Mercedes-AMG A45 S vs. Jaguar Project 8 Drag Race Is Surprisingly Close

Sadly, neither of these cars are very familiar to our American drag race-lovin' readers, but they're pretty easy to explain. The A45 S is just like the GLA 45, only it's not pretending to be a crossover, fully embracing the rocket-powered hatch persona instead. Its supercharged sedan rival is not a Cadillac, but a custom-fabricated British equivalent, the Jaguar Project 8.

Technically, this car is an XE premium executive sedan, but virtually everything is bespoke, from the suspension to the AWD system and race car interior. Only 300 of these were made, and they're collectible, so drag races are pretty rare. When it comes to specs, the 5.0-liter packs 600 hp and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm). It'll hit 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.7 seconds and max out at 200 mph (322 km/h), making it one of the fastest sedans on the planet.

Meanwhile, the A45 hyper hatch is presented in its more hardcore S version, packing 421 PS or 415 hp. By comparison, the American "45" models all stop at the 382 horsepower threshold, which isn't bad. Just don't go around drag racing 600 horsepower V8s, because even with more power, the A45 S lost to the Jaguar.

Mat Watson from Carwow tries his best to get the best launch from his AWD system and only loses by about two cars' lengths. However, the rolling race reveals the performance gap between the two is actually massive. But almost matching an exotic sedan isn't too bad for a car with a 2.0-liter turbo.