Twin-turbo V8 versus twin-turbo V8.
The latest, and possibly hottest, drag race for this week comes from South Africa. That’s where the Cars.co.za channel on YouTube is based, and for today, the folks have a pretty special battle. For the purposes of this race, the team hired an airstrip outside Cape Town and staged a few quarter-mile races. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s meet the contenders.
On the left side is the Audi RS6 - arguably, the fastest wagon in the world these days. It shares the mighty 4.0-liter V8 twin-turbo engine with the RS7, with both having 600 horsepower (447 kilowatts) and 590 pound-feet (800 Newton-meters) of torque. The power goes through a Quattro AWD system and an eight-speed automatic transmission with launch control and reaches all four wheels. Needless to say, it’s absurdly fast.
The Big Three Germans (And Porsche):
Against it, on the right, is the facelifted Mercedes-AMG E63 S with its twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 that produces 612 bhp (456 kW) and 626 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque. Channeled via a nine-speed automatic and the company’s 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, the power reaches all four wheels. It's equally fast, to say the least.
At least on paper, the two cars are a very, very close match. Add to that the factory 0-62 miles per hour (0-100 kilometers per hour) acceleration - 3.4 seconds for the Merc and 3.6 seconds for the Audi. Again, this is what the automakers say and should be achieved in perfect conditions.
Gallery: 2021 Audi RS6 Avant: Review
Fortunately, the conditions for this race are absolutely perfect - no wind and no rain, just a quiet shiny day outside Cape Town. Reaction times, traction, and power will be the decisive factors in this race. It’s definitely an exciting video and we are not going to spoil it for you, though if there’s one thing we could say, it’s that factory numbers don’t always lie.
Source: Cars.co.za
About this article