{"id":81133,"date":"2025-03-12T13:40:01","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T17:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=81133"},"modified":"2025-03-12T13:40:01","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T17:40:01","slug":"bmw-m3-vs-m4-cs-drag-race-comparison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=81133","title":{"rendered":"BMW M3 vs. M4: The Ultimate Drag Race Showdown Across Generations"},"content":{"rendered":"

BMW supplemented the long-running 3 Series nameplate with a coupe- and convertible-only model, the 4 Series, around 2014. Initially, almost nothing distinguished the 4 Series from the 3 Series aside from the missing two doors, but today the cars are more than distinct. BMW also split the M Series models of the 3 Series; thus, with the F80 generation, came the first-ever M4. YouTube channel Carwow<\/em> has a habit of finding reasons to race things, and today is no different. We\u2019re checking out a drag race between the M3 and M4.<\/p>\n

The Competitors<\/h4>\n

The M3 stable is a duo of silver cars. The first is an E92 M3, touting a brutal 4.0-liter V8 under the hood paired to the seven-speed DCT. Shockingly, it\u2019s actually the second heaviest car here after the modern M4 they\u2019ve chosen. The E46 M3 they\u2019ve chosen is the lightest here, and touts the SMG automated manual gearbox.<\/p>\n

While the selected M3s are no doubt awesome machines, Carwow<\/em> lines up two of the hottest M4s around in what we don\u2019t consider to be a particularly fair fight. The first is a San Marino Blue F82 M4 CS. More familiar might be the G82 M4 CS<\/a> wearing (very dirty) Black Sapphire Metallic paint. Both of these CS variants get more power from their respective twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter engines and some significant weight savings over the run of the mill M4. The G82 M4 CS has an even bigger advantage in xDrive all-wheel drive. It\u2019s also the heaviest car here.<\/p>\n

Off to the Races<\/h4>\n

After a bit of revving to see who can make the best or most noise, the race commences. To quote Mat Watson, who is behind the wheel of the AWD G82 M4 CS: \u201cThis is just terrible for everyone else.\u201d Even developing gearheads will likely recognize the tremendous advantage the latest M4 CS has over the older rear-driven models in a drag race, and there are zero surprises.<\/p>\n

That is, of course, until Mat switches the G82 CS into rear-wheel drive mode. And then further evens the playing field by allowing a rolling race. We\u2019ll let you watch the video for yourself, but there\u2019s an interesting demonstration here of how real-world performance is often far from what you\u2019ll read in auto publications, especially when it comes to decades-old vehicles. The E46 M3 here ran a quarter-mile time of 14.4 seconds compared to a Car and Driver<\/em> reported completion of 13.1 seconds back in 2005. Expectations don\u2019t always add up to reality.<\/p>\n