Sam CarLegion's latest upload puts a tuned Audi S5 against a tuned Volkswagen Golf R and a tuned Mercedes-AMG CLA 45. Not the current generation, though, but a 2016 model. At first glance, it's easy to determine which of them has the highest chance of asserting dominance in a drag race.
Understandably, the Audi is the heaviest of the bunch. Not only does it stand one segment above the Golf R and CLA 45, but it also features a longitudinally-mounted engine. It's also the only car of the bunch with a torque-converter automatic rather than a dual-clutch gearbox.
Tipping the scales at 3,924 pounds (1,780 kilograms), the 2022 model in the video below runs on 93 octane. It produces approximately 500 horsepower on full song, which is quite a bit more than the RS 5 makes from its twin-turbocharged V6. For reference, the bone-stock S5 and RS 5 are rated at 349 and 444 ponies.
Audi claims that zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) takes 4.4 seconds in the S5. The modified example in the featured clip, however, clocked 3.3 seconds. From a standstill, it ran the quarter mile in an incredible 11.47 clicks. Not bad at all for an S5, innit?
Pictured at the Dunnville Autodrome in Ontario, the CLA 45 is quite a bit lighter at 3,494 pounds (1,585 kilograms). The 2.0-liter turbo inline-four engine needs 94 octane to crank out 460 horsepower, a figure that greatly exceeds the standard rating of the 2023 model.
Finally, the VeeDub is the lightest of the bunch at 3,360 pounds (1,524 kilograms). It's not as punchy as the CLA 45, though, with its Stage 1+ tune taking the 2.0-liter turbo up front to 430 horsepower on 94 octane. Despite being lighter than the CLA 45, the Golf R simply couldn't hang with the German sedan in the quarter mile. The best times posted are 12.2 and 12.4 seconds, respectively. As for zero to 60, make that 3.9 seconds for the Merc and 3.92 seconds for the Mark VIII Golf R.
Not surprising in the least, the Golf R is the most affordable car of the three. Volkswagen lists it with a starting price of $45,835 for the six-speed manual or $46,635 for the seven-speed DSG. The blue-painted Golf R in Sam CarLegion's video is – of course – equipped with the faster of the two transmissions. The dual-clutch box also comes with 295 pound-feet (400 Nm) rather than 280 (380) for the three-pedal tranny.
Over at Merc, the 2023 model year CLA 45 will set you back a cool $57,800 (sans destination freight charge). That's two grand more than the S5 Coupe, and from a certain viewpoint, it's totally worth it. Whereas the CLA 45 packs a hand-built engine developed by AMG, the S5 uses a regular-production engine the Volkswagen Group refers to as the EA839.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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