Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Video: BMW M2 Takes on Audi RS3 on Drag Strip, Doesn’t Seem Fair

Over the past few weeks we’ve seen all sorts of comparisons between the BMW M2 and its rival from Audi, the RS3. We’ve seen the two go up against a more focused rival as well, in the shape of the Porsche Cayman, but we all know that’s not exactly a fair fight. So, what would happen if the M2 and the RS3 took to the drag strip to sort things out the old-fashion way?

The video below seems to provide an answer but, in all honesty, the result of this particular drag race left us wondering if this was even a fair fight at all. If you look at the spec sheet, the two sporty cars should be a lot closer than they appear to be in the footage posted here, especially since the M2 is apparently a manual instead of the ultra-fast 7-speed DCT gearbox.The Audi RS3 comes with a 2.5-liter turbocharged 5-cylinder engine making 367 PS and 465 Nm (343 lb-ft) of torque. It delivers the power to all four corners of the car using a 7-speed automatic gearbox which is also the only choice you can get. 0-62 mph happens in 4.3 seconds.

On the other hand, the BMW M2 uses a 3-liter straight six turbocharged engine making 370 PS and up to 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque with overboost. Normally, the engine develops 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque. All that grunt is delivered to the rear axle using either a manual gearbox or a 7-speed DCT unit. The former allows the M2 to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) from standstill in 4.5 seconds while the automatic cuts 0.2 seconds off that time.

Of course, that’s all on paper, but in real life, the results vary wildly when using a manual gearbox, depending on the driver’s skill. And yet, that didn’t prove to be a problem, at least in the race we’re looking at here. One does have to wonder how things would’ve fared if we dealt with a standing start, where Audi’s all-wheel drive system would’ve made a big difference.

The article Video: BMW M2 Takes on Audi RS3 on Drag Strip, Doesn’t Seem Fair appeared first on BMW BLOG



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