Alpha Giulia Quadrifoglio - Tesla Model 3 Performance
510 PS and 600 Newton-meter of torque
versus, at least, 450 Horsepower and 639 Newton-meter.
Then we'll see because I said "at least".
The Tesla has four-wheel drive
whereas the Giulia is two-wheel drive, at the back of course.
Let's see which car comes first
to the quarter-mile finish line.
Countdown
 
Go, go, go. We had a good start, but...
The electric car...
...yes, we're catching up! Come on!
160 kph , come on, we're reaching that car. Go, go, go, go.
Yes...
...we got it, we got it.
190 kph. Now we brake, because we are over 400 meters.
Right at the photo finish.
We had a good star...
we'll see... now that car is degenerating.
 
 
Why did we compare two such different cars?
'Cause they are two symbols:
the Tesla is the "new advances"
it's just a taste of the future of mobility for everyone
the Giulia symbolises excellence in the car tradition
in the art of making beautiful sports cars to drive
In our opinion, the future cannot be separated from the
emotions of the present
So we have chosen to celebrate the arrival of InsideEVs in Italy in this way.
InsideEVs is the website that wants to tell you about this future.
So, let's start immediately to analyse where and in which aspects
an electric car like the Tesla has incredible perfomances
and, also, where emerge the differences
in comparison with this Super Alfa Romeo.
 
 
It seemed an open challenge, on paper,
and we understand it by analyzing what happened on track.
The Model 3 Performance, for starters,
sets 3.4 seconds in the 0-100 kph test,
while the Quadrifoglio posts 3.9 seconds.
Indeed the Model 3, from standstill, takes all electric cars' advantages
giving the maximum torque
starting from zero revolutions per minute of its two engines:
one for the front wheels and one for the rear wheels
The Giulia, on the contrary,
reaches 600 Nm of maximum torque when the engine is at 2000 rpm.
Not having the help of the launch control
I selected the Race mode
to maximize the acceleration of the Giulia
I hitted the gas pedal just before the start
and, at the same time, I held the brake pedal with my left foot
to start the car with the engine already in gear
forcing the transmission a little
With the right timing at the countdown
you can prevent the rear wheels from skidding
by dosing the inputs with both feet, during this maneuver
to retrieve the Tesla initial advantage
On the Tesla it's just necessary to hit the accelerator, with no worries
after selecting the Track mode
and deselecting the Creep mode
that starts the car leaving the brakes like a normal automatic car
The Tesla's policy doesn't allow it to disclose official torque and power data
but, according to some information,
Tesla could reach 639 Nm and 450, 462, 470 Horsepower
considering over-the-air software updates
which the American company does online, as it happens with our smartphones.
The declared weight of the Tesla is 1847 Kg
while the weight of the Giulia is 1680 Kg
The Giulia, with a particularly fast change between fourth and fifth gear
and a growing progression
is slowly approaching the Tesla
which reaches the finish line at 180 kph top speed
while the Alfa Romeo reaches 191 km per
hour
Final result:
the time of the Giulia Quadrifoglio for the 0-400 meters is 11.9 seconds
and the time of the
Model 3 Performance is 12 seconds flat
An arrival at the photo finish that probably would have been repeated
- but in inverted positions -
if the Tesla had summer tires in place of the winter tyres that we received for the test.
So it would have crossed the finish line first
but still a few tenths of a second
staying under 12 seconds, because, at the start line
it would have jumped even better than the 3.68 seconds it managed in 0-100 km/h,
against the 3.98 seconds of the Alfa Romeo
Ok, but these are the sportier versions
of the respective models
and so, besides the pure performance, I want to tell you few words
about what feelings they convey to the driver
The Giulia and the Model 3 have very similar sizes
and belong to the same category as the BMW 3 Series
or the Mercedes C-Class, by the way.
And, being the top in terms of performance,
they are the maximum expression of their respective propulsion technologies
and the weight - which we have been mentioned
above - represents one of the most obvious differences:
in future it will be a challenge for designers
to find a solution to this for electric sports cars
In our case, doing a little test about the driving behaviour through bends,
we can clearly see how the Alfa is more agile in changing direction
and makes the roll less noticeable
although it isn't more rigid than the Tesla
despite the center of gravity of the electric car is low
since the batteries are mounted under the floor.
Getting a little more technical
the Quadrifoglio's roll axis is close to the driver
which conveys immediacy by driving.
The braking is more immediate in the Alfa, as is the steering,
that is slower in the Model 3
although it is still a linear and precise control.
With ALL the electronic systems ON on the Giulia
you can feel the car go in a pleasant controlled rotation,
when it's cornering. Turning off all the systems,
the car can obviously skid a lot.
Not that the Tesla, in the sportiest
mode
(with the most permissive electronics), doesn't go sideways, eh!
Who thinks you can't have fun on an electric car?
The chassis fine-tuning
made by the American technicians
makes good use of the torque
and the instantaneous way in which the two electric motors respond to this.
However, we need to slow down
more than we do instinctively when entering curves
with a more artificial feeling on the brake pedal
(always compared to a traditional sports car like the Giulia)
also delaying the return of the foot on the
accelerator pedal
and then enjoying the thrust that immediately arrives on all four wheels
in controlled swerve
with a very linear and minimally invasive logic of electronic stability control in Track mode,
despite the inertia of almost two tons of oversteer cars to be realigned.
Thus ends the first test of InsideEVs, but there's more.
Our goal is, above all, to tell you much more about
this new world (electrification of cars)
is becoming a reality.
And we want to know your opinion
what you want to know about these cars,  what are the aspects that intrigue you the most ?
We will try to answer your doubts
and you don't have to do anything but follow us by visiting InsideEVs site,
subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on our social networks.
 
