Two of the hottest compact cars on sale today, the Mercedes-AMG A45 and Audi RS3 Sedan, were taken to the track to settle their differences.

The setting is the Rock Raceway circuit in South Africa, with its 300m (984ft) long straight being more than enough to prove which of the two is faster.

Mercedes-AMG’s A45 hot hatch is slightly less powerful than its Audi rival. It has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine that delivers 381PS (376hp) and 475Nm (350lb-ft) of torque, taking 4.2sec to sprint from rest to 100km/h (62mph), and toping out at 250km/h (155mph).

On the other hand, the Audi RS3 Sedan makes use of a 2.5-liter five-cylinder rated at 400PS (394hp) and 480Nm (354lb-ft) of torque. Naught to 100km/h (62mph) takes 4.1sec, and top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h (155mph).

There’s another aspect worth mentioning, and that’s the A45’s weight advantage, but is this enough to make up for the power deficit compared to the RS3? Just click on the video below and find out.

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