Porsche 911 GTS vs. Audi RS4: Who Wins This Drag Race?

You can complain about the RS4 not having a V8 engine. And if you want your car to be slower and have less torque, buy the old model. But there's no denying this 2018 is fantastic at launches, sometimes overcoming its engine disadvantages.

We know that quattro can make the RS wagon seem faster than a BMW M3 or a Mercedes-AMG C63 S. But what about something bespoke, an expensive sports car of Porsche making.

We like the rival Carwow picked for this race. It's perfect for making things interesting: Carrera 4 GTS would have too much traction while a regular Carrera S would have been down on power.

Weirdly, the two German cars are quite evenly matched, packing twin-turbocharged 6-cylinder engines with 450 horsepower. The 911 is a lot lighter, but the Audi has all-wheel-drive.

The gearbox in the RS4 is both a blessing and a curse. Because it's an auto with a torque converter, it's engaged before launching. But after that, the awesome Porsche PDK is much faster through the gears. This is like a repeat of an RS6 vs. Panamera race.

In one of the most enjoyable German car drag races we've seen in a while, the RS4 pulls a big lead over the 911 GTS, which quickly recovers and eventually wins the race by a nose. But both cars had the same quarter-mile time.

And it seems Carwow were listening to our complaints about the rolling race, putting the cars in their sportiest settings and even trying manual mode. But the RS4 is known for its slightly sluggish responses, so it had no chance against its 300kg-lighter competitor, neither here nor in the brake test.