Modern sports cars duke it out at the drag strip when a BMW M4 takes on a Nissan GT-R and an Audi RS3, with a bonus Ram 3500 Power Wagon for good measure.
Our usual fare at the Mission Park Raceway is Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers, muscle cars and drag monsters all. But occasionally we get to see some more exotic vehicles.
For example, here we have the BMW M4. While the M3 used to be the poster child for BMW's performance vehicles, the M4 has since taken over that duty with its 3.0-L twin-turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine with 425 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. Power goes to either a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission or a 6-speed manual, and judging by the speed and smoothness of this car's shifts, we're guessing it's the 7-speed DCT.
Zero to sixty takes just 4 seconds on its way to a top speed of 190 mph.
Opposite the Bimmer is Nissan's GT-R R35. It also has a big twin-turbo motor, but larger and more powerful than the BMW. A 3.8-L V6 pumps out 565 horsepower from the 2017 model year on, with a zero to sixty measured at 2.7 seconds thanks to AWD. Top speed is 196 mph.
Finally, we have the Audi RS3. The smallest car of the bunch, it's also the least powerful. A 2.5-L single-turbo straight 5-cylinder produces 396 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. The RS3 matches the M4 getting from zero to sixty, but top speed is significantly lower at 174 mph.
In our first matchup, the BMW gets a far better start than the GT-R, which leads us to think the Nissan driver might have been asleep at the wheel. All-wheel-drive should have made the GT-R a shoo-in, but inattentive drivers can be the death of any race. In this case, the BMW shoots off the line a good 30 feet before the GT-R even steps on the accelerator.
To the Nissan’s credit, it’s able to close the gap but it’s far too little, too late. The Nissan finishes over a half-second behind the Bimmer.
Check out the video above to see how well the M4 does against the RS3, and even see how a GT-R fares against a tuned turbodiesel Ram 3500.