Most fast electric vehicles only have one party trick—straight-line acceleration. Off the line, pound-for-pound, nothing accelerates like an EV. Some of which are so violent that full-throttle launches can actually be uncomfortable. In this new video from The Straight Pipes, we get to see the launches of every electric car they’ve tested so far this year, to see which has the best reaction.
Among the cars they tested were the BMW i4 M50 and BMW iX xDrive50, two of BMW’s fastest accelerating cars at the moment. And while they get coaxed some good reactions out of the two hosts, neither had the best reaction of the bunch. Although, the i4 M50’s was pretty good, as it got Jakub to exclaim “this is insane!”
Having driven both, I can say that they both accelerate incredibly well, though the i4 M50 does feel quicker off the line, despite having around the same 0-60 mph time. However, even my relatively slow 3.99 seconds to 60 mph, which I recorded during my review, felt much quicker than that. It’s the stomach-churning instant torque you get from electric motors that makes launches feel so violent.
However, of the cars The Straight Pipes tested this year, the two whose launches stood out among the rest were both Porsches: the Taycan Cross Turismo and the Taycan Turbo S. The former of which is the larger, heavier wagon version, which looks the best but is a bit slower. The latter of which is the fastest car Porsche’s ever made and will literally hurt your face. While in the passengers seat of the Taycan Turbo S during launch, Yuri physically looked nauseous and I don’t really blame him. When a car hits 0-60 mph closer to two seconds than three, you’re pulling some serious g’s and it can’t feel very good.
This video shows that BMW is among the faster EV makes in the world but it isn’t the fastest. If it wants to keep up with brands like Porsche, Lucid, and Tesla, it’s going to need to do better than the i4 M50 and iX. Bring on the electric M3.
