We’re used to seeing drag races from YouTubers who post these videos for a living, but this one comes from an actual dealer. Van Poelgeest from The Netherlands sells BMWs and MINIs, and in its spare time, it appears to be organizing drag races with the cars available in the inventory. The duel between an i4 M50 and M3 Competition was organized the right way, on a race track, rather than on public roads as some tend to do in their quest to grab clicks.
Circuit Zandvoort served as the venue for the showdown between BMW’s first-ever electric M car, lined up against the G80-generation M3 in the rear-wheel-drive configuration. Yes, we know what you’re thinking, it would’ve made more sense to use an xDrive-equipped version of the sports sedan to even the odds considering the i4 M50 sends its electric punch to both axles.
Life is pretty short, so if you want to skip straight to the action, the duel takes place from the 3:23 mark. We won’t bore you with the details about technical specifications as we’re fairly certain you know them by heart. We’ll just say the instant response of the electric motors inside the i4 M50 is evident in the adjacent clip, and will never be matched by an internal combustion engine.
The dealer’s message? It’s time to switch to electric if you want the best performance off the line. Sure, electric vehicles are much heavier than their ICE counterparts, but that extra bulk is offset by the immediately available torque from the moment you hit the accelerator pedal. Needless to say, a drag race doesn’t paint an accurate picture regarding performance as there’s more to it than which is the fastest in a straight line.
Even if it had been an M3 Competition with AWD, chances are the i4 M50 would’ve won anyway. The outcome might’ve been different had the two BMW M cars completed a full lap of the 2.6-mile (4.2-kilometer) race track and its 14 turns where the EV’s extra bulk would’ve reared its ugly head.
[Source: Van Poelgeest / YouTube and Van-Poelgeest.nl]
