(VIDEO) A 5.7L V8 Dodge Charger gets unexpected competition from a 2.0L Hyundai

Many of us deeply admire the big engines in American cars, which sound beautiful and have raw thrust from their large displacement and naturally aspirated power. And we often say that there is no replacement for displacement, and smaller turbo engines are just some simulated attempts to give the same sensations. It seems, however, that these attempts have reached a level where they can put the big V8 engine in an embarrassing light.

A Hyundai Elantra N, a South Korean performance model with a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline 4 engine, puts out 286 hp, but sends it to front wheels via a dual-clutch automatic transmission. And the front-wheel drive makes it sometimes to lose grip in whistling, in an attempt to put its power on the asphalt.

On the other hand, the Dodge Charger Daytona is a sedan with rear-wheel drive and a huge naturally aspirated, 5.7-liter V8 Hemi, that puts out 375 hp. The engine is connected to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The difference is that the Dodge is slightly larger and weighs about 1000 lbs (or 450 kg) more. But still, it has an engine almost 3 times larger in displacement and claims to play in a completely different performance league than the young Hyundai.

And yet, the two cars were unexpectedly close. The second race brought them almost to the finish line, for example. And the races with a moving start put Hyundai at an even greater advantage. So, the Korean model certainly proved to be an unexpectedly fearsome competitor for the American muscle car.

See it all in the video below.