The interest of this drag race comes, above all, from the diversity of solutions that it puts side by side. THE Volvo S60 T8 Polestar Engineered it's a plug-in hybrid; The Audi S4 Avant it has a Diesel engine and is also mild-hybrid (48 V); solution that the Mercedes-AMG E 53 Coupé it also recurs, but here with a gasoline engine; and finally, the BMW M340i , the only purely combustion.
All of them end up being more or less similar in market positioning, with the exception of the E-Class Coupé. Yes, there should be a C-Class in its place, but the truth is that there is no C-53, meaning it wasn't equipped with the new in-line six and mild-hybrid system like the E-Class — the C-43 with V6 is still on sale.
These models inhabit the space immediately below the “monsters” that are the RS 4, E 63 and M3 equivalents — the exception is the S60, with the Polestar Engineered version not only being the S60's flagship but also the most powerful. Always Volvo.
let's go to numbers
Starting with the Volvo S60 T8 Polestar Engineered, this one delivers 405 hp and 670 Nm , figures that result from the combined values of the 2.0 l four-cylinder, with turbo and supercharger; and an electric motor of 87 hp and 240 Nm. As a plug-in hybrid, it also allows an electric autonomy of up to 44 km.
The most powerful of the group is the Mercedes-AMG E 53, with 435 hp and 520 Nm , debited by the new in-line six-cylinder with 3.0 l capacity, also double supercharged — turbo plus electric compressor. Its operation is guaranteed by the mild-hybrid system (48 V), which includes the 22 hp and 250 Nm engine-generator, which also helps to boost the E 53 in this type of challenge.
A mild-hybrid system (48 V) is also what we find in the Audi S4 Avant, the only one with a diesel engine. It is the least powerful of the bunch, with its 3.0 V6 TDI debiting 347 hp, but it debits the highest torque value, “fat” 700 Nm . The engine-generator that the team is more modest than the one found in the E 53: 11 hp and 60 Nm, so its influence should be minimal.
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Finally, there is the BMW M340i, which is the most “conventional” there can be. You 374 hp and 500 Nm that its 3.0 l, in-line six-cylinder turbocharger, gasoline and no electrification of any kind, place it as the model with the least torque, and only surpasses the S4 in power.
A few extra pounds…
In common, they all have four-wheel drive and automatic transmissions (dual clutch and torque converter are present).
To complicate the predictions, it must be considered that, although none of them can be accused of being light-weight, the M340i is the lightest of all with 1745 kg, followed by the S4 Avant with 1900 kg, the E 53 with 1970 kg, and finally of the S60 T8 Polestar Engineered weighing 2040 kg. The BMW and Audi are further supported by a Launch Control.
Place your bets… Which will be the fastest? The plug-in hybrid, the more powerful gasoline mild-hybrid, the pure combustion (gasoline) or is it Diesel marking the step?
Source: Carwow.