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2022 Golf R Drag Races BMW M4 Competition, Results Are Surprising

The all-new 2022 Golf R hasn't arrived Stateside yet, but people have a lot of fun drag racing this hot hatch in the UK. The old one was already pretty good, but Volkswagen has upped its game. Enough to keep up with a BMW M4? Surely that can't be the case.
2022 Golf R Drag Races BMW M4 Competition, Results Are Surprising 3 photos
Photo: Archie Hamilton Racing/YouTube screenshot
2022 Golf R Drag Races BMW M4 Competition, Results Are Surprising2022 Golf R Drag Races BMW M4 Competition, Results Are Surprising
The new Golf R is more powerful than before, but not by that much. The European model is rated at 320 PS or 316 horsepower, but dyno tests on the very hatchback in this video have shown that it produces 340 PS or 335 hp. That is the same as the official rating for the 2020 Supra (that's underrated too). It's also received a new exhaust, which could add even more power.

On the other hand, the new Golf is noticeably more expensive and heavy. But in this matchup, David brought an unfair advantage, a cheat if you like, against Goliath. We're talking about the AWD system, which gives it a fantastic launch. Meanwhile, the M4 doesn't come with xDrive, though this feature is finally becoming available.

In terms of power, the M4 is an outright monster, its 3.0-liter twin-turbo being the most powerful engine of its type at 503 hp (510 PS). The UK only gets the Competition model with all the bells and whistles.

Interestingly, even though the M4 costs twice as much and has two extra cylinders, the two rivals have the same quad exhaust tip layout. The ones on the Golf R even appear larger—it should be illegal to have as many pipes as cylinders!

But you guys came here for a drag race, not rants about mufflers. The drivers are brothers, and high stakes are on the line. Apparently, mom will give more food to the one who wins the race. That's like natural selection, but with motorsport on top.

So what exactly happens? Precisely what you expected. The little hatchback pulls ahead strong at first, but the power and torque of the BMW engine quickly destroy this tiny advantage. Even so, it's a good result for hot hatchbacks. In the real world, playing with instantaneous launch control is more fun than quarter-mile speed.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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