Mat Watson from ‘Carwow’ brought two BMW M3 Competitions to the drag strip for a series of drag races. The only difference between these two cars is their drive layout. One is a rear-wheel-drive model, whereas the other features an all-wheel-drive system. On paper, the M3 Competition RWD is almost half a second slower to 60 mph from a standstill. Will that play a huge role in determining the winner of this race? Let’s find out.

Same Engine, Power Outputs, And Gearbox, But Different Drive Systems

The engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The only difference between these two cars is their drive layout and the weight.

One of them is a rear-wheel-drive model, whereas the other example features the xDrive all-wheel-drive system. There’s a switch in the latter that sends power to the rear wheels only, but for this race, they won’t be using it obviously.

On paper, the M3 Competition with the xDrive takes 3.4 seconds, whereas the rear-wheel-drive M3 Competition takes 3.8 seconds. So, going into this race, the RWD model is the underdog.

As for the weights, the xDrive M3 is 110 pounds (50 kilos) heavier than its twin, courtesy of that all-wheel-drive system. The M3 RWD weighs 3,814 pounds and the M3 xDrive weighs 3,924 pounds.

One’s Loss Is Another’s Gain

In the first race, the rear-wheel-drive model had a horrible start. It pretty much lost the race then and there. But, both the cars had a great launch in the second drag race. But, the paper specs proved to be true here.

Despite the rear-wheel-drive model jumping the start a little, the xDrive was quicker off the line. At the end of the quarter-mile, the distance between the two wasn’t a lot. When you have essentially the same cars going up against each other, the skills of the driver also play a huge part.

The third race also saw both the cars getting great launches. But, the xDrive was too much for the rear-wheel-drive M3 Competition. The former took 11.3 seconds to complete the quarter-mile distance in this race, whereas the rear-wheel-drive M3 took 11.6 seconds.

Next up was the rolling race from 50 mph with the cars in comfort mode. The xDrive had a better kickdown and stayed ahead till almost the half-mile. But, the rear-wheel-drive model took off post that at around 140 mph and left the xDrive behind. The reason for this is the 110 pounds of less baggage under the skin, plus less loss of power.

The second rolling race was also from 50 mph, but in fourth gear, manual mode, and sportiest settings. The result and the pattern of the race was exactly the same as the first race – the xDrive had a better kickdown, it maintained lead till the half-mile, and then the rear-wheel-drive model overtook it at around the 140 mph-mark.

The final round was the brake test from 100 mph. The xDrive is the heavier car, but it also has carbon-ceramic brakes. They were level till the very end, but the rear-wheel-drive M3 Competition came to a halt a couple of meters before the xDrive M3.

Watch the video below and share your thoughts with us in the comments section.