Audi A5 Sedan vs BMW i3s I01: which is truly faster?

Off the line, the i3s hits 100 km/h in 6.81 s versus 7.79 s for the A5 Sedan. The instant torque of 270 Nm from the electric motor makes the difference. At this point, the i3s leads by 0.98 s and sits roughly 6 m ahead.

At 200 metres, the i3s is doing 124 km/h against 117 km/h for the A5 Sedan. The gap is 0.42 s. The challenger starts to claw back ground.

At 400 metres standing start, the i3s crosses the line in 15.05 s versus 15.74 s. The 0.69 s gap represents roughly 27 m of track - two to three car lengths.

Past 400 metres, the gap narrows. The i3s maxes out at 160 km/h while the A5 Sedan keeps accelerating towards 242 km/h. At 600 metres, the gap is down to 0.84 s from 0.69 s at 400 metres.

At 1,000 metres, the i3s finishes in 28.59 s versus 28.62 s, with just 0.03 s to spare. The A5 Sedan fails to fully close the launch gap.

Both rivals are electronically governed, but not at the same level: the A5 Sedan is capped at 242 km/h, the i3s at 160 km/h. This isn’t a physical engine limit - it’s a manufacturer choice, usually for tyre safety or homologation reasons. Neither car reaches its true aerodynamic top speed.

Instant electric torque gives an advantage off the line. The higher top speed of the combustion engine gives an advantage over longer distances. The distance at which one catches the other depends on the top speed differential.

In European road use (130 km/h max), both vehicles reach the legal speed limit in under 12.41 seconds. The 0.98 s difference in 0 to 100 km/h is mostly felt in motorway merging and overtaking.