Every time a new high-performance car arrives on the automotive scene, the usual test against the main rivals has to take place. The BMW M3 Competition is no exception and, even though we’ve already seen the new C63 AMG S (and its 2-liter mill) we’re still pretty far from having the two go at it on a drag strip. That would certainly be a very interesting comparison. Until then, we’ll have to make due with the previous generation, the V8-powered one.
Looking at the specs of the two, you’d think they aren’t far from one another in terms of performance. The Mercedes has a 4-liter twin-turbo V8 under the hood, good for 510 HP and 700 Nm of torque, sending all of it to the rear wheels via a 9-speed automatic gearbox. On the other side of the drag strip we have the M3 Competition, with a smaller, 3-liter straight-six mill developing 510 HP and 650 Nm of torque. The BMW uses an 8-speed automatic gearbox and, in this case, also sends all of its power to the rear axle.
The Mercedes is also a bit heavier than the BMW, tipping the scale at 1,755 kilograms, while the BMW makes due with just 1,730. Not a big delta though and it can hardly be said that this is what makes the difference in the end. In the end, the BMW simply manages to put the power down better, especially in the runs done from a stop.
We also noticed that when testing the car and were impressed in how the rear axle manages to keep its composure, despite having to deal with that much power. What’s more interesting is the behavior in the rolling races. In both cases, the AMG pulls ahead initially, only for the BMW to make up the ground and eventually win it. In this case, the M3 Competition might have the edge because of the different gearing. Still an interesting showdown though. Now bring on the new C63 AMG!
