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Can the Tata Nexon Electric SUV beat the Kia Seltos Turbo Petrol in a drag race: Here’s the answer

Tata Nexon EV was launched in the market last year and it is currently one of the best selling compact electric SUVs in the market. Tata Nexon EV competes with cars like MG ZS EV and Hyundai Kona EV in the segment. It is currently the most affordable electric SUV one can buy in India. Kia Seltos was also introduced in India couple of years ago and within a short span of time, it became popular among buyers for its variety of engine options, bold looks and features. The most powerful engine option in Seltos is the 1.4 litre turbo petrol engine option. Here we have a video that shows how these SUVs will perform if they compete with each other in a drag race.

The video has been uploaded by HEAT 17 on their YouTube channel. Both SUVs belong to two different segment and on paper Kia Seltos turbo petrol generates more power than the Nexon EV. In order to conduct the drag race, they choose an empty stretch of road. They line up both the SUVs and start racing. Kia Seltos used in this video gets a 6-speed manual gearbox.

The race starts and Kia Seltos instantly jumps forward. For a second, it felt like Kia Seltos will be the clear winner of this round but, Tata Nexon EV suddenly overtakes it. Once Nexon EV started moving, the SUV took the lead and maintained it throughout the race. Kia Seltos was right behind the Nexon EV but, it was unable to overtake it at any point. Nexon EV won the first round.

Can the Tata Nexon Electric SUV beat the Kia Seltos Turbo Petrol in a drag race: Here’s the answer

 

In second round, they line up both the vehicles and start racing and once again Kia Seltos moved off the line instantly. Tata Nexon took some time and in comparison to the first round, Seltos was able to maintain the lead for longer period of time. However, the Nexon Electric overtook Kia Seltos and it looks like as it was about to cross the finish line Nexon EV hit the speed limiter of 120 kmph which gave Seltos a chance to win the second round.

Third round was the last round to find the winner. SUVs were lined up and Both Nexon EV and Kia Seltos moved off the line almost at the same time and Nexon EV immediately took the lead. At no point did Kia Seltos got a chance to overtake it. It was right behind the Nexon EV but was not able to overtake it. Nexon EV won the last round and was also declared as the winner here.

On paper, Kia Seltos generated more power than Nexon EV. It is also lighter and also has a better power to weight ration than Nexon EV. Then how did it loose the race. The answer to that is what lies under the hood. The electric motor in Nexon EV generates 129 Ps and 245 Nm of torque. All this power is available from very low RPMs. In case of Kia Seltos, the turbo petrol engine generates 141 Ps and 242 Nm of torque. ICE engine takes time to reach a point where it generates maximum power and torque. In case of an electric vehicle that power is available instantly and that is why Nexon EV won the round. Vlogger mentions that, if it did not have a speed limiter, Nexon EV would have won all three rounds.

Ajeesh Kuttan

Ajeesh, started 6 years ago with Cartoq.com as an eager journalist passionate about bikes. His skills now encompass both bikes and cars, producing timely news reports spanning the auto sector. Beyond writing, Ajeesh excels in video production. Together with Shantonil, he participates in first drives and test drives for new car launches. (Full bio)