It was bound to happen – the M3 Sedan met the M3 Touring at a drag strip. Technically, it’s a runaway, a slippery one at that since the tarmac was quite wet that day. To even the odds, the high-performance saloon is a Competition model with xDrive since this is the only specification BMW offers for the super wagon.
Both happened to have Individual paints, Dravit Grey in the case of the M3 Sedan and Frozen Tanzanite Blue for the M3 Touring. The latter had an ace up its sleeve by featuring expensive carbon-ceramic brakes whereas the G80 came with standard composite brakes. Although the upgraded brakes are lighter, the wagon is still overall heavier due to its longer body. The lack of a carbon fiber roof for the G81 is also a reason why the sedan is 85 kilograms (187 pounds) lighter. Both had Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires, a slightly used set in the case of the M3 Sedan.
The M3 Touring managed to win the first drag race, mainly because YouTuber Joe Achilles was quicker to respond at the start. In the second duel, the two cars were neck and neck at launch, but the M3 Sedan eventually pulled ahead before mistakenly slowing doing prior to reaching the finish line. That still counts as a win for the G80.
The high-performance wagon was once again quicker at the start of the third drag race, and while the sedan did manage to recuperate some of the lost ground, it wasn’t able to win. In the fourth and final drag race, the all-wheel-drive M3 Sedan had a far better launch and won by a significant margin. It should be noted that in all drag races, the M3 Touring was on the wetter side of the runway. Joe Achilles explains he had limited time to shoot the video and the cameras were installed to have the wagon on the left side.
The placement of the M3s was reversed in the subsequent rolling races from 30 mph (48 km/h) as the sedan had the wetter section of the runway. Even so, it did not have any issues winning all duels, which were done in the second, third, and fourth gears.
As for the brake test from 70 mph (113 km/h), the M3 Touring’s fresher tires and carbon-ceramic brakes allowed the wagon to win on both sides of the runway despite being the heavier car.
While it comes as no surprise the sedan was overall quicker that day, we’d argue the extra versatility offered by the wagon makes up for that.
Source: Joe Achilles
