Who said a drag race must involve two cars from the same segment? It certainly wasn’t Carwow as they’ve now lined up the BMW M240i against the Audi RS5. Both have all-wheel drive, six-cylinder engines, and automatic transmissions, but the M Performance car is clearly the underdog here even though it’s the slightly lighter car.
Compared to Ingolstadt’s stylish Sportback, the M240i xDrive has a 76-horsepower deficit while being down on torque by 100 Nm (74 lb-ft). Even so, the little BMW did manage to hold its own in the drag races as it wasn’t much slower than the beefier Audi. Bear in mind the upcoming M2 G87 won’t necessarily be any faster in a straight line considering it’ll be sold strictly with a rear-wheel-drive layout.
Since we’re talking Audis, it goes without saying the M240i xDrive’s direct competitor is the S3 Sportback / Sedan. Even so, it’s always interesting to see performance cars from different classes fighting in a drag race. The RS5 completed the quarter mile in 12.1 seconds while the spicy 2er needed an extra tenth of a second.
The difference between the two was more significant in the two rolling races from 50 mph (80 km/h) as the Audi’s twin-turbo V6 flexed its extra pulling power. Regardless of whether the cars were in the comfort or sport modes, the vehicle carrying the Four Rings triumphed in both duels.
Generally, heavier cars tend to lose in a brake test, but the outcome depends on other factors as well, including the brakes used and the type of tire. Even without the carbon-ceramic brakes, the RS5 Sportback stopped quicker than the M240i despite the fact the BMW had the optional beefier brakes.
As a final note, the M240i has been an AWD-only affair up until recently but the German marque is kicking off production of the cheaper RWD version, which shaves off 55 kilograms (121 pounds).
Source: Carwow / YouTube
