Yahoo Autos There's At Least One Diesel Hatchback That Can Beat a New M5 in a Drag Race
The new BMW M5 is extraordinarily quick in a straight line-we timed a 0-60 of 2.8 seconds, and high-10s in the quarter-mile. That's an amazing result for a 4269-lb luxury sedan, even if it has 600 horsepower. But does it have enough to hold off, uh, a diesel Seat hatchback from the early 2000s?
In most situations, yes, the M5 has the goods, but not in this one very specific scenario. UK magazine Autocar lined up the new M5 against a Seat Arosa built into a dragster by diesel tuner Darkside. With 550 hp, 650 lb-ft of torque, and a lot less weight to deal with than the BMW, the little hatch surely has this, right?
It does, but the M5 puts up a fight. Autocar did this drag race on a dusty old runway, where the BMW's all-wheel drive system helped it rocket off the line while the front-drive Seat struggled to put the power down. But once the little Seat hooks up, it reels in the BMW with ease-its quarter-mile time is 0.5 seconds quicker, and it maintains its lead through the half-mile. On a prepped drag strip, the gap between the two would have been even greater.
So, if you're in a little diesel hatchback and a new M5 pulls up next you to at the lights, don't try to race it. Unless your diesel hatchback is actually a purpose-built dragster.
If you can't view the YouTube video above, click here.
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