The BMW M2 just made its worldwide debut, almost breaking the Internet. Like it or not, the BMW was one of the most hotly anticipated cars of the year, if not the most hotly anticipated. Everyone, including us, was chomping at the bit to see what the new BMW M2 was made of. And for good reason, as the standard M235i was already a highly successful sports coupe. One car that the M2 will be often compared to is the Audi RS3 Hatchback and likely the Audi RS3 Sedan.
PERFORMANCE
We already know much about the Audi RS3, as it’s been on sale for some time now. Its 2.5 liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine makes 367 horsepower and is paired to a seven-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch gearbox which powers all four wheels and get rocket the RS3 from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds. In comparison, the BMW M2 uses a 3.0 liter turbocharged inline-six engine to produce 370 horsepower and is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, but only powers the rear wheels and gets from 0-60 in 4.2 seconds.
The BMW M2 has a bigger engine, slightly more power and a similar gearbox, but loses a step to the RS3, in terms of performance, due to the lack of grip from its two wheels. Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive setup allows the RS3 to launch harder out of the hole without spinning its tires.
DESIGN
Until our first head-to-head comparison, what we can do is give you a proper photo comparison to check the two out next to each other to see how they look. Looks are quite subjective, so it’s really hard to say which is the better looking car. The BMW M2 is certainly the more aggressive looking of the two, with its massive wheel arches and angry headlights. The RS3 is a bit more sedate than the M2, but it also looks a bit more refined.
On the inside, things are actually quite the opposite. The BMW M2’s interior does little to differentiate itself from the standard 2 Series. In fact, the steering wheel, seats and overall design are the exact same as in the BMW M235i. Only the interior trim and shift knob are really different from the standard car. But the RS3’s interior quite a bit different from the standard A3. The seats are more aggressive and sporty, the steering wheel is flat-bottomed and comes with alcantara on the top and bottom of it.
Being that the RS3 is a hatchback and the M2 is a coupe, it’s not really possible for us to say which is better, so that decision will be left to you, the reader.
Let us know which you think is the better looking car.
