Edmunds U-Drags: Race to There and Back

What's On This Page?

1. The Leaderboard: Results from First to Worst
2. What Is U-Drags?
3. How it Works
4. The Track: Diagram and Details
5. The Races: U-Drags Head-to-Head

The Leaderboard

What Is U-Drags?

U-Drags is a short, car versus car challenge that tests acceleration, braking and handling. The name U-Drags represents the shape of the course and the initial acceleration phase of the challenge, which resembles a drag race.

The test involves two cars accelerating as quickly as possible down a flat, straight track, side-by-side from a standing stop. The vehicles start at the same time. Once the vehicles pass through a quarter-mile (1,320 ft; 402m) mark, they brake hard into a U-turn and accelerate back to the starting line. After the first run is completed, the drivers return to the start line and switch vehicles. The vehicles also switch lanes to ensure fairness. After both drivers and lanes have been changed, the vehicles do another lap. 

Cars are equipped with sophisticated GPS-equipped digital measurement devices that record speed, distance traveled and g-forces, among other data points.

How it Works

When two cars are chosen to be tested against each other, it’s called a ‘pairing. Within each pairing, there are two runs. If there isn’t a clear two-runs-to-none winner, a tiebreaker third run is introduced.

Each driver must give the car they are driving the best opportunity to launch and accelerate as quickly as the car will allow to the quarter mile. Braking cannot be initiated until the vehicle crosses the quarter-mile markers. If a vehicle is unable to slow down (brake) before making the corner, it must overshoot the corner marker and turn when it’s at a practical speed to do so and progress into its return run.

If a vehicle gets a false or bad launch/start that impacts the outcome, the run will be declared void, the vehicles reset, and a rerun ordered. Drivers are allowed up to three practice runs to gauge the vehicle's launch and braking parameters before the officially timed runs

The Track

A classic drag race only tells part of the story. Edmunds' unique U-Drags format starts with side-by-side acceleration to the quarter mile, then adds a maximum braking section, a U-turn and a frantic race back to the start/finish line. It's the ultimate test of a car's all-around performance talents.

The Races

Check out all of the head-to-head battles that power our U-Drags Leaderboard:

• Bentley Continental GT Speed vs. BMW M8 Competition
• McLaren 750S vs. Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray
• Ford Raptor R vs. Rivian R1T
• Acura NSX Type S vs. Lucid Air Grand Touring
• BMW M2 vs. Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
• Kia EV6 vs. BMW M2
• Porsche 911 Turbo S vs. Kawasaki Ninja H2R
• Acura NSX Type S vs. Kawasaki Ninja H2R
• Honda Civic Type R vs. Acura Integra Type S
• Mercedes-Benz EQE AMG vs. Lucid Air Grand Touring
• Honda Civic Type R vs. Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition
• Dodge Durango Hellcat vs. Tesla Model Y Performance
• Kia EV6 GT vs. Dodge Challenger Black Ghost
• Dodge Challenger Black Ghost vs. Ford Shelby GT500
• McLaren 765 LT vs. Chevrolet Corvette Z06
• BMW M8 Competition vs. BMW M3 Competition
• Ford Shelby GT500 vs. BMW M8 Competition
• Chevrolet Corvette Z06 vs. Ford Shelby GT500
• Lucid Air Grand Touring vs. Chevrolet Corvette Z06
• Lucid Air Grand Touring vs. BMW M8 Competition
• Chevrolet Corvette Stingray vs. Chevrolet Corvette Z06
• Subaru WRX vs. Subaru BRZ

What's Next?

Keep up with the latest content from the Edmunds crew at edmunds.com/news. See you there!