A new drag racing video pits an unlikely pair against each other – the BMW M5 Competition and the Audi R8 RWD. The two couldn’t be more different, but do those differences show up on the track? A new video from Carwow’s YouTube channel finds out.
There was a huge difference between how the two produced their power. BMW packs the brand’s 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8, which pumps out 625 horsepower (466 kilowatts) and 553 pound-feet (750 Newton-meters) of torque. The engine in the M5 is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission with launch control, sending power to all four wheels.
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Audi uses a naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 engine that produces 570 hp (425 kW) and 405 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque, exclusively sending power to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox with launch control. Another difference is weight, with the four-door BMW weighing 4,177 pounds (1,895 kilograms) compared to the 3,505-lb R8. (1,590 kg) curb weight.
The first races revealed that although the Audi was lighter, BMW’s all-wheel drive and extra power made it a formidable opponent. BMW jumped off the starting line, gaining a sizeable advantage over Audi that the R8 couldn’t overcome before the finish line. However, things were different for the next two as Audi got a much better start, trailing the BMW and crossing it just before the finish line, beating it twice by about half the car’s length despite both returning a quarter of 11.3 seconds. -mile time.
The pair split the two rolling races, with Audi winning the former with both cars in their most comfortable setting. The second race was set on the sportiest note, and BMW won. The final brake test was a big surprise, with the heavier BMW performing better, stopping at a shorter distance than the Audi.
The two German cars in the video show you the many ways to build a performance vehicle. They cater to very different customers, and there’s a huge price difference between them, but that difference gets lost in the drag race.
