Recently, we published a list of current vehicles that were slower through the figure-eight total performance test than the last Toyota Prius we tested. We still wouldn’t recommend using one as a track car, but as that list showed, the Prius has come a long way since we named it the 2004 MotorTrend Car of the Year. Its best lap is 26.3 seconds at an average of 0.64 g.
But that list also got us thinking. Were there any high-performance cars from the last 10 or 15 years that the new Prius could hang with or even beat around our figure-eight course? As it turns out, that list is more impressive than any of us expected.
What about new cars? Find out what new cars the 2019 Prius beat around the figure-eight course here.
2005 Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG
Before Mercedes introduced the current S-Class Coupe, its two-door S-Class variant was called the CL. And the top-of-the-line CL was the AMG-tuned CL 65 with a hand-built V-12 cranking out 604 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque. It also ran our figure eight in 26.4 seconds at an average of 0.72 g.
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2012 Volkswagen Golf R
No, this isn’t the current-gen Volkswagen Golf R with 292 hp. This is its predecessor, the Golf R that got 256 hp back when the GTI only made 200. Unfortunately for VW, all those horses only resulted in a 26.3-second figure-eight time at an average of 0.70 g.
2004 Cadillac CTS-V Sedan
In an attempt to take on the BMW M5, Cadillac gave the CTS a 400-hp Corvette-sourced V-8 and a track-tuned suspension. When we finally got to drive the CTS-V, we said its acceleration, braking, and handling felt almost as impressive as the Corvette Z06 it shared an engine with. But its figure-eight time? 26.3 seconds at an average of 0.69 g.
2013 Subaru BRZ
Subaru never gave us the turbocharged STI version we spent years begging for, but when the BRZ was first introduced, it was still impressive. After our first drive, we said its handling was “as sweet as Orange Tang.” But like the CTS-V, it ran our figure eight in 26.3 seconds at an average of 0.68 g.
2006 Dodge Charger SRT8
The sixth-generation Dodge Charger was better at straight-line acceleration than it was at cornering, but thanks to its Mercedes roots, its handling was nothing to laugh at. Especially the SRT-tuned version with a 425-hp V-8 and a sports suspension. While a 26.3-second figure-eight time at an average of 0.67 g is impressive for a big sedan from the mid-2000s, it surprisingly doesn’t beat the modern Prius.
2007 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT
It’s Italian. There’s a 400-hp V-8 under the hood. In a 2007 comparison test, one judge called the Quattroporte Sport GT the best-handling sedan he’d ever driven. And yet, its time through our figure eight was also 26.3 seconds at an average of 0.67 g. The GT S model is shown here.
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP
Not long before General Motors made the decision to kill off the brand, Pontiac introduced something truly excellent—the rear-wheel-drive G8. Even better, it offered a GXP version with a 400-hp V-8 and a manual transmission. You’d never expect it to be slower than a Prius, but with a figure-eight time of 26.4 seconds at an average of 0.70 g, it is.
2005 Bentley Continental GT
Like the CL 65, the Continental GT was built to be more of a luxurious grand tourer than a sports car. Also like the CL 65, the Continental GT made big power from its 12-cylinder engine—552 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, to be exact. Still, it needed 26.4 seconds at an average of 0.68 g to run the figure eight.
2006 BMW M5
Now, this is crazy. We’ve already seen a few BMW M5 competitors on the list, but here’s an actual M5 that ran our figure eight slower than the new Prius. The 500-hp V-10 M5 did it in 26.4 seconds at an average of 0.68 g. That was unexpected.
2012 Mazda Miata
What? The Miata? On this list? Yep. And it’s a perfect example of why there’s more that makes a car fun to drive than its on-paper performance. Running the figure eight in 26.4 seconds at an average of 0.68 g doesn’t tell the whole story.
2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt
Even if you hate the movie, it’s hard to argue the 2008 Mustang Bullitt wasn’t cool. Even better, it came with more power and a sportier suspension than the setup you got on the regular Mustang GT at the time. Its figure-eight time? 26.4 seconds at an average of 0.52 g.
2006 Nissan 350Z Convertible
Two doors. Rear-wheel drive. 300 hp. Even with a soft top, the 350Z looks like it should definitely beat the Prius through the figure eight. But due in part to the weight added by the power-retractable top, the 350Z ran the figure eight in 26.5 seconds at an average of 0.65 g.
2015 Bentley Mulsanne Speed
Out of any car on this list, the Mulsanne Speed is probably the one you’d most expect to have trouble keeping up with a Prius in the corners. But even in a 6,000-pound car, 530 hp and 811 lb-ft of torque is a lot. And yet, it wasn’t enough to hustle the big Bentley through the figure eight any faster than 26.6 seconds at an average of 0.71 g.
2004 Mazda RX-8
The RX-7 may still be the most popular rotary-powered sports car, but that doesn’t mean the suicide-doored RX-8 wasn’t fun to drive. At the time, we even went so far as to call the suspension tuning near-perfect. Times change, though, and these days, its figure-eight time of 26.6 seconds at 0.70 g looks a little less impressive.
2007 Mazdaspeed3
Unlike every other car on this list, the Mazdaspeed3 is front-wheel-drive. But at a time when the Subaru WRX made 230 hp, the Mazdaspeed3 cranked out 263. In our testing, it also outhandled the WRX and its supposedly superior all-wheel drive. Fast forward to 2019, though, and its figure-eight time of 26.6 seconds at an average of 0.69 g makes it slower than a Prius.
2007 Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG
At a time when the BMW M5 and the Audi S6 both packed V-10s, the E 63 made do with a naturally aspirated V-8. It also made 507 hp, besting both of its 10-cylinder competitors’ power figures. But its figure-eight time puts it dead last on this list, clocking in at 26.7 seconds at an average of 0.68 g. An E-Class from the same generation is shown here.
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