Video: 500-PS VW Golf R goes up against same-powered Subaru Impreza

High-performance wagons have long since made it from family men’s dreams into reality, leaving many customers wondering which one they should buy. A fresh video by Officially Gassed provides a comparison between a tuned Volkswagen Golf R (Mk7) and an older, but fast Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

Both wagons have 500 PS (493 hp / 368 kW) at their disposal thanks to tuning, but while the Golf makes do with a mundane inline-four, the Impreza rocks a flat engine with rather impressive sound. The German contender also weighs around 1.5 metric tons (3,300 lbs) despite all the track-friendly mods, while the Japanese car comes in at just 1,150 kg (2,535 lbs).

Drivetrain differences are also impossible to miss. The Impreza WRX STI uses a five-speed manual gearbox, while the Golf R takes advantage of its newfangled seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Perhaps because of this, the European car needs 2.97 seconds for its standard sprint and the Japanese one, 3.16 seconds.

But that’s all theory, so how do the two compare on the quarter-mile drag strip? Turns out, they are extremely close. Watch the video to find out which one inches out the victory.