If you like drag races, the video below is definitely for you. It's not your typical drag race, however, but a special format used by the good folks at Edmunds.
The U-Drags format begins with a good ol' standing quarter mile, followed by a hard braking zone, then by hard cornering. After that, it's a rolling start race back to the finish line. Pretty neat, huh? It's even neater when it also involves high-performance vehicles from the same manufacturer, in this case, the G80 M3 and F92 M8.
BMW's latest and greatest M3 yet is also the heaviest of them all, with the Competition-spec model in the clip below tipping the scales at a whopping 3,979 pounds (1,805 kilograms). Part of the reason is the adoption of a torque-converter automatic to the detriment of the previous generation's dual-clutch transmission. But more importantly, this car is equipped with M xDrive.
As opposed to regular xDrive, the M-specific version features a dedicated rear-wheel-drive mode for kicking the tail out whenever you feel like it. M xDrive is also fitted to the M8 Competition, which flaunts two fewer doors and two extra cylinders. If you thought the compact executive sedan was heavy, what do you think about the flagship coupe's rather porky 4,295 pounds?
That's 1,948 kilograms in the metric system, or more than two tonnes with someone behind the wheel. The M8's flagship status is also noticeable in terms of pricing, with the red-painted car tested by Edmunds retailing at $158,095 compared to the M3's $101,195.
Both of them use ZF's excellent 8HP transmission, and both employ M-specific engines that are known to develop more ponies and torque at the crankshaft than BMW advertises them with. In the go-faster sedan, the B58-based S58 belts out 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet (650 Nm) at the very least. As for the N63-based S63 in the hideously underrated F92, the German automaker promises 617 hp and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm).
Edmunds raced these all-wheel-drive land missiles twice. The first run started with the M8 accelerating to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) better than its lesser sibling, namely 3.2 seconds versus 3.3 seconds.
They crossed the quarter-mile line in 11.3 and 11.4 seconds, respectively, with the M8 carrying more speed as well. The heavier of two Bimmers also cornered a wee bit harder, with Edmunds reporting 1.03 Gs as opposed to 0.99 Gs. Back over the start/finish line, the M8 asserts dominance over the M3 with a final time of 33 clicks.
For the second race, the drivers and lanes were swapped for obvious reasons. This resulted in better acceleration to 60 miles per hour (3.0 seconds flat) for the M8, merely 11.1 seconds in the quarter mile, 1.11 Gs under cornering, and a final time of 32.7 seconds. The M3 followed suit in 32.9 seconds, which is pretty impressive by all accounts. The question is, which one of these BMWs speaks to you the most? Which one would you drive on a curvy road on a sunny weekend day?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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