BMW‘s M2 and M240i are both proven performers with their own distinct spots on the totem pole. They’re built for speed everywhere including in the corners and on the straights. Line them up for a good ol’fashioned drag race though and the lines start to blur.
The M240i leaves BMW’s factory with a 3.0-liter inline-six that makes 374 hp ( kW) and 368 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque. The M2 also uses a 3.0-liter inline six but makes 460 hp (343 kW) and 405 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque. The M2 is also 77 pounds (35 kg) heavier than the M240i and is rear-wheel drive, whereas the latter has BMW’s xDrive AWD system.
In the first of many drag races between the two, the M240i rockets off of the line and manages to just eke out a victory. That might be surprising but a closer look proves that the M2 simply had a horrible launch. In race two, the driver corrects that problem and manages to take home the win. All tied at one a piece, the two cars line up a third time and again, and the M2 bogs at the start and loses.
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Interestingly, the M2 not only has an issue getting off of the line but it can’t do back-to-back launch control sessions like the M240i. Next, the guys line up to do some rolling races where the M2 really gets to shine. That extra power is more than enough to put the M240i in its place. Interestingly, even after putting a tune on the M240i, it’s not powerful enough to keep up with the M2 in a roll race.
Now with that additional boost, the guys line up from a standing start again and it’s clear that just a simple tune can make the M240i nearly as quick, at least in a straight line, as the M2. It absolutely dusts its big brother and never gets reeled in at all. A braking test from 100 mph (160 km/h) produces similarly close results with the lighter M240i barely edging out the M2.
The moral of the story seems to be that paying more for the M2 might not be worth it if you’re not planning to track it. On the road, where both of these cars will see most of their time, the M240i is nearly as quick if not quicker. They’re equally ugly divisive and you don’t have to wait for it to cool down between launches.