearly 9,000 miles on the car, admitted he hasn't yet mastered extracting its full potential.
In some runs, when the Koenigsegg's boost was perfectly timed, it effortlessly pulled ahead of the Tesla. But in most cases, the instant torque and seamless acceleration of the electric SUV left the hypercar struggling to keep pace.
While the Agera RST remains an engineering masterpiece, the race showcased just how far electric performance has come. When a five-door, grocery-hauling SUV can match a multi-million-dollar hypercar in a drag race, the future of high-performance vehicles might already be here.
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