Audi RS 4 Drag Races BMW M3, Mercedes-AMG C63 Tries to Spoil Their Fun

It's incredible how far these cars have come. The Audi RS 2 Avant must have been a real shocker in the mid-'90s, with 311 hp and 302 lb-ft (410 Nm) of torque on tap. Volvo tried something similar with the 850 R, but that was slightly slower. By the end of the 20th century, Audi had decided to give the fast wagon a chance to shine, so it introduced the RS 4 Avant.

It had a 2.7-liter V6 engine with two parallel BorgWarner turbos, which raised the bar to 375 hp and 325 lb-ft (440 Nm) of torque. The next RS 4 Avant arrived after a five-year hiatus in 2006. Audi has continuously improved the concept with the following B8 and B9 platforms. Today's drag race has the new RS 4 Competition lining up on an airfield against its archrivals. It's incredible to think that BMW took so many years before finally giving the world a Touring version of the M3, but here it is. Before diving into the action, let's look at the performance figures for each of these vehicles.

Audi and BMW have the upper hand for the first part of the race as they can count on their AWD systems for an excellent launch. But the Mercedes-AMG will likely make a comeback later down the road with its RWD-only power delivery. The M3 Competition Touring and RS 4 Avant Competition have similar engine layouts: the first has a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six, while the latter uses a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6.

But the Bimmer has the upper hand here, with 503 hp and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque versus 444 hp and 443 lb-ft (600 Nm) for the Audi. But it's the opposite in the weight department, as the RS 4 Competition is 264 lbs (120 kg) lighter than its opponent. Meanwhile, the Mercedes-AMG C63 wants in on the action, too, even though it's slightly outdated. It's the only car here to use a V8, which means it has a similar hp rating as the BMW but with more torque.

For the first 1/4-mile (402-meter) run of the day, the RS 4 Avant darts off in what almost feels like a jump start. Audi's tweaks have paid off, and it's incredible to see how fast modern station wagons have become. The RS 4 wins the first run, but everything changes once the BMW switches to 4WD mode. For the subsequent two attempts, it's evident that the M3 Touring is slightly superior to its opponents, as it needs 11.5 seconds to cross the finish line.

The Audi is 0.4 seconds slower, while the Mercedes-AMG needed 0.2 seconds more. That sounds like something a quick tune-up could fix. The rolling race is next, and the C63 will no longer have the initial handicap. It has the torquiest engine of the bunch, and once the pedal hits the metal, neither of the other two cars can do anything to outrun it. The BMW is pretty close, but the Audi is quickly falling behind. This scenario is more likely to happen in the real world, especially if you're driving on a section of the Autobahn with no speed limit.

Interestingly, the M3 Touring is slower during the roll race when it switches to 2WD mode, but the Audi still struggles to beat it. The last test of the day will measure the stopping power of these cars, and you'd expect the RS 4 Competition to win this one, being the lightest car here. The Mercedes-AMG performs the poorest, but the BMW is better than you might have expected. Given the slight difference to the Audi, it may all be down to either driver skills or difference in grip levels between certain sections of the track.