Is an Audi RS 3 Faster than a Ford Fiesta ST? Yes It Is, So We Brought in a Volkswagen Golf R Instead [Video]

Sometimes, you just need a little extra firepower.

In its own right, the Ford Fiesta ST is a great little hot hatch. With a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine making 197 horsepower and 202 lb-ft of torque, it’s also quick. However, despite its agile handling and six-speed manual transmission, sometimes it’s just outmatched on every level. That’s particularly true when you put the Fiesta ST in the firing line of something like, say, the Audi RS 3. Yes, it’s small like the Fiesta, but that’s where the similarities end.

The Audi RS 3 has a 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five that makes a whopping 400 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. Yeah…double the horsepower and substantially more torque? The Fiesta, sadly, doesn’t have a chance, despite a 200 pound weight advantage. So what do you do? Throw in the towel in quit? Of course not! You bring in a ringer – in this case, the 2018 Volkswagen Golf R. Sure, the Audi may laugh in the face of the Fiesta’s smaller powerplant and front-wheel drive, but how about its all-wheel drive hatchback sibling?

On paper, the horsepower and torque figures still favor the Audi. Volkswagen squeezed 292 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque from the Golf R. That said, the Golf R is lighter, weighing just 3,300 pounds to the Audi’s roughly 3,600-pound curb weight. How will each car perform in a hot lap of the IMI Motorsports Complex track and a pedal-to-the-metal drag race? Watch the video above to find out!

This video was sponsored by Rugged Radios – head over there now and use the code “FASTRADIO” for a 20% discount on certain items!