BMW calls itself the maker of the ultimate driving machine, and the M2 is a fan favorite. So, surely it should be able to take on some family hatchback with a battery pack that makes it weigh about 1,000 lbs (453 kg) more, and is made by Kia.
Not just any Kia, Edmunds decided to put the M2 up against the EV6 GT, which despite its disadvantage on the scales, more than makes up for it on the dyno. With two motors capable of delivering 576 hp (429 kW/584 PS) and 545 lb-ft (739 Nm) of torque, the EV makes significantly more than the M2, whose turbocharge inline-six only makes 453 hp (338 kW/459 PS) and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque.
However, even though the Kia makes almost 125 more horses (93 kW/126 PS) than the BMW, it’s only slightly better off, with a weight to power ratio of 8.32 lbs/hp as compared to 8.52 lbs/hp for the M2. Ultimately, that means that these two cars should be pretty well-matched on the U-drag course.
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In fact, that’s what led to this test. Edmunds’ hosts say they weren’t actually planning to run this race, but had the cars, had the track, and had some extra time for shooting, so they decided to go for it, and make a video.
That means that the Kia EV6 GT was not fully charged for this race, finishing the final heat with a 50 percent charge. The hosts report that as a result of that relatively low state of charge, the EV wasn’t accelerating quite as quickly as it had been earlier in the day. They also say that its brakes were a little worse for wear due to earlier testing, though the BMW was also being tested that day, and its brakes were fine.
However, they were not fine enough to lead it to victory. In two out of three races, the EV6 GT beat the M2, and its margin of victory only increased in the final race, as the driver was able to adapt to the worsening brakes. The only race that the M2 won was by a hair, and followed a notably poorly taken hairpin turn.
While you could argue that the BMW M2’s continuing, strong performance is a sign of the fact that it was designed for the track, and is therefore a better enthusiast’s car, it remains true that the EV6 GT was able to beat it, even when it wasn’t at its best. That’s a pretty impressive feat for the EV.
