If you live in the UK and are looking for a superb rear-wheel drive sports car, would your money be better spent on the new BMW M4 Competition or an entry-level Porsche 911 Carrera?
It’s worth mentioning right off the bat that the new M4 Competition has a significant power advantage over the 911 Carrera. Whereas the BMW’s 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six muscles out 503 hp and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm), an entry-level Carrera is capped at 380 hp and 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) from its 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six.
Driven: This Is What Makes The 2021 BMW M4 Competition So Great
Despite this power deficit, a drag race held between the duo shows that the 911 puts its power to the ground much more effectively and sprints off the line faster than the BMW. In one of the races, however, the M4 Competition did manage to catch up to the Porsche and overtake it before the finish line.
Of course, cars like these are about much more than straight-line performance, so most of this head-to-head review focuses on how they perform around a track. The rear-engined layout of the 911 Carrera means it handles in a very different manner to the front-engined M4 Competition, but both of them seem to be great fun to drive at their respective limits.
Ultimately, however, the reviewers agree that the 911 is the better track tool, although it is a real toss-up between the duo when it comes to which they’d rather purchase with their own money.