Old Audi S3 Drag Races Infiniti Q50 Red Sport AWD, Someone Gets Walked

The question is, can the previous-generation S3 keep up with a heavier and more powerful opponent in a quarter-mile sprint? Sam CarLegion is much obliged to answer that question with a series of two dig and two roll races.

But first, let’s glance over the specs. Based on a front-wheel-drive platform, the Audi cranks out 292 horsepower and 280 pound-feet (380 Nm) from 1,900 through 5,300 revolutions per minute. Tipping the scales at 3,461 pounds (1,570 kilograms), this fellow should put up a good fight against the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport, which flaunts a V6 and a torque-converter tranny.

The pictured challenger is equipped with Intelligent All-Wheel Drive, a system that automatically diverts up to 50 percent of the available resources to the front axle. When AWD isn’t needed, 100 percent goes to the rear.

The force-fed V6 shared with the 2023 model year Nissan Z sports car is capable of 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet (475 Nm) in this application. Torque peaks between 1,600 and 5,200 revolutions per minute, representing a broader curve that should make the Japanese sedan pretty damn quick.

Be that as it may, the Infiniti has two drawbacks. The seven-speed automatic isn’t as quick as the Audi’s dual-clutch transmission, but more importantly, the quoted weight of 3,998 pounds (1,813 kilograms) can’t be ignored.

Given this information, does it come as a surprise the all-wheel-driven Q50 Red Sport loses to the S3 from a dig? On the other hand, the Infiniti manages to win one of the two roll races from 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph).