Instrumented Test
While only a few lucky bastards will ever get to experience a Bugatti Veyron, the radio-controlled (RC), Traxxas XO-1 offers a taste of its high-speed insanity for about half the price of the Veyron’s ignition key.
A longtime maker of such cars, Traxxas claims its all-wheel-drive XO-1 is the world’s fastest ready-to-run, electric RC supercar. It says the XO-1 can hit 60 mph in 2.3 seconds and exceed 100 mph. We figured we should see about that.
Such super-fast models traditionally require detailed assembly and separate powertrains and electronics. The $1100 XO-1 is complete out of the box, including a Traxxas/Castle brushless-electric motor called the Big Block. It generates 3.5 horsepower and can spin to 40,000 rpm. At only 13.2 pounds (with batteries and our 0.6-pound DriftBox test gear tucked under the bodywork), the XO-1 carries just 3.8 pounds per pony versus 4.5 for the 1001-hp Bugatti.
To ward off range anxiety, our test example sported a pair of upgraded 0.09-kWh lithium-polymer batteries ($160 each, plus $10 for the mounting kit) in place of the standard 0.06-kWh packs. Replenishing the batteries takes two hours with a fast charger ($130); despite the upgrade, we managed only 20 minutes or so between recharges.
Both gearing and an electronic governor initially limit the XO-1 to 50 mph. a larger pinion gear for the motor is included to enable higher speeds. you can disable the electronic limiter through a Traxxas link app running on an iPhone or an iPod touch, which docks with the included pistol-grip controller and displays real-time telemetry.
Traxxas says the XO-1 is for skilled experts with exceptional hand-eye coordination. We quickly learned that maxing it out is about as easy as going 250 mph on a public highway. While juggling mice.
The car needs fully charged batteries and most of its 1376-foot radio range to reach triple digits, at which point it’s a mere speck hurtling toward the horizon. It’s surprisingly stable on pristine tarmac but easily upset by abrupt steering inputs and the undulating surfaces of the real world.
Managing wheelspin and torque steer, we recorded a 3.3-second run to 60 mph and a quarter-mile sprint of 11.7 at 101 mph. The tacky surface of a drag strip likely would have produced better results.
The XO-1’s prodigious power impedes precise handling. Throttle inputs induce behaviors ranging from snap oversteer to plowing understeer. The motor handles braking duties as well, and panic stops can easily turn into long skids.
At more than two feet long and nearly a foot wide, the 1/7-scale XO-1 is hardly a stocking stuffer. Its aluminum chassis has plastic subframes at both ends, and the multilink suspensions and coil-over shocks are adjustable. The flat-bottom chassis has a functional rear diffuser and a NACA duct to cool the motor, and a large front splitter to quell high-speed nervousness.
Like the Veyron, the XO-1 is an expensive, high-tech conversation starter offering performance nearly impossible to exploit without access to a private runway. Valets won’t find it as impressive as a full-size exotic, but it’s a lot easier to repair if its abilities exceed yours.
