Now that the first reviews of the BMW M4 Competition are out, it’s time for the same ritual we’ve been doing for the past two generations: comparing it to the king of sport cars, the Porsche 911. The first guys to do that are the ones from Car Magazine in the UK. What we need to mention from the get go is that their comparison is with the 911 Carrera.
So basically we’re comparing the base Porsche 911 against the Competition version of the BMW M4. So, how do they stack up? Well, both are using 3-liter turbocharged engines but one of them has an inline six configuration while the other has a flat six engine. On the horsepower front, the M4 Competition comes with 510 PS while the Porsche 911 Carrera has only 385 PS to boast with.
That is quite a difference, but that’s not all. The Porsche is rear-wheel driven and uses a dual-clutch transmission, same as the BMW for now. In Summer 2021, it will be available with an all-wheel drive system on board (which can be turned into a RWD setup) with an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The biggest difference though comes in the weight department. The M4 Competition tips the scales at 1,725 kilos while the Porsche is 225 kilos lighter. That’s bound to have an impact.
Well, in the end, despite the power disadvantage, the 911 takes the win, at least when it comes to track time. There’s a reason why the 911 has been the benchmark for over 60 years and you can feel it from the moment you get behind the wheel. What’s interesting though is that the two were very very close in the end and the M4 Competition won in terms of day to day driveability and usability. And that’s something most people can’t ignore, as the 911 is not exactly the textbook definition of ‘practicality’.
