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The 2022 BMW M3 has always been a car that’s as fast as its looks are controversial. However, those looks have nothing to do with speed, and the M3 Competition certainly proves that. UK-based YouTube channel Carwow recently pitted a new M3 Comp against an Audi RS5 and a Mercedes C63 AMG Black Series in a friendly race with interesting results.

It might be odd to throw the Merc into the mix here, but the 600 hp Mercedes shows how far AWD has come.

The 2021 BMW M3 Competition is more than an ugly face

The 2022 BMW M3 Competition in Isle of Man Green shot from the front of a forested road
BMW’s latest M3 Competition

To save you the click on the YouTube video, the 2022 BMW M3 absolutely gaps the Audi RS5. In all honesty, the test feels a bit one-sided in favor of the 2022 BMW M3, such is the gap between the two cars. There’s also a Mercedes C 63 AMG Black Series there, but it’s basically a background extra, getting trounced nearly every time.

So, as it turns out, BMW can make one fast sedan. Moreover, it seems the brand has finally made a gearbox to compete with the Porsche PDK-derived Audi and VW dual clutch units. The M3 is off the line and ahead of the RS5 every single time. It also does way better donuts than the RS5 if that sort of thing matters to you.

An Audi RS5 might be a supercar on paper, but not on the drag strip

A Sonoma Green Audi RS5 sportback shot from the 3/4 angle at sunset
The Audi RS5 loses the drag race game | Audi

Now, that’s not to decry the merits of the Audi RS5. It’s actually a very good car, just not the fastest. It might be down 80 hp at 444 to the 2022 BMW M3’s 503 hp, but that doesn’t stop it from keeping pace with the most hardcore M car. However, it has to be said that the Audi should have had the M3 off the line, given it was AWD to the M3’s RWD.

The Audi may even be a little more usable than the M on a day-to-day basis, owing to its sportback design. Unfortunately, that didn’t help much on the race track. The decade-old C 63 even beat the Audi from 100 mph to 0 mph in a braking test. Yikes.

BMW might have done the sports sedan better than Audi

An Isle of Man green BMW M3 shot at sunset in profile
The M3’s AWD system proves superior | BMW

That said, for buyers looking at this price point, the M3 is absolutely the way to go, on and off track. It’s just a much more involving vehicle, both on and off the drag strip. Plus, the Bimmer is cheaper at $72,800 for the Competition model. It should also be noted that BMW’s xDrive is now an option on both the M4 and the M3 Competition. The base M3 is also the last manual model in this drag race, should you go with the slower non-Comp version. Plus, then the Audi might be able to beat it in a drag race.

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Chase Bierenkoven

Chase Bierenkoven has been obsessed with cars his whole life and now finds joy in sharing what he’s learned from his own daily drivers. Chase earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Criminology with a focus on legal studies from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and quickly became an automotive journalist. When he isn’t writing, Chase is either driving his passion project, a 2004 BMW M3 in Carbon Schwartz Metallic, or playing around Colorado’s terrain, mainly mountain biking and skiing.