The Most Powerful Car Brands: From Seat To Moskvich. Great Encyclopedia Of Power: Part 5

2023 Author: Natalie MacDonald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 02:36

We are opening the last - already the fifth volume of our Great Encyclopedia of Power. Behind 40 brands, there are only 10 brands left, with the most powerful machines of which we will introduce you right now.

SEAT

Just as the detachment of the DS brand negatively affected Citroen's power ratings, SEAT lost its records with Cupr being branded as a separate brand. Since the Spaniards are now positioning themselves as a mainstream brand, even the FR line models are not particularly pampered with power. For example, the Tarraco crossover in the top-end turbodiesel version develops only 200 horsepower.

Therefore, in order to identify the most powerful serial SEAT in history, you have to dig deeper. In 2017, the SEAT Leon CuprR appeared. It was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The front-wheel-drive hatchback, equipped with a power plant from the Volkswagen Golf R, developed 300 horsepower with a robotic gearbox and 310 horsepower in a version with a "mechanic". This is the most powerful Seat to date.

Up to 100 kilometers per hour, one of the last sports Seat went in 5.8 seconds, and its maximum speed was electronically limited to 250 kilometers per hour. The Cupr brand has models that are faster, but we will talk about them in the reprint of our encyclopedia.

Skoda

If the chances of a Seat over 310 horsepower in the mid-term are slim to come, then the Skod is definitely going to build muscle. Most recently, the most powerful model in the Skod lineup was the Superb liftback, with a turbocharged inline-four producing 280 horsepower. But a couple of months ago the power bar for Skod was raised to 306 "horses"!

Moreover, a significant power breakthrough was made not by the OctavivRS, as one might expect, but by the first fully electric crossover in the history of Skod. We are talking about the Enyaq iV, which is the closest relative of the Volkswagen ID.3.

In the basic version, the Enyaq is equipped with a single electric motor that develops 148 horsepower. For an electric car - laughter through tears. But if you go up to the flagship modification of the Enyaq RS iV, then there will be two electric motors, the power will grow to 306 forces, and the torque - from 220 to 460 Nm. And this is already serious. True, the Octavia on the chip will still be more powerful …

Subaru

Subaru cars are frequent guests of numerous tuning studios. And alterations often reach such proportions that the power of the boxer engines reaches 600-700 horsepower, and half of the city hears the characteristic Subar roar. Serial Subaru, of course, do not allow themselves such liberties, but they are still able to surprise with their results.

For very powerful Subaru, as in the case of Mitsubishi, you need to thank the UK. It was there, through the joint efforts of Subaru Tecnic International and Cosworth, that the Subaru Cosworth ImprezSTi CS400 appeared. The model was presented in 2010, it was sold only on the island and was in the public domain for only a few days. All 75 copies quickly found their owners. Although the price tag cannot be called modest - 49,995 pounds.

Thanks to the new cylinder head, pistons, connecting rods, intake and exhaust systems, turbocharging, as well as a rebuilt ECU, the Impreza engine began to develop 400 horsepower and 540 Nm of torque from 2.5 liters of displacement. With such a kit, the hatch gained the first hundred in 3.7 seconds. Thumbs up for a five-door?

Suzuki

When mentioning fast and powerful Suzuki, motorcycles usually come to mind. After all, the Hayabus superbike has held the title of the fastest production motorcycle on the planet for more than one year. But with cars, things are not so impressive. Aside from the key cars, the sporty versions of the Swift hatchback and the prototypes for the Pikes Peak, Suzuki really didn't have a bouncy car.

Until recently, the most powerful Suzuki was … the big XL7 crossover, which was only sold in North America! 3.6-liter V6 "relative" Chevrolet Equinox developed 257 forces. But a new Suzuki model recently raised the bar to 306 horsepower. And this model became … ToyotRAV4!

Not literally RAV4, of course, but the Suzuki Across crossover, in which the latest generation Toyota model is easily guessed. But, we must pay tribute to Suzuki, the company not only hung its nameplates on the RAV4, but also slightly conjured up the appearance.

Moreover, this model is a hybrid: its power plant consists of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, as well as two electric motors. By the way, of the total 306 forces, only 185 are in the internal combustion engine. Average fuel consumption, according to the brochure, is 1.2 liters per 100 kilometers!

This model is sold in Western Europe, where it costs a lot: the basic equipment is estimated at 57 thousand euros!

Tesla

Identifying the most powerful Tesla is not a very rewarding business: Elon Musk's company focuses more on accelerating dynamics and power reserve, rather than power as such. So it's up to journalists and dyno owners to scout out power.

The numerous announcements of the company, which almost never fit into the deadlines, add to this question. Cybertruck is delayed until 2022, the release date of the second generation Roadster is unknown. At the same time, the compact crossover Model Y went on sale ahead of schedule. In short, according to the announcements and Tesla's cars, it is just right to release a separate educational program.

