CarWOW has arranged yet another drag race, this time between the Competition-spec BMW M5 sedan/saloon and M8 Coupe. Watch and be surprised!
Both cars share the same principal tech components, both come equipped with launch control, and both come powered by the same 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 rated at 625 hp (466 kW) and 750 Nm (527 lb-ft) of torque. The same eight-speed automatic transmission is used in both cases to send the momentum to the four wheels. Essentially, when you look at it like that, the most apparent difference stems from the fact that the M8 is almost 1.5 times as expensive.
Markus Flasch, Head of BMW’s M Department, begs to differ on this count, calling the M5 and the M8 ‘two entirely different vehicles’ and even claiming that the M8 is ‘a true supercar.’
This is what CarWOW tried to put to a test in this drag race. According to the spec sheet, the M8 is ever-so-slightly more agile than the M5, hitting 0-100 km/h one-tenth of a second ahead of that one. Furthermore, the M8 is also 15 kilograms (33 pounds) lighter, for what it’s worth.
As we said above, the outcome of the test surprised everyone. The team has already tested the M5 numerous times, and it showed wildly different results every time, this one not an exception, either. The traditional deceleration test brought another surprise: the sedan’s regular disc brakes actually proved marginally more efficient than the expensive carbon-ceramic ones on the M8.