[MUSIC PLAYING]
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Welcome to U-Drags.
What is U-Drags?
That's where we take two cars and send them
down this airfield.
When they get to the end, they have
to brake hard, flip around, and come back to the finish line.
That way, you get a standing quarter mile, braking,
handling, and a rolling start all in one.
The cars will go head to head.
Then we'll swap drivers and run them again.
This way, we get to see which cars are fast
in a straight line and around a corner,
plus we get to weed out the one-trick ponies.
At Edmunds, we're known for our scientific testing,
but we're also looking to push the envelope.
We thought, hey, what if you took a drag race
and made it extra spicy with a concept that's
more challenging for both car and driver?
U-Drags was born.
[RECORD SCRATCH]
I know what you're thinking.
It looks like broccoli.
Today we have the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
with the supercharged V8 engine from the previous-gen Corvette
Z06.
And it's rocking 668 horsepower.
Oh yeah, and it's a manual.
Then there's a 2020 Chevrolet Corvette--
[ENGINE REVVING]
--with 495 horsepower and, of course, that midmounted engine.
We own the Vette, and you can find more videos on it
by clicking this link.
So which is better on our course?
A 600-plus horsepower old Vette engine
or less powerful but midmounted new Vette engine?
To find out, our drivers today are from the Edmunds test
team, Kurt and Reese.
It's a battle for GM supremacy!
I'm your host Ryan ZumMallen and if you
want to see more U-Drags, make sure to click Like
and hit that Subscribe button too.
If you want to get a cash offer on your car right now,
go to edmunds.com/sellmycar.
It's that easy.
All right, let's get into it.
KURT NIEBUHR: I think this car is going to get away faster,
and it might stay ahead through the quarter mile.
It's going to turn in better too, but it lacks the top end.
It lacks the power.
I have it in launch control mode.
It's actually in Race 2.
Yes, I do know how to put it in launch control.
Thank you.
Thank you for the comments.
Yeah, I think I might have the advantage just
because this car weighs considerably
less than the Cadillac does.
And, oddly enough, I have less power,
so I can tap into all of it sooner
than that can tap into its 600-something horsepower.
Sounds a little counterintuitive,
but, you know, I'm kind of counterintuitive.
I also have shorter gearing than that does.
That's got gigantic, tall gears in it.
So I think--
I hope I can get away faster and stay in front.
REESE COUNTS: In order to try to beat the Corvette,
I'm going to use the car's launch control.
Put it into the right drive mode, which is Race.
Adjust the traction control, and then you've
got a little light down here that
says Launch Control Automatic.
Then you just hit the clutch for it, and then ready to go.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Drivers, thumbs up when you're ready.
Countdown in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go.
KURT NIEBUHR: There we go.
There we go.
Woo, this car launches hard.
He's not catching up to me though.
Brake, brake, brake, brake, brake, brake.
Ooh, I missed the apex.
I'm sloppy.
Come on.
Power.
Get it.
Get him.
Oh no, he's going to beat me.
Oh no!
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Oh, come on!
I don't know who won.
I don't know who it was.
KURT NIEBUHR: Woo.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: I don't know who it was.
KURT NIEBUHR: Woo.
[LAUGHS]
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Does anybody know?
REESE COUNTS: I don't know, man.
[LAUGHTER]
KURT NIEBUHR: That's about as close as you like.
I'm pretty impressed with that hopped-up Pontiac.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: They were right there.
REESE COUNTS: Wow.
That was a lot closer than I expected it to be.
KURT NIEBUHR: You know, you can say
what you want about having too much power,
but sometimes too much power is really good.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Kurt, It's almost like
that thing weighs 500 pounds less in the turns.
KURT NIEBUHR: Yeah, it's almost like it weighs 500 pounds less.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: But then Reese, what
happened coming out of that?
It seemed like you dug it out of the hole
as fast as I thought it was going to.
REESE COUNTS: I managed to get on the power
just at the right time coming back.
And like we were saying, the Cadillac's just got
so much more top end.
Give it a long-enough straight, I can pull on him.
I really don't know.
That last one was so close between these two.
KURT NIEBUHR: That was fun.
I want to do that again.
REESE COUNTS: I know.
That was a good one.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: All right, guys, pull your cars
into different lanes, please.
KURT NIEBUHR: Roger that.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Who won?
Stay tuned for the replay.
KURT NIEBUHR: Oh.
I want to go in that Cadillac.
REESE COUNTS: All right, time to switch.
KURT NIEBUHR: It looks cool.
REESE COUNTS: It's a little bit warmer in this one.
KURT NIEBUHR: Did have a seat heaters on in that for a while.
I know the Corvette's just going to just leave on the launch,
and all I can do is just hope that I have a clean exit
through the corner to get on the power sooner
and really make this 600-plus horsepower
work for me because I really want to beat the Vette.
