The new Nissan Z entered the US sports car market in a very turbulent period. There are many new and very capable performance models and some of the icons in this segment will soon be retired and replaced by the next generation. But before that happens, newcomers from Japan get a chance to prove themselves against the old dogs.
Throttle House put together an impressive lineup for one of his latest videos to see which performance model is the best for drag racing. Against the Nissan Z are the Ford Mustang GT and Dodge Challenger Scat Pack. Both will soon be replaced by new models, but we’ll talk about that later. First, let’s look at the numbers here.
The Nissan Z uses a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine that produces 400 horsepower (298 kilowatts) and 350 pound-feet (475 Newton-meters) of torque. Against it, the Ford Mustang GT brings out all the potential of a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 with 450 hp (336 kW) and 410 lb-ft (556 Nm). Last but not least, the Dodge Challenger carries a larger 6.4-liter V8 with 485 hp (362 kW) and 475 lb-ft (644 Nm) of rev.
The price comparison is also interesting. In the United States, the Mustang GT costs $39,440 and the Challenger Scat Pack 392 costs $46,650. Nissan’s new Z is the most expensive of the three at $51,015. All cars have a manual transmission and send power exclusively to the rear wheels.
You might be surprised by the winners here. It will be interesting to see a rematch between these three cars when the new Mustang and the next-generation Challenger hit the market. The former will debut next month, although we don’t know when the new Challenger will arrive yet.
