2023 Nissan Z Makes First Drag Victim and Thrashes 2022 VW Golf in an R-Rated Sprint

The peeps from Sam CarLegion with the 2023 Nissan Z flexing its muscles on the videographer's preferred location from Canada against the 2022 VW Golf R. Although the alphabetical order puts the European first, the specs stick to mathematical precision and gives the Asian full credit.

The Nissan Z has a three-liter V6 that outputs 400 bhp (405 PS) from the twin-turbocharged mill, along with 350 lb-ft (474 Nm) of torque. A nine-speeder transcends the firepower to the two wheels behind the driver, which might be the Z's only soft underbelly.

Because the R, on the other hand, is all-wheel drive, but that advantage almost instantly fades away. It may sound like a cutting-edge lead for the Golf, but it is just a knife to a gunfight, as the two-liter inline-four engine can produce only so much punching power. 315 bhp (319 PS) and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque is a nerve-wracking handicap. Add the six-speed manual gearbox, and the fate of the Golf is as good as sealed.

Even with the extra 190 lbs. of weight to carry (86 kg), the Nissan Z is so much faster than the Golf R that it isn’t even worth the effort. The car pulls away so quickly that an unadvised onlooker might get the wrong idea about the race and believe there’s something wrong with the Volkswagen.

The drive-by – it can’t be called a race when the outcome is evident from the start line – leaves the out-gunned European hot hatch in the dust. The Z is in another league. And rightfully so, as the two-seater has a racetrack bloodline to defend, while the Golf R is just a steroid-fed variant of a popular but streamlined hatchback.