BMW M3 vs. M4: The Ultimate Drag Race Showdown Across Generations

BMW supplemented the long-running 3 Series nameplate with a coupe- and convertible-only model, the 4 Series, around 2014. Initially, almost nothing distinguished the 4 Series from the 3 Series aside from the missing two doors, but today the cars are more than distinct. BMW also split the M Series models of the 3 Series; thus, with the F80 generation, came the first-ever M4. YouTube channel Carwow has a habit of finding reasons to race things, and today is no different. We’re checking out a drag race between the M3 and M4.

The Competitors

The M3 stable is a duo of silver cars. The first is an E92 M3, touting a brutal 4.0-liter V8 under the hood paired to the seven-speed DCT. Shockingly, it’s actually the second heaviest car here after the modern M4 they’ve chosen. The E46 M3 they’ve chosen is the lightest here, and touts the SMG automated manual gearbox.

While the selected M3s are no doubt awesome machines, Carwow lines up two of the hottest M4s around in what we don’t consider to be a particularly fair fight. The first is a San Marino Blue F82 M4 CS. More familiar might be the G82 M4 CS wearing (very dirty) Black Sapphire Metallic paint. Both of these CS variants get more power from their respective twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter engines and some significant weight savings over the run of the mill M4. The G82 M4 CS has an even bigger advantage in xDrive all-wheel drive. It’s also the heaviest car here.

Off to the Races

After a bit of revving to see who can make the best or most noise, the race commences. To quote Mat Watson, who is behind the wheel of the AWD G82 M4 CS: “This is just terrible for everyone else.” Even developing gearheads will likely recognize the tremendous advantage the latest M4 CS has over the older rear-driven models in a drag race, and there are zero surprises.

That is, of course, until Mat switches the G82 CS into rear-wheel drive mode. And then further evens the playing field by allowing a rolling race. We’ll let you watch the video for yourself, but there’s an interesting demonstration here of how real-world performance is often far from what you’ll read in auto publications, especially when it comes to decades-old vehicles. The E46 M3 here ran a quarter-mile time of 14.4 seconds compared to a Car and Driver reported completion of 13.1 seconds back in 2005. Expectations don’t always add up to reality.

First published by https://www.bmwblog.com

Source: BMW BLOG