SUPER-SALOON EVs COMPARISON

The executive super-saloon market is fast evolving as BMW and Mercedes set their sights on Tesla. But do these new EVs pack the driver appeal of their ICE alternatives? James Disdale finds out

PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN BRADSHAW

Just one extended push of this Tesla’s throttle pedal is all you need to understand that the supersaloon state of play could be in for an upset. With more than 1000bhp to play with, the Model S Plaid was never going to be slow, but the eye-widening, bowel-loosening pace that it delivers is like nothing you’ve ever experienced before.

Your seat-of-the-pants accelerometer is backed-up by the data, because this is the fastest car to which we’ve yet strapped our timing gear. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport? Slower. McLaren P1? Tardy by comparison. Ferrari SF90 Stradale? You will see it in the Tesla’s rear-view mirror. On this evidence, how can the BMW i5 M60 and Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 hope to compete?

Okay, we’re getting ahead of ourselves, because there’s obviously a lot more to a great fast four-door than its ability to obliterate straights. Even so, the fact the Model S is here at all and laying down the gauntlet gives pause for thought. In less than a decade, the all-American, all-electric machine has turned from group test revolutionary to the one to beat, while the old guard have been frantically playing catch-up. Yet when it comes to spawning super-saloons, the playing field is levelled somewhat, because few car makers have more impressive track records than BMW and Mercedes.

The former arguably created the genre with its original M5 way back in 1985, while the outgoing M5 CS is perhaps the greatest exponent of the art yet seen – perhaps ever. Sure, the i5 M60 isn’t an Mcar in the strictest sense (Motorsport engineers have only given it a once-over and a thumbs-up seal of approval), but it does pack a mighty 590bhp dual-motor set-up and a chassis honed for extra sharpness.

Then there’s the AMG-fettled EQE 53, which is Affalterbach’s second electric offering after the larger EQS 53. Featuring the AMG Performance Package that allows a brief power boost from 617bhp to 677bhp, it’s certainly not short of the minerals needed for this encounter. And, of course, Mercedes’ in-house high-performance division is littered with ICE machines dripping in brawn and dynamic brilliance.