The 2019 Jaguar I-Pace SUV that debuted Thursday beat all the German luxury makes to the punch in launching a viable competitor to the looks and capabilities of electric cars offered by Tesla.

The 14-year-old Silicon Valley startup has attracted huge attention for the stunning acceleration of its cars, particularly the "P" performance versions.

Now Jaguar has waded right into that fray. The company released a video showing the Jaguar I-Pace competing at a drag strip against two different versions of the Tesla Model X crossover utility vehicle.

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The British car beat both of the American contenders in accelerating from 0 to 60 mph and then braking back down to 0 mph.

Jaguar cites a 0-to-60-mph acceleration time of 4.5 seconds for the I-Pace in its launch version; Tesla says the comparable figure for a Model X is 4.9 seconds.

Of the three versions of the Tesla Model X now on sale, the 75D base model is likely the best comparison to the I-Pace; it has an EPA-rated range of 238 miles from its 75-kilowatt-hour battery, while the Jaguar is expected to earn a rating around 240 miles from its 90-kwh pack.

Drag race between 2019 Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X 75D electric cars [video: Jaguar]

Drag race between 2019 Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X 75D electric cars [video: Jaguar]

The head-to-head Jaguar-Tesla drag races were done with both 75D and 100D versions of the Model X; the latter car has a rated range of 295 miles from its 100-kwh battery.

Jaguar put real race drivers behind both steering wheels, too. The I-Pace was driven by Mitch Evans, a driver for the Panasonic Jaguar team that competes in FIA Formula E open-wheel electric-car races, while the Teslas were piloted by IndyCar champion Tony Kanaan, who won the Indianapolis 500 race in 2013.

Perhaps wisely, however, Jaguar did not test the I-Pace against the highest-performance version of the Model X, the P100D hot rod, rated at 289 miles of range from the same 100-kwh pack.

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Any test of an I-Pace against a Model X P100D will likely wait for a higher-performance version, perhaps an all-electric entry into Jaguar's line of highly tuned SV and SVR models, to emerge in future years.

Both Jaguar and Tesla electric cars are now used in racing series. The I-Pace is used in a production-car race before each Formula E event, while the Tesla Model S is the first model in a new Electric Production Car Series, ultimately intended for multiple EVs from different makers.

The pair of electric cars competed at the ePrix circuit at Mexico City's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, just before the Formula E race held there Saturday and Sunday.

Drag race between 2019 Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X 100D electric cars [video: Jaguar]

Drag race between 2019 Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X 100D electric cars [video: Jaguar]

Drag race between 2019 Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X 75D electric cars [video: Jaguar]

Drag race between 2019 Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X 75D electric cars [video: Jaguar]

Drag race between 2019 Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X 100D electric cars [video: Jaguar]

Drag race between 2019 Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X 100D electric cars [video: Jaguar]

The significance of Jaguar's drag-race test against the hallowed Tesla may be indicated by the popularity of the company's promotional video. At the time this article was published, it had received more than 150,000 views over less than two days.

This is, however, a video produced by the maker of one of the two cars tested, so viewers can decide whether that makes any difference to the results shown.

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We suspect that sooner or later, Drag Times—or another independent outlet equally fond of taking Teslas to the drag strip—will produce their own versions of the same video. We look forward to seeing those results.

Production of the 2019 Jaguar I-Pace has already started at the Magna Steyr assembly plant in Graz, Austria. Deliveries begin this summer in the U.K. and some European countries, and during the second half of this year in the U.S.