Anyone familiar with the specifications of the BMW 330i and Charger R/T 5.7 HEMI will scream about the fault in Sam CarLegion’s stars for this drag and roll encounter. But we have already seen the subtle (and little) BMW 330i xDrive, as well as the hulking yellow splash of color of a Charger Daytona, face other foes. So, we have confidence in Sam’s judgment, especially after mentioning the V6 Dodge would have been blown out of the water by the AWD 3 Series.
Earlier this month, the big American sedan with a livery that not only pays tribute to Daytona but also brings to life all bees a mile around it faced off against an unlikely high-performance representative from Korea. And it got beaten by the Kia Stinger GT. A little later, the Stinger faced off against a subtle BMW 330i with xDrive and again exerted supremacy.
Now it’s time for payback... either on the American or German side. Just to make sure we have the proper perspective there’s an info card with all the important technical specifications during the intro part. As well as the explanation as to what made Sam choose these two cars, in particular, to face each other from the 0:45 mark. It’s a sound one, even though you would think that V8 against a four-pot is easy peas. But don’t forget about AWD.
Still, it seems the BMW did lose sight of it during the first run. It kicks off at the 2:50 mark with both cars in normal mode and launch control. Well, the Daytona did save face this time, as it conquered the traditional drag race with lots of sentiment. The second run (still in Normal mode) brings a much better start for the 330i, but the HEMI still has enough grunt to aid the Charger make up the initial loss.
Switching to Sport mode with traction control off for the third run (5:20) helps the little BMW take off like a rocket... but the mighty Charger again shows who’s boss. And it doesn't let go of the victory even during the fourth run (7-minute mark) that takes place with the transmissions in manual mode: both have aggressive launches, but in the end, the Daytona prevails.
The only mixed results come from the roll races, where the BMW is better in Comfort and the Charger delivers a full two-car spanking in Sport...
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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