It’s not fair to call this a hatch drag race as one of the cars is, quite clearly, not a hatchback. But, all the rivals hail from the same country and occupy virtually the same place in their respective line-ups. So German compact drag race seems like a fair name. Watch as an Audi RS3, BMW M2 Competition, Mercedes-AMG A45S and Volkswagen Golf R are put through a series of straight-line challenges by the guys at UK automotive site Car Wow.

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Turbo rivals

Each car here represents the very top of the range within which it sits. All are turbocharged and none of them features a clutch pedal. The three hatchbacks are all-wheel-drive, a distinct advantage when racing from a standstill. However, the rear-wheel-drive BMW M2 Competition (read about the more hard-core M2 CS here) does have the largest engine of the quartet and also the most torque of any car in the German compact drag race.

However, the most powerful car of the assembled machinery is the Mercedes-AMG A45S, which you can learn more about at this link. Audi’s RS3 will soon be replaced by the next-gen version as Audi is preparing to unveil the new A3 at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show (catch early info on the upcoming Audi S3 here). Volkswagen’s Golf (7) R is also on run-out as the Golf 8 has already been launched. You can read our VW Golf R review by clicking here.

Level playing field

In typical UK fashion, the weather wasn’t ideal for drag racing. To help level the playing field for the BMW the cars are run from a standing start and also from a rolling scenario. Here is another video that features three of the four cars, except the track surface is completely dry.

Enjoy: