The BMW M240i xDrive and Audi E-Tron GT are both all-wheel-drive cars from luxury brands but that’s where the similarities pretty much end. One is a coupe with an inline-six gasoline engine while the other is a sedan equipped with a pair of electric motors. Despite being substantially different vehicles, journalists from South Africa’s CAR magazine decided to organize a drag race and have them fight in a straight line.
With a 3.0-liter turbocharged engine making 369 horsepower and 500 Newton-meters (369 pound-feet) of torque, the M240i is no M2 but it still packs quite the punch. In the other corner, the E-Tron GT has 469 hp and 630 Nm (464 lb-ft). As it’s the case with all electric vehicles, especially high-performance models, weight is a real concern since the Audi tips the scales at 2,326 kilograms (5,128 pounds) whereas the BMW weighs only 1,490 kg (3,285 lbs).
Can the E-Tron GT compensate for the extra bulk with the instant response of its electric motors? After all, it must carry around an extra 836 kg (1,843 lbs) compared to the M240i xDrive. The drag race goes to show you can offset the massive weight difference with powerful electric motors, but as always, there’s more to performance than accelerating in a straight line.
A quarter-mile test doesn’t tell the whole story, but it’s nevertheless impressive such a heavy car can do the quarter mile in 11.7 seconds. The Audi E-Tron GT is not even the range-topping RS version but still managed to be half a second quicker than Bavaria’s compact coupe.
While Audi and Mercedes have fully fledged RS and AMG versions of their electric vehicles, BMW has yet to launch an actual electric M. Work on a quad-motor i4 prototype commenced last year and testing will be intensified in 2023. That being said, the “world’s most powerful letter” is still years away from introducing a fully fledged M car without a combustion engine.
Source: CAR / YouTube