But while the Semi truck, the new Roadster and the promising Model S P100D + Plaid await their turn, the most powerful model of the American brand (and the most power-equipped) remains the Model S P100D Performance liftback. Four-wheel drive, 2.5 seconds to 100 kilometers per hour, 542 kilometers from charge to charge and 773 horsepower. More than worthy, especially for a family car.

Toyota

There are a lot of interesting cars in the modern Toyot lineup. There is the hydrogen-powered Mirai sedan, the artsy C-HR crossover, and three cars that will definitely make the car enthusiast smile: the GR Supr coupe and the GT-86 (soon to be called GR 86), and the GR Yaris homologation hot hatch. which became one of the most talked about new products of 2020. But is any of these cars the most powerful production Toyota? Not!

This title belongs to the model that serves the imperial court of Japan - the ToyotCentury executive sedan. A couple of years ago, the limousine changed its generation for the second time (in half a century of its history) and became not only the most powerful, but also the most expensive Toyota: prices for Century start at 19,963,000 yen, which is equivalent to 14.4 million rubles!

Unlike the second generation, which was equipped with a V12 engine, the novelty received a hybrid power plant with a gasoline V8. In fact, this is the THS II unit that was used on the fourth generation Lexus LS600h. Thanks to a 224 horsepower traction electric motor and a five-liter V8 (it has 381 hp), the Century's total output is 431 horsepower. But in the documentation it is tactfully underestimated to "gentlemen's" 280.

The 5.3-meter sedan is sold only in Japan. Almost all of its elements are handmade.

Volkswagen

The Volkswagen group includes many brands with the most powerful cars: Bugatti, Bentley, Audi, Porsche … But the brand that produces "people's cars" is not particularly chasing horsepower. There are, of course, exceptions in the form of large commercial vehicles or the electric sports prototype I. D. R, but they are few in number.

It is most logical to look for the most powerful Volkswagen among the models of the R line. And at its top, at least in terms of horsepower, is … a crossover! And not a small Tiguan, but a huge Touareg R.

If the top crossovers Audi and Porsche are equipped with a four-liter V8 with two turbines, then the Touareg R has a simpler power plant. In Volkswagen, the main party is performed by a three-liter V6 TFSI with a return of 340 "horses", which is aided by a 136 horsepower electric motor, which is built into an eight-speed automatic. The total power of the plant is 462 horsepower. Perhaps an even more powerful electric car is just around the corner, but so far VW has nothing serial more powerful and cooler.

Volvo

If Polestar weren't a standalone brand, we'd love to include pictures of the Polestar 1, which started out as a Volvo Concept Coupe. And they would write about its 600-horsepower hybrid setup, unusual trunk, colored seat belts. But no. Flies … that is, Volvo - separately, Polestar - separately. Almost.

The fact is that the most powerful car of the Volvo brand still has the word Polestar in its name. It is called the Volvo S60 T8 Polestar Engineered. Technically, this is a completely familiar Volvo S60 T8, which Polestar engineers slightly improved according to the proprietary recipe: they added Öhlins adjustable suspension, Brembo brakes, new wheels, added a few struts to strengthen the body and, of course, added power.

If in the case of the usual S60 T8 power is 408 horsepower, then the sedan with Polestar engineering has grown to 422 hp. Much of that power comes from the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine with compressor. Through the efforts of Polestar, its power increased from 303 to 318 forces.

The top-end S60 accelerates to a hundred in 4.4 seconds. Not bad for four pots, isn't it?

GAS

Finally, there are two domestic brands that have not been producing passenger cars for a long time. To begin with, the Gorky Automobile Plant, in the model line of which consists entirely of trucks and buses. But they also do not reach the capacity of the car, which turned 35 this year.

It is no secret that it was the "Seagulls" that were the most powerful cars of the GAZ plant. But are they the most power-equipped? No matter how it is. After all, a huge 5.5-liter V8 with a three-speed automatic was installed not only on limousines, but also on the so-called "catch-up": modified Volga, which worked in the KGB. At first, the 21st Volga was the base for "catch-ups" - this option was called GAZ-23, and then the 24th came to replace it.

In its last "catch-up" iteration, which was called GAZ-24-34, the Volga could develop 195-220 horsepower. The model was produced from 1985 to 1993, the exact number of copies made is unknown. But it is known that such a sedan accelerated to almost 200 kilometers per hour, and the first hundred kilometers per hour obeyed it in less than 15 seconds.

Moskvich

Although the death of the Moskvich plant was long and painful, this agony was not in vain. After all, it was at the end of his life that the manufacturer of people's cars gave birth to the most powerful model, which, alas, no one especially wanted to buy. Remember "Moskvich" -2142 Prince Vladimir, built on the basis of 2141?

So, in addition to the UZAM-3317 engine, which developed a merciless 86 horsepower, this sedan was equipped with a two-liter Renault engine. And now his power was much more solid - 147 horsepower. Not a world record, of course, but even in 2020, with such power, one might not feel flawed.