Lion
The African lion achieves a respectable top speed of 80 kilometres per hour, though only in short bursts lasting approximately 200 metres before requiring what researchers at the Botswana Wildlife Locomotion Laboratory diplomatically term 'an extensive rest period.' Lions spend roughly 20 hours per day sleeping, suggesting their approach to speed involves significant preparatory napping.
In pursuit scenarios, lions demonstrate what Dr. Margaret Thornbury calls 'explosive laziness' - brief moments of terrifying velocity bookended by profound lethargy. The average lion generates approximately 650 watts of power during maximum exertion, roughly equivalent to a moderately ambitious toaster.
Sonic
Sonic the Hedgehog reportedly achieves speeds exceeding Mach 1, casually breaking the sound barrier whilst collecting golden rings and maintaining immaculate quills. The Institute for Theoretical Videogame Physics has calculated that at his canonical top speed, Sonic would vaporise upon contact with any solid object, yet inexplicably survives encounters with robotic crabs and the occasional spring.
His acceleration from standing to supersonic occurs within 0.3 seconds, a feat that would liquefy the internal organs of any biological creature. That Sonic emerges unscathed from such physical impossibilities has led researchers at Oxford's Department of Cartoon Thermodynamics to conclude he exists outside conventional physics entirely.
VERDICT
Whilst the lion represents the pinnacle of feline velocity, Sonic operates in a realm where speed limits are merely gentle suggestions. The hedgehog achieves in seconds what would take a lion several lifetimes, assuming the lion could be bothered to attempt it between naps.