Pitting a BMW M3 Competition and M5 Competition alongside each other for a series of performance tests seems like a bit of a dim-witted idea. And it would be, if the M3 Competition featured in CarWow’s video right below was in stock form.
But it’s not. In fact, this bright green sports sedan has been tuned by a company called Evolve and its twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine now pumps out 540 hp. That’s considerably more than the 454 hp and 443 lb-ft (601 Nm) of torque offered up by a standard M3 Competition, and means that it can take the fight to its bigger sibling.
On paper, the M5 Competition has the smaller sedan beat. Powering the M5 is a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 617 hp and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) of torque. Another key advantage the M5 Competition has is its all-wheel drive, while the M3 has to make do with rear-wheel drive only.
However, the M5 does have a feature that came in handy: the ability to turn off the AWD and make it rear-wheel drive only – which the reviewer promptly did, to level the playing field a bit. Even so, sprinting from a standstill, the M5 jumped off the line with impressive pace and it was able to comfortably outsprint the M3.
Things were a little more interesting in the rolling drag race. With both cars rolling in third gear at 50 mph (80 km/h), the two drivers pinned their throttles at the same time and, immediately, the M3 Competition started to edge ahead. Mind you, while it may have less power, it also has significantly less weight to carry around compared to the M5, which gives it a slight edge.
To settle the score, a final test was performed to see which of the two can brake the fastest – but you’ll have to watch the video to find out who won that one…