As you might expect, the 2021 M3 and M4 models will be playing in a whole different ballpark when it comes to straight-line performance, compared to all the previous cars that bore those badges on their boot lids. That’s because the G80 M3 and G82 M4 Competition models now come with all-wheel drive and that will have a huge impact. In the past, the M3 and M4 models couldn’t keep up with their main rivals from Audi and Mercedes-AMG because they simply couldn’t put the power down in a standing drag race. That’s not going to be the case anymore.
Along with the new generation, we’ll get a bigger differentiation between ‘normal’ models and the Competition versions. The latter now come with all-wheel drive and an automatic eight-speed gearbox which, combined with the higher-output of the S58 engine means they will be quite fast off the line. BMW says the M4 Competition should do the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.9 seconds and this might just be the first time someone checked it out independently.
Thanks to the guys from Motorsport Magazine in France, we can now do some timings too, as the video below shows how the car behaves in a straight line from a dig. According to my calculations, the M4 Competition in the footage at hand did the 0-100 km/h sprint in about four seconds flat. What’s intriguing is that the Launch Control sequence actually used second gear to set off and it would be interesting to learn why that is the case.
