Everything about the new M4 has been eclipsed by that monstrosity that BMW calls a grille. The car, otherwise, lacks nothing. The Competition trim makes well over 500 horses and is a big improvement over its predecessor. The folks at Carwow pit it against the old M4 and the current M440i in a fun inter-family battle. At the onset, the M440i doesn’t hold a candle against the two, but the all-wheel-drive system coupled with the launch control could bring in some spice to this triple threat match. Who are you rooting for?

Who Holds The Edge On Paper?

The 2021 M4 Competition comes with a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo six-cylinder mill under the hood that dishes out 510 horses and 479 pound-feet of oomph}. Power is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. It takes 3.8 seconds to 60 mph and has a standard top speed of 155 mph. The car weighs 3,814 pounds.

The old M4 Competition also features the same 3.0-liter, twin-turbo six-cylinder mill. It produces 450 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque}. The engine is mated to a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox. It takes four seconds to 60 mph from rest. The old M4, courtesy of the gearbox mainly, is much lighter and weighs 3,505 pounds.

The 2021 BMW M440i is also powered by a 3.0-liter, six-cylinder engine, but with a single turbocharger. It makes 374 ponies and 369 pound-feet of twist. The engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Power is routed to the ground via all four wheels. It comes with Launch Control and takes 4.3 seconds to sprint to 60 mph. It weighs 3,836 pounds.

That’s Closer Than We Thought

The M440i, surprisingly, pulled way better than the M4s. However, it was only a matter of a few seconds before they overtook it without breaking a sweat. In the end, the M4s hit the finish line first, but we won’t reveal the sequence in which they did.

Next was a rolling race with the cars engaged in comfort mode and automatic gear shifts. They started at 50 mph and this time, the old M4 with its dual-clutch gearbox took off lightning quick. The new M4 took a few seconds to react to what was happening and flew past the 440i, but was it able to catch the old M4 at the end of the runway? No, we won’t be giving out the spoilers now either.

They raced again starting at 50 mph, but this time in manual and sports mode. The result this time, however, was different. Finally, there was a brake test and the old M4’s lightweight brought it to a halt in the shortest distance from 70 mph.

Watch the eight-odd minute video to see all the three cars in action in a series of races and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.