The tuned M3 Competition is powerful, don’t be fooled by the power gap.
It’s something we’ve seen before: CarWow pitting BMW M vehicles against each other. Last time, M coupes, HTML2 Competition, and M4 Competition went head-to-head on a wet track. It was fun, but now it’s time to see the odd M car.
This week’s drag race will see the M5 Competition face a very green M3 Competition. This M3 Competition is not just a stock-enhanced M3; it’s also tuned by Evolution to provide extra power. Although the M5 Competition has an obvious advantage, how big is the handicap?
BMW M5 Competition’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 produces 617 horsepower (460 KiloWatts) as well as 553 pound-feet (775 Newton-meters). Although it has all-wheel drive, the M5 Competition’s M3 Competition switched it to rear-wheel drive mode. Traction controls are still off.
The M3 Competition has a S55B30T0 twin turbo inline-6 engine underneath. It can produce 454 horsepower (339 kW), and 443 lb/ft (601 Nm). The M3 Competition’s power output has increased to 540 horsepower, thanks to its tuning. It’s still a bit behind the M5 Competition, but it’s at least a little closer.
Although this drag race may seem like a simple comparison of power, it is a key takeaway: the advantages of an all-wheel drive system. CarWow managed to run a 12.5 second run with the BMW M5 Competition in rear-wheel drive mode. The U.K.-based motoring website was able to run it in all-wheel-drive mode for an additional 11.1 seconds. It is a significant time difference but it is what is.
You can see the race at the top of this page to determine which Ms is fastest in a quarter mile straight-line race.