Do you like slightly sporty sedans that aren't made by the Germans? Well, have we got a cool drag race for you, featuring two hot newcomers in the 2021 Acura TLX and the Hyundai Sonata N Line. But the Honda Accord is here to teach them some manners.
Drag racing mid-size sedans from Asian brands has become a Throttle House specialty. This Honda Accord they've got has been brutally fast, proving that the cars with the big wings and fancy exhausts aren't necessarily the ones to bet on.
We've seen the V6-powered Camry TRD fall short against the Accord. It's even gone up against a Mustang and a WRX. Today, we have a contender with a more meaty turbo engine. The Sonata N Line is the hot new Hyundai with a 2.5-liter under its hood. It puts out 290 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and a burly 311 pound-feet (421 Nm) of torque from low down. Based purely on the hype surrounding this car and its sporty styling, we expected it to win everything.
The third drag racer is an Acura TLX. This is an all-new model for 2021, essentially a more premium version of the Accord. It's powered by the same 2.0-liter turbo, but it comes with AWD and is allowed to claim 272 hp over 252 hp in the Honda.
For some strange reason, the normal Accord is faster than both rivals. Maybe those old jokes about Jesus driving this model of Honda are not undeserved because it's performing miracles right here. Even stranger still, the Sonata uses its superior power output to win the rolling race, which suggests Honda's gearbox was to thank for the previous results.
And it's a real shame because we really wanted to love the Sonata N Line. Hyundai put together a fantastic package, and it would have been amazing with better launch control.
We've seen the V6-powered Camry TRD fall short against the Accord. It's even gone up against a Mustang and a WRX. Today, we have a contender with a more meaty turbo engine. The Sonata N Line is the hot new Hyundai with a 2.5-liter under its hood. It puts out 290 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and a burly 311 pound-feet (421 Nm) of torque from low down. Based purely on the hype surrounding this car and its sporty styling, we expected it to win everything.
The third drag racer is an Acura TLX. This is an all-new model for 2021, essentially a more premium version of the Accord. It's powered by the same 2.0-liter turbo, but it comes with AWD and is allowed to claim 272 hp over 252 hp in the Honda.
For some strange reason, the normal Accord is faster than both rivals. Maybe those old jokes about Jesus driving this model of Honda are not undeserved because it's performing miracles right here. Even stranger still, the Sonata uses its superior power output to win the rolling race, which suggests Honda's gearbox was to thank for the previous results.
And it's a real shame because we really wanted to love the Sonata N Line. Hyundai put together a fantastic package, and it would have been amazing with better launch control.