We’ve been getting used to seeing drag races with supercars for a while now. Normally, these races feature performance cars with at least 300 horsepower under the hood and that’s not exactly fair. If you think about it, most customers don’t drive high-powered performance cars, so those drag races are not exactly useful. Sure, they are entertaining but far from reality. That’s why today we’re checking out two more modest cars: the BMW 228i Gran Coupe and Abarth 124 Spider.
The BMW 228i Gran Coupe is one of the cheapest premium cars you can get in the US right now. It is based on the UKL front-wheel drive platform and, even though it does come with xDrive as standard, it sends its power to the front wheel most of the time. Under the hood you’ll find a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, mounted transversely, good for 228 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Those figures should allow it to do 0-60 mph in 6 seconds flat.
On the other side of the drag strip we have a Mazda Miata. Oh, sorry, not a Miata technically but an Abarth 124 Spider which is basically the same car, with a few small design changes and a different engine. That means it started life with a 170 horsepower engine under the hood. However, this particular Abarth received a tune and is now apparently making 220 horsepower. It is also lighter than the BMW and has the automatic transmission (unfortunately for the owner).
The runs are pretty close overall though. The rolling runs nullify the advantage the 2 Series would have over the Abarth due to its all-wheel drive system and that’s why the two cars were so close. There’s also a standing start run where the 228i should have the upper hand. However, in order to squeeze the most out of a car’s potential, you also need to know what you’re doing behind the wheel. Unlike what’s happening here.
