It’s one of the most coveted hot hatches on sale today, yet the Volkswagen Golf R falls behind the Mercedes-AMG A45 and Audi RS3 Sportback in terms of power and performance.

Nevertheless, for the right amount, owners can make their rides a lot more exciting than the stock cars.

The sky is pretty much the limit when it comes to tuning vehicles these days, as we’ve seen older models with more power than today’s top-end machines. As for the Golf R Mk7, well, we think that nearly 500 horsepower would be sufficient to satisfy the needs of even the most demanding owner.

Also Watch: Facelifted VW Golf R Hits The Track During In-Depth Review

Modified by HGP Turbo, a German tuner specialized in taking on various cars made by the Volkswagen Group, it has about 180 PS (177 hp / 132 kW) more than the factory model. That’s approximately 480 PS (473 hp / 353 kW) produced by the tuned turbocharged 2.0-liter four-pot.

The extra grunt allows it to take on some more powerful rides. And it did so, in a 1,000-meter (0.62-mile) drag racing event from a rolling start, held on a closed airfield in Germany. This is where it met a Mercedes-AMG A45 and a BMW M3, among others. But how did it fare against them?