Ford Fiesta ST Is Faster Than a Hellcat... in Valet Mode

Is it just me or have TFL drag racing videos become way more enjoyable to watch? The guys have accepted the fact that their clips are unconventional and will never compete with the big-boy drag races between perfect rivals. That's why everything is about the Fiesta ST nowadays.

Sure, it's got a 200 horsepower engine, but in most other respects, it looks like a comedy car, small and "boy-racery." I know that's not a word, but people still use it.

In any case, while the Fiesta ST stood a fair chance against a Golf Alltrack and Mazda6 Turbo, the same cannot be said about the Hellcat. I mean, you don't even need to understand cars to know that, but if you do, it's probably on your bucket list.

Under the hood is a 6.2-liter engine, dwarfing the 1.6-liter in the Fiesta. It also has a diabolical supercharger helping it deliver 707 hp at 6,000 rpm and 650 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm.

To make things fair, the Hellcat is raced in valet mode, which limits the revs, puts traction control on, starts in 2nd gear and wakes all the nannies up. Roman says it's got 200 HP in this setting, but it looks even slower than that. I mean, the supercharger probably needs that much just to get going.

The EPA rating of the mighty Dodge is 13 mpg in the city, 21 mpg on the highway, and 16 mpg combined. We mention this because the second race is there to determine which is the more frugal car. But once again, they manage to make the experience pointless, as the Fiesta is flogged around the track and returns less than 10 mpg.

The final race is the one that's valid, a hot lap of the track. Somehow, even though it's short and twisty, the Fiesta ST loses by a second. You could also say it's just one second slower too... depending on your view.