[VIDEO] BMW i4 M50 vs M3 Competition xDrive in a drag race

BMW and MINI dealers in the Netherlands held a race between the BMW M3 Competition and the i4 M50 on Christmas Eve. The venue for the showdown was the Zandvoort race track. It’s the EV emerged victoriously. Many, including myself, felt that they should have had an M3 xDrive to level the playing field.

Van Poelgeest BMW has done just that. In the YouTube channel shows a drag race between an all-wheel drive M3 and a front-wheel drive i4 M50. From a mechanical point of view, the petrol-powered vehicle should be much faster than its electric competitor. The M3 with xDrive accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in three and a half seconds, setting a new record. The emission-free Gran Coupé from Bavaria needs an additional 0.4 seconds for this task.

The M vehicles engaged in a duel on one of Europe’s oldest race tracks. To our surprise, BMW’s first electric M car was the overall winner as it triumphed in the first and last race. The driver of the M3 did not switch off the launch control, which gave the i4 M50 a clear advantage.

Some people wonder if this was a planned attempt by the dealer to make the i4 M50 appear attractive. In the first and last drag race, the M3 managed to accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h in just over four seconds. The quad-pipe sedan was much better in the second race, taking 3.68 seconds. Whether you think the saloon was at its best with the in-line six-cylinder, we leave for you to decide. In practical tests, the M3 xDrive is known to finish the sprint much faster than BMW claims. But the i4 M50 is still a force to be reckoned with, even if it weighs about 500 kg more.