I do.
REESE COUNTS: I don't really have any tactic other than
to just mash the gas and go.
Kurt's got to do all the shifting.
I've got a dual clutch.
While that is a little more fun to do it, this is drag racing,
and I want all the advantage I can get.
KURT NIEBUHR: Cadillac ready.
REESE COUNTS: Corvette ready.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Here we go, all the marbles.
Countdown in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Go.
Ooh, close start.
Wheel spin from the Cadillac.
REESE COUNTS: Come on.
KURT NIEBUHR: Just takes a little longer on the shifts.
That Corvette's fast.
Oh, rev limiter, you tool.
Give it to me.
Give me that power.
REESE COUNTS: That Cadillac is so--
KURT NIEBUHR: Give it to me.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Oh, I don't know who that was again.
[LAUGHS]
KURT NIEBUHR: Holy smokes, this car's fast.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: I don't know.
It might have been the Cadillac.
KURT NIEBUHR: That's a race, kids.
REESE COUNTS: Well there, how's your Pontiac?
KURT NIEBUHR: My Pontiac's rad.
How's your Pontiac?
REESE COUNTS: Maybe not as rad that time.
KURT NIEBUHR: Well, yeah, I was right on the rev limiter
coming across that start-finish line, man oh man.
REESE COUNTS: I know.
It's like do you try to shift to fifth
or just hit the rev limiter?
KURT NIEBUHR: Yeah, I just kind of left it
because I think I was just about to nose past you.
But man, it really says a lot how short
the gears are in the Corvette because it does not really
lose a lot in acceleration to this car even on top end.
REESE COUNTS: Once we get going straight,
you were just pulling and pulling and pulling.
KURT NIEBUHR: Yeah, this car, you can feel it.
When you turn in, there's just that understeer.
And if you go in just a couple miles an hour
too fast like I did, you just get that sad sound
of understeer, that chatter that comes off the front tires.
But as soon as-- yeah, you're right.
As soon as I got this car pointed straight, ooh boy.
I think we should check the tape on that.
REESE COUNTS: Definitely.
Photo finish on that one.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: That was really close.
What a race, man.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
REESE COUNTS: Ha, ha.
KURT NIEBUHR: Good job.
REESE COUNTS: God, that thing is so fast.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: It won at the end, right?
We're saying Caddy?
SPEAKER: Oh, I think we have to review the tape, dude.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: OK.
We've got to go to the tape to make sure.
What a race.
Wow.
U-Drags, man.
Let's break down the numbers.
As you can see, the Vette jumped out to 60 much faster,
so the CT5 has some ground to make up,
and that's exactly what happened.
Toward the finish, the CT5 is carrying a lot more speed,
allowing it to catch up and match the Vette
with a time of 31.4 seconds.
Side note-- look at the Gs the Vette is pulling in the turn.
In race two, it's more of the same.
Big jump for the Vette to 60 and in the quarter,
but this time it's the Caddy that's
pulling heavy Gs in the turn.
It's got an even bigger speed advantage at the finish line,
and it's just enough for the Blackwing
to take race two by a lip splitter.
The fastest times for these two are identical,
the 31.4-second figure from their first race.
That means we have a tie to kick off our U-Drags leaderboard.
Well, guys, we have a clear winner, don't we?
[LAUGHTER]
REESE COUNTS: What?
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: I'm actually not kidding.
I thought the Vette was going to walk away with this,
and the fact that it didn't blow the Cadillac away
I think kind of is a huge point for the Caddy.
Kurt, what do you think?
KURT NIEBUHR: Yeah, I kind of thought
that if the Corvette had the advantage going into the turn,
the Corvette would be able to take it.
It turns better.
The eight speed is super quick shifting.
Ratios are short.
I did not expect the Corvette--
I did not expect the Cadillac to be
able to flex that hard on the Vette.
REESE COUNTS: No.
Especially getting off the launch, you were quicker.
The Corvette's going down there faster.
But again, it's just the top end in this.
It just reels that Corvette back in.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: So two doors, 500 pounds less,
midengine, not enough to beat this.
KURT NIEBUHR: No because it's short about 170 horsepower.
REESE COUNTS: Still.
Still.
KURT NIEBUHR: It matters.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: I guess.
What we know for sure is that Reese was driving both winning
vehicles, so you want to go hang out?
REESE COUNTS: Yeah.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: You want to get some lunch or something?
REESE COUNTS: Sorry, Kurt.
RYAN ZUMMALLEN: All right, cool.
Thanks, Kurt.
Thanks for coming, for showing up.
We appreciate it.
Thanks for watching U-Drags.
Leave a comment.
Let us know what cars you want to see next.
Reese, yeah, there's a really good spot down this way.
I think you'll like it.
[MUSIC PLAYING]