Photo via Tesla/Model S
Photo via Tesla/Model S

Love fast cars and the science behind them? This Consumer Reports test is totally for you.

Today, Consumer Reports posted a comparison between Tesla Model S P85D and the Dodge Challenger Hellcat when it comes to acceleration and G force. In other words, which one of these fast cars wins when it comes to providing the ultimate adrenaline rush.

Consumer Reports has this enviable 327-acre test track that covers 2.6 miles to measure such things. They geared up both automobiles with sensors and let ’em rip.

Photo via Dodge/Challenger Hellcat
Photo via Dodge/Challenger Hellcat

What were the findings? While the Dodge Hellcat’s “supercharged Hemi V8 bellows, burbles, and crackles,” it also loses milliseconds when transmitting power from the engine to the wheels.

The Tesla, by comparison, was one smooth operator. The team found that “Tesla’s launch is smooth, near silent, and even more ballistic.” The electric motor almost instantly launches the car — which they point out is in “insane mode” — pretty much rocketing it to a full G in under a second.

Both cars were hooked up to instruments back at the lab to document the rides. One look shows the difference between acceleration between the two, the Tesla clearly taking off faster than the Dodge Hellcat, reaching “30 mph in one and one-third seconds” and hitting “60 mph in three and a half seconds.”

Still, the Dodge Hellcat only took “eight-tenths of a second longer than the Tesla to reach 60 mph from a standstill.” The team liked the old-school rumble and grumble of the Hellcat, too, reminding them of the classic American muscle car.

“Ultimately, both of these adrenaline-pumping rides are a thrill and could be addicting for some,” Consumer Reports concluded. “They just come from different places, even different eras — the Hellcat being the ultimate representation of the 1970s dream machine, while the Tesla is the car from the future.”

With price points that vary drastically — the Tesla is over $127,000 and the Dodge is around $65,000 — your budget may also determine how you satisfy your inner speed demon.

Watch Consumer Reports entirely fascinating video on the tests below — it’ll make you want to quit your dayjob. Let’s just say I wouldn’t mind ripping around the course in either car.

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