First and foremost, you should probably know that I’m a big fan of torque (aren’t we all, after all?) so this type of article may come off a little bit biased by fans of high-revving, high horsepower cars that reach stratospheric RPMs and only give out small amounts of torque in the process.
Second of all, as some of you know, torque isn’t everything, since if it were we would all be driving low slung tractors on the track, That said, torque IS more important than horsepower figures when it comes to everyday driving since it’s the main force that get things moving when you first press the go-fast pedal.
Since horsepower is just a function of torque and engine speed, it’s also important to note that how fast a car accelerates from a dig or in-gear is the result of how much available twist it has at lower rpm. Production engines have evolved so much in the last decade or so that a similar list would have been entirely different if it had been written a couple of years back. The introduction of large-scale turbocharging and the advent of hybrids has transformed the way we look at torque.
Without further ado, here are the torquiest production cars of 2016, but keep in mind that the following list will likely be updated by the end of the current year thanks to the introduction of even more torquey vehicles.
2016 Koenigsegg Regera
Despite not entering full production yet, the most powerful Koenigsegg ever will be hard to dethrone once all 80 units projected to be built reach their lucky owners. Either way, any current Koenigsegg model can easily be called the torquiest production model in existence, at least until Bugatti officially unveils the Chiron.
Thanks to the magic of twin-turbocharging but especially hybridization, the Regera apparently delivers over 1500 hp and 2000 Nm (1475 lb-ft) of torque. A fact that you will probably find to be even more insane is that all that torque is directed toward the rear wheels only, something that will probably make for some pretty interesting handling if it weren’t for traction control.
Those fantastic numbers come thanks an interesting plug-in hybrid configuration of the powertrain. More specifically, the Regera is powered by a twin-turbocharged, 5.0-liter V8 that delivers 1100 hp and up to 1280 Nm (944 lb-ft) of torque on its own. Not being contempt with those figures, Christian von Koenigsegg decided also to add not less than three electric motors, one of which also acts as a transmission in an innovative fashion.
Each rear wheel is powered by a driveshaft-mounted electric motor that delivers 245 hp and 260 (191 lb-ft) of torque. The third electric motor is mounted on the V8s crankshaft and is good for 218 hp and 300 Nm (221 lb-ft) of torque. All in all, the combined horsepower and torque of the Regera goes hand in hand with the plug-in hypercar’s (excuse me, megacar) name, which means “to rule.”
2016 Bentley Mulsanne Speed
Unveiled just before this year’s Geneva Motor Show, the 2016 Bentley Mulsanne Speed facelift is not only the torquiest production sedan ever but the 2016 car with the highest torque numbers until Bugatti makes its move with the Veyron replacement.
Its twin-turbocharged, 6.75-liter V8 is good for 537 PS (530 hp) and a tire-scorching 1100 Nm (811-lb-ft) of twist. Despite a curb weight that sits at a scarcely believable 2711 Kg (5977 pounds) in North America, the luxurious land barge can go from naught to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) in just 4.9 seconds mostly thanks to its gigantic gobs of torque.
In fact, there is no heavier production sedan out there that can accelerate faster than the Mulsanne Speed, and that is thanks to the mountains of torque delivered by that old-school Bentley L Series V8 engine, which originally saw the light of day back in 1959. We can thank hardcore Bentley fans for Volkswagen not retiring it, instead improving it continuously since it took over the British luxury marque.
2016 Pagani Huayra BC
At least 789 hp and 1098 Nm (811 lb-ft) of torque are delivered by the latest Pagani’s AMG-built engine. The final specs of the 2016 Pagani Huayra BC will probably become available after the car’s introduction at this year’s Geneva Motor Show so there is a possibility that the Mulsanne Speed will be dethroned by both the Chiron and the Huayra BC when they go on sale.
Sure, some may argue that with only 20 units to be manufactured, the Huayra BC can hardly be called a “production car,” but keep in mind that a roadster version of the model will increase the total production numbers even more in just a little while.
The 811 pound-feet of twist sound ever scarier when you take into account that the Huayra BC weighs only 1218 kg (2685 pounds). All that torque is delivered to the rear wheel through a 7-speed Xtrac automated manual gearbox and the model has active aero, so the driving experience should be as close as it gets to the one offered by an LMP1 racing car.
The BC in its name comes from the late Benny Caiola, Pagani Automobili’s first ever customer and a close friend to Horacio Pagani. It would be hard to imagine a Huayra with even more torque in the upcoming years, but Pagani has proved that it can obliterate expectations with almost every car that it has built since the company’s inception.
Mercedes-AMG 65 models
Any list of torquey production cars would never be complete without the addition of something brewed by the nutty engineers from Affalterbach. The Mercedes-Benz 65 AMG range of models is currently moved by a monster of an engine.
So it happens that the S 65, S 65 Coupe, SL 65 and G 65 models are all fitted with a twin-turbocharged, 6.0-liter V12 engines that can deliver up to 630 hp and 1000 Nm (738 lb-ft) of torque. The funny bit is that the torque numbers are actually electronically limited to that amount for reasons of drivetrain obliteration/common sense.
Apparently, the real torque numbers developed by the hand-built V12 are 1200 Nm (885 lb-ft), but AMG engineers decided that this amount is maybe a bit too insane, especially since anything over 1000 Nm would make no visible difference when it comes to the cars’ performance figures.
Mercedes-AMG 63 models
The twin-turbocharged, 5.5-liter V8 has been put by Mercedes-AMG in all sorts of vehicles, but its highest torque numbers are found in the SL 63, the S 63 and the S 63 Coupe and Cabrio (both RWD and AWD versions). Thanks to the magic of turbocharging and the relentless pursuit of internal combustion insanity by AMG engineers, the version of the M157 found in the models mentioned above delivers 585 hp and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft) of torque.
With the help of 4Matic all-wheel-drive tuned by AMG, these numbers are enough to launch the Mercedes-AMG S 63 Coupe and Cabriolet from 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) in just 3.9 seconds. That may not sound extraordinarily fast by today’s standards, but when you realize that the S 63 Cabrio 4Matic has a curb weight of 2185 kg (4817 pounds) it becomes a bit more impressive, doesn’t it?
Unfortunately, the M157 will soon be replaced across the Mercedes-AMG lineup by various versions of the new, twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V8 found in the GT and the current C 63 models. It’s not yet confirmed if the new mill will surpass the 5.5-liter when it comes to maximum torque figures, but knowing AMG, it is possible that we’re in for a nice surprise.
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