• The latest crop of hatch hatches meet in a drag race to see which is fastest.
• It's an all-German affair with the Audi S3, BMW M135i and the Mercedes-AMG ready for battle.
• All three cars are fitted with 2.0-litre turbocharged engines and send power to all four wheels.
The Teutonic trio meet up in a drag race featuring the latest hot hatches. Watch the latest Audi S3 take on the BMW M135i and the Mercedes-AMG A35.
Thankfully this drag race features three cars that can be bought in South Africa. The BMW M135i and the Mercedes-AMG A35 are currently on sale, while the new Audi S3 is headed for local shores in the third quarter of 2021.
Here is how the three cars stack up against each other.
The S3's motor is once again a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder motor with 228kW and a mighty 400Nm. Audi reckons the S3 can scoot to 100km/h from standstill in 4.8 seconds and is limited to a top speed of 250km/h.
Power is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and the S3 weighs 1575kg.
The M135i was launched in 2019 and is a departure from its predecessor in two major aspects. BMW ditched the famed 3.0-litre straight six-cylinder engine for a 2.0-litre motor with 225kW and 450Nm and instead of sending the power to the rear wheels, the M135i is fitted with four-wheel drive.
Yes, that's right, BMW completely changed the recipe one one of the most powerful hatchbacks on sale in SA. The new car features an eight-speed Steptronic torque-converter gearbox.
On paper all three cars are closely matched and the BMW's 0-100km/h sprint time is also 4.8 seconds, like the S3's and it is electronically governed to a top speed of 250km/h.
The M135i weighs the least of the trio at 1525kg.
The Mercedes is the new kid on the block in every sense. The A35 is the entry-level AMG model offered by the performance arm and was only recently launched in South Africa.
It is also powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and produces 225kW and 400Nm and results in a claimed zero to 100km/h sprint time of 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h.
Like the other two, the A35's seven-speed dual-clutch transmission sends its power to all four wheels. The Mercedes weighs 1555kg.
Carwow says: "We've finally got our hands on the new Audi S3, so you know what that means… It's hot hatch drag race time!
"We've got the new S3 going up against the BMW M135i and AMG A35, and once you look at the stats, you'll realise it's too close to call! All three have 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engines, they're all automatic, and they’ve all got AWD."
