Two coupes, a five-door hatchback, and a four-door sedan with little in common. That’s how this lineup rolls, or - better said - digs from a standstill. The Ford Mustang GT/CS in the featured clip is the only naturally-aspirated and V8-engined car of the bunch, as well as the only RWD car.
Over in South Africa where the drag race was filmed, the American pony car is rocking 330 kW and 529 Nm of torque from a displacement of 5.0 liters. In other words, the port- and direct-injected Coyote makes 443 horsepower and 390 pound-feet. By comparison, the GT-based California Special for the U.S.A. belts out 460 hp (343 kW) and 420 lb-ft (569 Nm).
In the order of displacement and number of cylinders, next up is the BMW M240i. Equipped with xDrive all-wheel drive, the Bavarian coupe that’s actually built in Mexico is hiding a turbocharged straight-six lump under the hood. Similar to the ‘Stang, the suck-squeeze-bang-blow gets to the driven wheels via a torque-converter automatic. A ZF-supplied eighter, that is, compared to a Ford-designed tenner for the more powerful coupe.
Codenamed B58, the six-pot mill in the Bimmer is officially rated at 285 kW (382 horsepower) and 500 Nm (369 pound-feet). But in truth, it makes a little more than that, as proven time and time again by the dyno. The B58 serves as the basis for the S58 in the all-new M2, which also produces more ponies and torque than advertised. Just BMW M things, I guess...
Pictured in a rather look-at-me shade of green called Kyalami Green, the Audi RS 3 features the most exotic engine layout of the bunch. Five cylinders arranged in a line is an exotic design in the sense that few other automakers currently offer five-pot mills. Volkswagen-owned Audi is considered the master of straight-five powerplants, especially due to its success in the World Rally Championship with the incredible Quattro.
The 2.5er in the RS 3 makes 294 kW, as in 394 horsepower, and an M240i-matching 500 Nm. Connected to a seven-speed DCT that channels most of those resources to all four wheels, the quattro-equipped sedan certainly means business, especially when it comes to compact sedans.
As for the final entry, the eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf R is a versatile machine by all accounts. Combining the practicality of a hatchback with the performance-oriented drivetrain makes it a true thriller. Being a Golf, the R also happens to be the least powerful and torquey car here. 235 kW and 400 Nm (315 horsepower and 295 pound-feet) is a lot by compact segment standards, but is it enough to not finish dead last?
Indeed, it didn’t finish last, but came in third, clocking 12.6 seconds in the quarter mile. As for the other cars, you’ll have to press play to find out.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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