U-Drags: Hyundai Veloster N vs. Volkswagen Golf R

• The Hyundai Veloster N and Volkswagen GTI take on Edmunds' unique U-Drags racetrack.
• Both feature turbocharged four-cylinder engines and manual transmissions.
• The Golf R has a power advantage as well as all-wheel drive, but it weighs more too.

What are Edmunds U-Drags?

Acceleration is just one way to pit car against car — it tells a limited story about which is the better performer. Edmunds' unique U-Drags format enhances the typical side-by-side drag race with a maximum braking section at the end of the quarter mile that leads to a U-turn and a frantic race back to the start/finish line. It incorporates braking and handling performance as well as straight-line speed for a more holistic approach. Check out the diagram to get a visual on the U-Drags track, then keep scrolling to see how this battle turned out.

How the race went down

In the first race, the Veloster N's launch-control delay handed the Golf R an early advantage that it couldn't recover from. At the end of the quarter mile, the VW tripped the clock at an impressive 12.8 seconds, beating the Hyundai by more than a second. The Veloster N put up a solid fight at the turnaround, logging 1.06 g laterally, but it wasn't enough to even the playing field. At the end of the race back to the start/finish line, the Golf R stopped the clock at 36.1 seconds, which was a significant 3 seconds quicker than the Veloster N.

This result inspired the Veloster driver to devise an anticipatory early launch to make up for the delay, but it still wasn't enough. The Golf R's consistency was proven with an identical 12.8-second quarter-mile run in the second race. Similarly, it finished the race ahead of the Veloster N by another 3-second gap.

Post-race debrief

The cards seemed to be stacked against the Veloster N before the cars even arrived at the track. Ignoring the sizable price differential, the Golf R's only shortcoming was its weight penalty. But if you consider the very crude rule of thumb that 7 pounds of weight reduction is equivalent to a 1-horsepower gain, the Veloster N's 285-pound weight advantage figures out to a 40.7-hp adjustment in its favor. Given that the VW makes exactly 40 more horsepower than the Hyundai on paper, one could argue this was actually a fair fight.

The Golf R also had grip and traction on its side, though, aided by the standard all-wheel-drive system. With double the active rubber on the road, the VW was able to launch with much more aggression than the front-wheel-drive Veloster N. This also played out at the turnaround, where the Golf R could start accelerating earlier in the turn.

Edmunds says

Both of these hatchbacks are exceedingly fun to drive, while each has its own distinct personality. But the bottom line is that if you're seeking the objectively faster choice between them, the Volkswagen Golf R is easily the winner.