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2016 Audi RS3 Drag Races Corvette Stingray: How Badass Hot Hatches Have Become

For quite some time now, the hot hatch segment has become one of the most effervescent on the go-fast side of the industry. Moreover, Audi has had a particular fetish of dominating other hot hatches in terms of power, which is how we ended up with the 2016 RS3.
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Drag Races New Audi RS3 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
Delivering 362 HP (367 PS), the RS3 currently leads the newest class of hot hatches, those that take things past the 300 HP border, going deep into sportscar territory.

This is all on-paper chat though, but what about the real world?

The video below provides a pretty good answer to the question. Even if the two cars were shot on different occasions, with grip and temperature differences, the resulting footage is enough to make a statement.

In their emancipation process, these monster hot hatches we're talking about have inevitably gained weight. Interestingly enough, the 2016 Audi RS3 and the C7 Chevrolet Corvette have about the same weight, tipping the scales north of 1.5 tons.

The German machine packs a 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbo that churns out 362 hp (367 PS) and 343 lb-ft (465 Nm). As for the 'Vette, this uses a naturally-aspirated 6.2-liter V8 pushing out 460 HP (466 PS) and a peak torque of 460 lb-ft (630 Nm).

The power-to-weight ratio seems to obviously favor the sportscar. Nonetheless, as you'll be able to see below, German metal somehow seems to follow different laws than American metal.

With quattro all-wheel-drive and the S tronic double-clutch transmission, the RS3 manages to put up an explosive fight.

Even if the comparison is limited to a standing start drag race, the results are interesting enough to raise more than one eyebrow.

PS: since America doesn't exactly love its hot hatches, the RS3 badge hasn't made it across the pond. However, Audi of America is considering adding the RS3 sedan to its line-up.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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