The Toyota GR86 and Mazda MX-5 are proof that you don’t need crazy horsepower to have fun. Rear-wheel-drive coupes are perfectly enjoyable without breaking the bank. Enthusiasts often cross-shop two sports cars, something we can’t say about the MINI Cooper SE. Okay, then why are there front wheel-drive electric cars in this drag race?
Acceleration in a straight line is only a part of the story when it comes to the benefits of owning a performance car. If this is a top priority, you’ll be pleasantly surprised that British EVs aren’t out of line. Its instant torque gives it a significant edge over two sports cars and their naturally ambitious engine. To get all the energy out of an NA engine – not that they have too much left anyway – they must recover a lot. That’s the fun part, though the GR86 and Miata aren’t exactly fast.
NA sports cars are a dying lineage
One of the last back-to-basic sports cars, the linear power delivery of NA is a big plus for both of them. The MX-5 is the RF version with retractable hardtop whereas the GR86 is the recently launched second generation model. As Cooper SE, these people are labeled Fast lane car As an underdog, it has no option for less than $ 7,000.
The drag race took place at high altitudes, known to take its toll on naturally aspiring engines. They lose about 3% of their energy per 1,000 feet of altitude gain. From the factory, the Subaru rates the 2.4-liter engine at 228 horsepower while the Miata packs 181 hp from a smaller 2.0-liter unit. Coincidentally, the MINI Cooper SE’s front-mounted electric motor also produces 181 hp.
Combustion-engineered sports cars are not about straight-line acceleration because they are the most enjoyable at the corners. From the equation to how they operate, performance in drag races is largely based on how the drivers change gears. Of course, this was not a concern for MINI and its operators of single-gear automatic transmissions.
Although the Toyota GR86 had a higher trap speed of 92.1 mph, the MINI was the first to cross the finish line. It finished the quarter-mile in 15.67 seconds, followed by the GR86 in 16.14 seconds and the MX-5 in 16.4 seconds. If the car was dual on a curved road, Cooper SE would certainly not be able to climb to the top. Still, it’s interesting to see a car that beats the GR86 and Miyata in a drag race that isn’t on an enthusiast’s radar.
Source: Fast Lane Car / YouTube