Audi e-tron Takes on Unusual Rivals in Drag Race

The Audi e-tron is a good luxury SUV that just so happens to be electric. Its electric powertrain is… fine. It’s nothing spectacular and doesn’t really stand out in any way. However, it’s still a surprisingly quick car, despite weighing as much as a bank vault filled with depleted uranium. So can it keep up in a drag race with some internal combustion-powered sports cars?

In this new video from Carwow, we get to see the Audi e-tron take on two very unusual rivals; the BMW X4 M40d and the Honda Civic Type R. The BMW X4 M40d is a diesel-powered, coupe-like crossover and the Honda Civic Type R is a gas-powered, front-wheel drive sports car. Not exactly an apples-to-apples-to-apples comparison. Though, it does display the sort of randomness of real world roads, so if you want to know if your Audi e-tron can take on the sorts of real sports cars you’ll see in the rear world, this video might be quite informative.

The Audi e-tron uses two electric motors to make 408 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful car of the bunch. But it is the heaviest, at almost 5,500 lbs. Obviously, the Honda Civic Type R is the lightest of the group, weighing in at 3,042 lbs, and its 2.0 liter turbo-four makes 320 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, while pairing with a six-speed manual. The BMW X4 M40d uses a twin-turbo inline-six diesel engine, with 330 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque, and weighs almost 4,200 lbs. So which car was fastest?

Well, it wasn’t the Audi e-tron. However, the e-tron did surprisingly well during all of the tests. There were a few drag races; one standing and two rolling; and a brake test. While the e-tron won not a single race, it certainly performed better than expected and even surprised Carwow’s Mat Watson. If you’re an Audi e-tron owner, you’re not going to win many stop-light drag races but you’ll be more than happy with its performance.