***UPDATE: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the Model Y in the video was the Performance variant. This was wrong. The Tesla in the video is a standard Long Range AWD Model Y.
Porsche has had decades to develop and cultivate its image as a sports car maker, and much of that sports car character can be found in all the vehicles it builds. Even the Porsche Macan, which is the smaller of the two SUVs it sells, is known for being especially good around a track, staying true to the company’s heritage.
Interestingly, the Macan in GTS trim has very similar specifications to the Tesla Model Y. The two even weigh about the same, which is around the 2-ton mark, and their power outputs are also identical.
The Porsche is quicker to sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h), with a time of 4.2 seconds that is six-tenths quicker than the Model Y . It’s also quicker at the top end, with a top speed of 169 mph (272 km/h), considerably more than the Tesla, which stops accelerating at 133 mph (214 km/h).
Factoring in the Porsche’s more agile handling and the more performance-focused philosophy behind it and you would think it is much quicker around a track, even in spite of the on-paper similarities. Well, as this video published by Fifth Gear reveals, you would be right, although, by the end of the lap, the Porsche isn’t quite as far ahead as you may have thought.
The difference is around three seconds per lap, which actually doesn’t put the Tesla in a bad light given that it was pitted against a much more focused machine.
Fifth Gear host and former racing driver Jason Plato is pleasantly surprised by how good the Model Y feels around a track, praising it for its sharp and direct steering and good body control, although he does say it is let down by its brakes. He drives the Tesla first and then when he switches to the Porsche, he mentions all the sports car things it does better, which just shows the two vehicles’ quite different focus.
Plato also seems very excited by the prospect of the upcoming all-electric Porsche Macan, which will be a bespoke EV that our spies have already seen several times; it was initially planned for launch in 2023, but it has been postponed until 2024 due to software issues.
