Mercedes-AMG C63 S Takes on a Volvo EX30 in a Hybrid Vs. EV Drag Race
It’s half hybrid, half EV in a drag race between the Mercedes-AMG C63 S and a Volvo EX30.
Cars.co.za brought together two unlikely contenders for a drag race. However, this isn’t some high-octane matchup between two gas-powered performers. No, Jacob Mashokoa and Ashley Oldfield brought a Mercedes-AMG C63 S up against a Volvo EX30 to see which one would kick the other’s asphalt.
Mashokoa pulled up in the Mercedes-AMG C63 S. It’s the latest W206 fifth-gen model producing around 500 kW and 1,020 Nm (about 671 horsepower and 752 lb-ft of torque). Still, in a controversial move, Mercedes-AMG dropped the orchestral twin-turbo 4.0L V8 in favor of a hybridized and turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder application. However, even with half the cylinders of its predecessor, the new C63 S E-Performance is good for a 0 to 60 mph sprint of around three seconds.
In the other corner, Ashley Oldfield pulled up in a Volvo EX30. Unlike the hybrid Mercedes-AMG model, the EX30 is a battery electric vehicle (BEV). Nothing but battery-fed dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) and near-silent launches. Even without the aid of a whirring turbocharger and burning gasoline, the EX30 is good for 315 kW and 543 Nm (about 422 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque).
Despite the Volvo EV’s snappy launches, the C63 S won the day
The cars came together for the race at Killarney International Raceway in Cape Town, South Africa. “It’s nuts and bolts versus watts and volts,” Oldfield jested about the matchup. The two lined up beside each other, eliciting images of yin and yang. After all, the Mercedes-AMG C63 S was in a shiny shade of black and the Volvo in sterile white.
After two runs, the Mercedes-AMG C63 S emerged victorious. However, the second run was a much closer bout. Oldfield even admitted that even after he “jumped the start a little bit there, and it still didn’t make any difference.”
Check out the video of the races between the two very different performance rides below!
Photos: Cars.co.za via YouTube