BMW M4 Vs BMW M440i Vs Old BMW M4 Drag Race Is Closer Than It Should

When the Bavarians launched the all-new G22 4 Series Coupe last summer, all people (ourselves included) talked about was the new kidney grille design. Granted, it's not like the damn thing could have been ignored considering it makes up for 99 percent of the vehicle's front end.

In the meantime, though, the public has gotten used to it, so when the M4 came out, it wasn't as big of a talking point as before. Besides, the more aggressive face of the M4 with the bigger air intakes seemed to make the bilobed grille look smaller than on the regular 4 Series.

With styling out of the way, people could focus on the new BMW M4's performance instead. And, with no less than 503 hp (510 PS) and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) coming out of its three-liter twin-turbo straight-six engine (for the Competition version), there's plenty to talk about.

Those numbers are impressive on their own, but they are even more so compared to those of the previous generation M4: we're looking at a hike of 60 hp and 73 lb-ft (100 Nm). However, the old dog still has a few tricks up its sleeve, using a dual-clutch transmission (single clutch for the new one) and weighing nearly 310 lbs (140 kg) less.

However, the new M4 isn't the heaviest car in this drag race as that title goes to the M440i. It only gains 22 lbs (10 kg) over the Competition, but it puts them to good use since it's the only car here with BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive system. The Bavarians have just announced they'll be offering the M xDrive AWD option for both the M3 and M4 starting this July, so for the time being, RWD it is.

Any advantage the cheaper M440i might get out of spinning all of its wheels might be lost through the much lower power output. The 444 hp (450 PS) of the old-gen M4 seems like a bridge too far compared to the 369 hp (374 PS) the M440i pulls out of its single-turbo straight-six. Add that to the weight, and the reason why the M440i is more affordable than the others immediately becomes apparent.

So, a clear win for the new M4, then? Well, yes and no. The G82 does manage to beat the F82 where it matters (the standing drag race and the rolling drag race in sport mode), but the overall score is actually a tie, with the old model winning the brake test and the rolling race in comfort mode, the former thanks to its weight and the latter thanks to its dual-clutch transmission. But don't just take our word for it and see for yourself.