Mercedes-AMG A 35 Drag Races VW Golf GTI Mk5 With Humiliating Result

Now that’s a true dream ride that almost touches on the muscle car-ness within, yet as it turns out, the lesser model isn’t exactly slow either. Well, not compared to an older front-wheel drive hot hatch anyway, like the Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Launched in 2004, one year after the introduction of the fifth-generation Golf, the Golf GTI Mk5 built on the success of its predecessors. Like all GTIs, this one too had front-wheel drive, with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission directing the 197 hp (200 ps / 147 kW) and 207 lb-ft (280 Nm) of torque, produced by the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, to the wheels.

From 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph), the Golf GTI Mk5 needed a little over 7 seconds, and it could top out at 146 mph (235 kph), which puts it way behind the modern Mercedes-AMG A 35. Besides an all-wheel drive system, which already gives it a significant advantage over the older VW, the three-pointed star’s most affordable hot hatch uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission.

A rival to the likes of the Audi S3 and BMW M135i, as well as the Golf R Mk8, the A 35 has 302 hp (306 ps / 225 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) to play with. This translates into 4.7 seconds needed to hit the 62 mph (100 kph) mark from a standstill, and a 155 mph (250 kph) top speed.

Normally, we wouldn’t have spoiled the result, but since it’s clear which one was quicker, here it is. At the end of the quarter-mile run, the Mercedes-AMG posted 12.7 seconds, with a 174 kph (108 mph) exit speed, whereas the Golf GTI did 16.6 seconds, at 136 kph (85 mph).