Mazda MX-5 Drag Races Civic Si, Type R Joins "4-Banger" Shootout

TFL set up a relatively even but really strange playing field. All four cars in this shootout have four-cylinder engines, although that's where the similarities end.

The first race is between a 2020 MX-5 Miata and the Civic Si. The model year is important because it means Mazda fitted the uprated 2-liter engine making 181 horsepower, compared to 155 hp for the early models. Meanwhile, its adversary is packing Honda's small but potent 1.5-liter VTEC Turbo engine.

Now, due to it being a Honda and having more power (205 hp and 192 lb-ft), you'd expect the Si to win. However, the more pure setup of a RWD 2-seater easily wins the drag race for the MX-5. The Civic does win on the third try, but because it takes 20 minutes to figure out how to turn its traction control off, we'll give that to the Miata, especially when the Roadster would have been faster than this RF.

The next contender is an old-timer pretending to be young. That's a MINI John Cooper Works GP, but not the one they just launched. Instead, this one is supposed to make 218 hp from a 1.6-liter turbo. The retired British hatch is really quick and takes out the Civic Si, but big brother is also on the scene, the 306 hp Civic Type R.

We all know what's supposed to happen in that drag race, so just to keep things interesting TFL also introduced a "wild card," the black Mercedes-AMG GL 43 rated at 385 hp (versus 362 hp for the previous model). As expected, the $60,000 SUV with AWD and more cylinders completely smashes the race.