BMW M340i Vs M2 Competition Drag Race Ends In Photo Finish

CarWow has been releasing BMW-against-the-world drag races for quite some time now, wherein Bimmers face supposed rivals (mostly Audi RS Avantes) in their era on a straight-line race. It wasn't always a win for the Bavarian cars featured on the drag race videos, but the whole competition is fun to watch, especially with the older BMWs.

This time, however, the UK car magazine decided to cannibalize Bimmers and pit the newest and most powerful small cars in the BMW  range – the M340i xDrive and M2 Competition.

When the M340i was announced in November 2018, it was deemed as the hottest non-M 3 Series to have hailed from Germany. However, it faces a serious challenge in the lighter and more powerful M2 Competition.

Before you watch the drag race video above, let's crunch the numbers here first.

The M340i xDrive has the major advantage on this drag race with the traction that its all-wheel-drive system employs. It's powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six engine producing 382 horsepower and 369 pound-feet (500 Newton-meters) of torque. With these numbers, it's the most powerful non-M 3 Series ever built.

But, the BMW M2 Competition is a serious threat when it comes to performance. It's lighter with its rear-wheel drive and is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter engine with carbon fiber strut brace, as used in the M3 and M4. With this setup, the M2 Competition can produce up to 405 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque.

The M2 Competition in this drag race has a six-speed manual transmission, as opposed to the eight-speed Sport Steptronic gearbox of the M340i xDrive. While the former is a fun thing to have on and off the track, its performance in the drag strip would depend on the skills of the driver.