A Regular BMW M2 Just Beat Audi’s 750-Unit RS 3 Special On Track
BMW M2
No CS, no Track Kit: a regular rear-drive M2 beat the 750-unit Audi special in every performance test.
Article Summary
- A standard G87 BMW M2 lapped Hockenheim two seconds quicker than the Audi RS 3 Competition Limited in sport auto’s test.
- Both cars reached 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, but the 480-PS M2 was almost six seconds ahead by 250 km/h.
- The M2 also braked better, rode more comfortably, and costs more than €22,000 less.
A standard rear-drive M2, with no CS badge and no Track Kit, outran Audi’s 750-unit anniversary special in every performance test sport auto ran. On paper, this looked like a mismatch in Audi’s favor. Audi’s RS3 Competition Limited has factory coilovers, carbon-ceramic front brakes, Cup tires, and a price tag well into six figures. The BMW M2 it faced in sport auto’s latest comparison was a regular G87 M2. Yet, the M2 still set a Hockenheim lap two full seconds quicker than the Audi.
Audi’s Sharpest RS3 Yet
The German magazine didn’t treat the Audi as a pushover. Its testers called the Competition Limited the most emotional RS3 ever built, and the best RS3 yet at cornering. Audi built it to mark 50 years of its five-cylinder engine. The test car wore Malachite Green paint and had a coilover suspension tuned for this edition, a stiffer rear anti-roll bar, plenty of matte carbon, and a louder exhaust. Pirelli P Zero R tires and ceramic front brakes complete the track-focused package.
What Audi left alone is the engine. The turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-five still makes 400 PS (394 hp), exactly the same as a regular RS3. The M2’s S58 twin-turbo inline-six makes 480 PS (473 hp), so the BMW had 80 PS more to work with.
Where The M2 Pulled Away
Quattro all-wheel drive gives the Audi an easy launch, and it weighs about 130 kg (287 lb) less than the BMW. That didn’t help it in the sprint. Both cars reached 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.8 seconds. Past that, the extra output of the inline-six took over. By 250 km/h (155 mph), the M2 was almost six seconds ahead.
The Audi’s lower weight is also carried further forward, and that showed on the handling course. The M2 went through the slalom faster, stopped in a shorter distance, and was two seconds quicker around Hockenheim. sport auto also rated the M2’s adaptive dampers noticeably more comfortable than the Audi’s coilovers, so the BMW’s lap time didn’t come at the cost of ride quality.
The testers did add a warning. With the power sent only to the rear wheels, the M2 rewards a driver who is precise with the throttle and punishes one who isn’t. Too much throttle at the wrong moment will step the rear end out. BMW’s 10-stage M Traction Control lets drivers loosen the electronics gradually while they learn where the limit is.
Cheaper, Faster, And Slightly Thriftier
According to sport auto, the M2 starts more than €22,000 below the RS3 Competition Limited. The inline-six also used slightly less fuel than the five-cylinder over the test, despite its extra 80 PS. The result makes the Audi look less inspiring since the M2 wasn’t even the fastest version BMW sells. The M2 CS and the Track Kit-equipped car were not part of the test, and BMW now also offers the M2 with M xDrive all-wheel drive. Audi built a lovely send-off for the five-cylinder. Around Hockenheim, a regular M2 still beat it. The full comparison appears in the current issue of sport auto.
[Story via Bimmertoday]
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