German performance cars are capable all-rounders, but when on the unrestricted sections of the German Autobahn, only one thing matters – straight-line acceleration and top speed. With this in mind, YouTube channel Daniel Abt has arranged for two German performance coupes – a BMW M4 Competition xDrive and an Audi RS5 – to battle it out on an empty runway, and see how quickly they can get up to Autobahn speeds.
The Competitors
Audi RS5
The Audi RS5 comes with a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6, good for 450 horsepower at 5,700 to 6,700 RPM and 443 pound-feet (600 Nm) at 1,99 to 5,000 RPM. An eight-speed dual-clutch automatic sends power to all four wheels, through the Quattro all-wheel-drive system. As tested, the RS5 weighs in at 3,990 pounds (1,810 kg). Audi says the RS5 can sprint from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.7 seconds.
BMW M4 Competition xDrive
On paper, the BMW seems to have this one in the bag. Its 3.0-liter twin-power turbo inline-six packs 510 horsepower at 6,250 RPM and 479 pound-feet (650 Nm) at 2,750 to 5,500 RPM. Power hits the ground through a ZF eight-speed automatic and BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system. At 3,913 pounds (1,775 kg), the M4 Competition is slightly lighter. According to BMW, the 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) sprint takes 3.3 seconds.
The Quarter-mile race
The BMW slept on the start, allowing the Audi to rocket ahead. By the end of the quarter-mile, the M4 Competition was catching up fast, but the RS5 still won by about a car and a half. The end results, however, painted a different picture, as the BMW sprinted from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.27 seconds versus Audi’s 3.51 seconds.
The difference in performance becomes more apparent at higher speeds where the BMW manages a 100 to 200 km/h (62-124 mph) time of 7.73 seconds versus Audi’s 9.31 seconds. The M4 Competition also managed a quarter-mile time of 11.14 seconds at 201.65 km/h (125.3 mph) versus the RS5’s 11.61 seconds at 190.98 km/h (118.67 mph).
The Half-mile race
Two half-mile races were done and both bore the same results. The two cars were very consistent in terms of acceleration times, quarter and half-mile times, and trap speeds, but there was an obvious winner – the BMW M4 Competition xDrive.
The M4 Competition manages a best 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) time of 3.29 seconds and a 100 to 200 km/h (62-124 mph) in 7.76 seconds. For the Audi RS5, those numbers were 3.56 seconds and 9.28 seconds, respectively. In terms of quarter-mile time, the BMW did it in 11.17 seconds while the Audi took 11.62 seconds. For the half-mile, the best times are 17.61 seconds at 239.59 km/h (148.87 mph) and 18.34 seconds at 232.09 km/h (144.21 mph).
The rolling race
The rolling race from 60 km/h (37 mph) did not go as planned. The BMW M4 Competition xDrive started pulling ahead, but the driver missed the shift point, twice, resulting in a win for the Audi RS5. That said, the BMW would have easily won if it wasn’t for driver error.
In the end, both cars performed well and, more importantly, they performed consistently. If the BMW did not have xDrive, the results may have been different, but that wasn’t the case. In any case, we now know that both performance vehicles can easily get up to speeds worthy of the Autobahn’s unrestricted sections. Not that we had any doubts, of course.
