Nissan Z Versus VW Golf R Drag Race Sees A Landslide Winner

Imagine you're shopping around for a sporty car and you have around $40,000 to spare. You're presented with two options: the Volkswagen Golf R based on the Mk8 Golf, or the latest Nissan Z. Which one would you go for?

There are several things to consider, of course. But if you want to know which one's quickest in a straight line, this drag race from Sam CarLegion on YouTube will show you a clear winner. Even better, the drag race video above features both standing and rolling starts, which should somehow offset the traction advantage of one car here over the other.

Gallery: 2022 Volkswagen Golf R US Version

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In the premise of a standing-start drag race, the Volkswagen Golf R has glaring advantages over the Nissan Z. It has an all-wheel drivetrain and is nearly 200 pounds (90 kilograms) lighter than the Nissan sports coupe.

However, the Nissan Z is substantially more powerful than the Golf R. With a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 under the hood making 400 horsepower (298 kilowatts) and 350 pound-feet (475 Newton-meters) of torque, the rear-wheel-drive Z is 85-hp (63-kW) more powerful and 40-lb-ft (54-Nm) torquier than the VW hot hatch.

The Latest Z Proving Its Worth:

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To make matters worse for the VW, the Golf R here comes with the 6-speed manual stick shift, which means its performance on a straight line will be affected by the skill of the one behind the tiller.

The result? Well, let's just say that the VW Golf R didn't stand a chance against the Z in both standing and rolling start drag races. Despite getting a lot of wheel spins, the Z managed to beat the Golf R by a sizeable margin.

Then again, the Golf R can seat more than two people with ample room for cargo, so that's another thing to consider in case you're cross-shopping between these two.