In terms of David vs. Goliath, it doesn’t get any more accurate than this, a 360 PS car against one that has 630 PS and no fewer than 1000 Nm (737 lb-ft) of pulling power.
That’s enough torque to name a Boeing!
So here you have the 360 PS GLA 45 AMG with its turbocharged 2.0 liter engine, good for 450 Nm (331 lb-ft). It’s not an SUV, it’s not even a particularly heavy car at about 1.5 tons (3,000 lbs) – especially when compared to the S65 AMG Coupe‘s nearly 2.2 tons (4,400 lbs).
Weight aside, the S65 should totally have this one in the bag right? Right?
Not exactly. First of all, if the distance they cover in the drag race is short enough and there’s a loss of grip, the S65 won’t have enough room to push past a potentially faster accelerating GLA 45.
Though with all things being equal, the GLA 45 AMG will hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.8 seconds while the S65 will need just 4.1 seconds. Then again, the GLA has all wheel drive while the S65 AMG (unlike the S63) is rear-wheel drive only.
Another advantage for the GLA 45 AMG is the fact that is comes with a Launch Control system but let’s set all of that aside for a second and focus on the result. Yes, the GLA won the sprint by a nose, but did you see how fast the S65 was coming up on it?
If they would have done this on a very long runway, the S65 would have blown past the GLA and left it behind by so much, that the driver of the V12 powerhouse could have stopped at one point, gotten out of the car, waved to the incoming GLA 45, gotten back in, pedal to the metal, and the big boy Merc still would have crossed the line first. Probably.
Yes, weight matters a lot, but sometimes lower weight doesn’t equal a better power-to-weight ratio.