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Can the new Golf R take on its toughest rivals in a drag race and win? Well, the tough competition from Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW may have something to be said about otherwise. The luxury hot hatch market has exploded over the past couple of years and with increased competition vehicles are getting better and better every year. So how does the new Golf R stack up?
The 2021 Mk8 Golf R is a familiar formula that features a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 mated to a manual or automatic transmission that sends power to the ground via an all-wheel drive system. The 2021 Mk8 Golf R’s 2.0-liter engine produces a respectable 320 horsepower (238 kilowatts) and (420 Newton meters) of torque. With 0 to 60 mph in just over four seconds, the Mk8 Golf R is a real hot hatch.
To challenge the Golf R we have the Mercedes-Benz A35 AMG, which carries the colloquial name of Mercedes-AMG performance and moves it in the market to an accessible hot hatch. The A35 AMG has less power than the A45 AMG and also forgoes the unique handcrafted engines that are synonymous with Mercedes-AMG performance products. The 2.0-liter inline-4 produces 302 horsepower (225 kilowatts) and 295 pound-feet (400 Newton-meters) of torque.
The BMW M135i is a radical departure from the familiar rear-wheel-drive performance cars that BMW is known for and instead cash in that brand value for a platform shared with MINI. The all-wheel-drive M135i follows the exact same setup of every vehicle here, using a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 that produces 302 horsepower (225 kilowatts) and 450 Newton-meters (332 pound-feet) of torque. This power is channeled through an 8-speed automatic transmission and transmitted to the ground via an all-wheel drive configuration.
Finally, we have the Audi S3 which is very similar to the Mk8 Golf R. It has a 310 horsepower (231 kilowatt) version of the Golf R engine and a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. The Audi S3 uses Quattro all-wheel drive, which sets it apart from its more affordable cousin VW.
In this battle of almost identical technical sheets, which hot hatch will reign supreme?
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