In a battle of present versus future, the M8 was pitted against the iX M60. In one corner, we have BMW’s most powerful gasoline car currently in production considering the M5 CS has been retired. In the other corner, it’s the beefiest EV you can get from the Bavarian brand nowadays. The XM plug-in hybrid will rule them all once deliveries start in 2023.
In the meantime, Carwow has lined up the two potent BMWs in an ICE vs EV battle consisting of drag and rolling races followed by a brake test. Representing the old guard, the M8 Coupe is a hotter Competition version with 625 hp and 750 Nm (551 lb-ft) from a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 linked to an eight-speed automatic torque-converter transmission sending power to the xDrive.
An electric mastodont, the dual-motor iX M60 puts out 619 hp and a whopping 1,100 Nm (809 lb-ft). It may have just about the same horsepower and considerably more torque, but the SUV is a lot heavier. Indeed, at nearly 2,600 kilograms (5,700 pounds), it carries roughly 600 kg (1,300 lbs) more than the swoopy coupe. On the flip side, that torque kicks in virtually instantly whereas the M8’s eight-cylinder engine delivers the whole shebang from 1,800 rpm.
The iX M60 was considerably quicker off the line in the first drag race. So much so that the M8 Competition was unable to recuperate the lost ground in the first drag race. It should be noted the coupe was in two-wheel-drive mode, which proved to be the wrong decision as the car was much quicker with xDrive on in the subsequent drag races. It absolutely demolished the SUV.
The electric SUV had a slight advantage at the start of the rolling race from 50 mph (80 km/h), but the ICE car eventually triumphed in the half-mile run. It also won when the rolling races were repeated but from 30 mph (48 km/h), despite the bigger gap in the beginning.
Unsurprisingly, the considerably lighter car won the brake test from 100 mph (161 km/h) as the M8 Competition needed less road to come to a full stop.
Source: Carwow / YouTube
