After establishing that xDrive does indeed make the 2022 BMW M240i faster than a 2018 BMW M2, Throttle House wanted to put the softcore M against other German cars known for their AWD systems. And so, the brand new 2022 Volkswagen Golf R and Audi S3 were lined up on a runway in Canada.
The M240i is, of course, based on a RWD platform, the same as 3 Series. Meanwhile, both the Golf R and Audi S3 start off as FWD cars, so they have longitudinally mounted engines. Traditionally, this is seen as a disadvantage in a sports vehicle, especially when it comes to handling. The rear wheels are usually a little better at putting the power down.
The M240i also has another huge advantage that you may have guessed. Under its hood is a 382 horsepower, 369 lb-ft 3.0-liter turbo engine. It’s basically the Toyota Supra, but with AWD. Meanwhile, the 2022 Audi S3 and Golf R both have a 2.0 TSI/TFSI. That means two fewer cylinders and less power. Both have 295 lb-ft of torque, but where the Golf R puts down 315 HP, the Audi only has 306 hp.
There are other differences between the two which are briefly talked about in this video. The starting prices of the Golf R and S3 are pretty close. However, Audi spent its money on a nice interior, while Volkswagen has that sportier AWD with clutch plates that can send power to only one rear wheel. We think the S3 sedan looks the best out of all three cars here, but that doesn’t matter after you fire up the BMW’s six-cylinder orchestra.
So what exactly happens when you drag race these three?
Well, Throttle House usually delivers crisp footage, but they crashed the drone into a river, so the race is delayed until dusk and turns into a “Mexican race.” By that, we think they mean something illegal that happens South of the border.
We presume that means going South of the border where it’s not illegal to street race. You’ve all probably seen the kind of video footage in question. From a dig, the M240i launches better than the other two and puts its superior engine power to good use. Meanwhile, the Golf R is always slightly ahead of its two, which is down to both power and weight.
Lastly, rolling races suggest the Golf R is actually making quite decent power because it’s almost able to keep up with the BMW. We’ve seen dyno tests in Europe putting the output closer to 335 hp (stock).