In today’s automotive world it’s really hard for a manufacturer to stray true to its core without cutting corners every once in a while. Research and development costs are going through the roof and a lot of companies have to seek help from other car makers in order to stay afloat. Unless you’re part of VAG or Toyota, you’ll have to do something every once in a while to remain competitive. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as MINI, which was a dying brand in the late 1990s, was basically saved by BMW and such examples can continue.
But what does that have to do with the drag race posted below? Well, while MINI is owned by BMW, other brands have partnerships that lead to a variety of cars that look different but are basically exactly the same underneath. The German proxy way I mentioned is therefore a fight between BMW and Mercedes-Benz but carried out by a MINI Countryman Cooper S and an Infiniti QX30. And while you may very well know that the Countryman is basically a BMW X1 with a MINI badge and look on it, you may not know that the Infiniti QX30 is actually a Mercedes-Benz GLA 250.
Therefore, the two are rivals and, despite what it may look like a British – Japanese showdown, we’re actually dealing with a German rivalry. On the specs side of things, the MINI Countryman Cooper S comes with a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine making 189 HP and 207 lb-ft (280 Nm) of torque, all-wheel drive and a 6-speed Aisin-sourced gearbox. On the other hand we have the Infiniti using a similarly-sized engine, also benefiting from all-wheel drive but with 208 HP and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) of torque.
The main difference between the two is that the gearbox of the Infiniti, sourced from Mercedes-Benz, is a double-clutch 7-speed unit that should, combined with the extra horsepower, give the QX30 the upper hand. Is that how this race is going to play out? Well, let’s just say sometimes figures written on a piece of paper don’t necessarily translate into a similar performance in real life.
