In this episode of “This Vs That” with the Hoonigan production team, we have the ultimate contest of old vs new, RWD vs AWD, and NA vs supercharged. The Hoonigan team is responsible for showcasing some of the most incredible cars and races. Putting two custom-built cars head to head in a multi-part drag race to determine the fastest of the two, has made the YouTube Hoonigan series one of the most widely viewed automotive content on the internet. Continuing the practice of putting two ridiculously powerful beasts up against each other, we have a race between two cars with starkly similar horsepower numbers, drastic weight difference, and an answer to which drivetrain holds the most potential.
The cars in question are one 2015 Volkswagen Passat Taxi, built for drifting, and a 1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass equipped with an all-wheel-drive system. In terms of performance, the cars both have similar horsepower numbers with the Taxi making 850 horsepower from a naturally aspirated LS7. Compared to the 840 horsepower, ProCharged 427 LSX under the hood of the Cutlass and you might be led to believe that the cars would have similar performance. However, the cars differ in weight significantly with the Cutlass being 800 lbs heavier due to the considerable mass of the AWD system. The question remains, will traction take precedence over sheer horsepower?
For round one, the Cutlass showed off its obvious grip advantage. Despite being 800lbs heavier the Oldsmobile murdered the Taxi as it jumped off the line with precision and incredible speed gaining victory in the process. Round two was set up as a 1500 ft roll race and the Passat was given some extra weight in the back to help the tires grip. This extra grip allowed the Passat to gain a momentary advantage but ultimately the Cutlass took the first place prize.
Finally, the team decided to do a modified race in which the Cutlass would start from a dig and the Passat would be given a rolling advantage to see if this would make up for the car’s obvious shortcomings. The owner of the drift Taxi even took the wing off to allow for better acceleration. As soon as the Taxi passed the Cutlass jolted off the line but was unfortunately not able to make up the difference and lost the bonus round. This was an incredible battle between two cars that are seemingly similar from an outside view, but oh so different upon closer inspection.
Elizabeth is a hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
