After pitting the M5 Touring towards the RS6 Avant a few weeks in the past, Edmunds is at it once more. This time, as a substitute of racing wagons, they lined up a pair of coupes for a head-to-head showdown. In a single nook sits a regular BMW M4 Competitors with rear-wheel drive. Within the different, a Ford Mustang Darkish Horse fitted with a supercharger equipment for additional oomph.
The inventory M4 depends on the tried-and-tested S58 engine, a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six producing 503 hp and 479 lb-ft. The Mustang Darkish Horse’s 5.0-liter Coyote V8 is of course aspirated from the manufacturing unit, however this explicit instance was supercharged. The result? A hefty 810 hp and 615 lb-ft.
Sure, there’s a large hole in output between the 2 vehicles. The horse automobile enjoys a staggering 307 hp and 136 lb-ft benefit. Nevertheless, the BMW offsets a few of that deficit by weighing roughly 354 kilos lower than the Ford. One other discrepancy between the 2 efficiency coupes had a major influence on the drag race outcomes. Sure, the tires.

The M4 Competitors rode on Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S rubber, so nothing out of the bizarre. As for the Mustang Darkish Horse, it got here geared up with a lot stickier Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS semi-slicks. With way more energy and superior tires, it’s no shock the Blue Oval’s coupe triumphed in each drag races. Even so, the battles have been shut, leaving us to marvel what may need occurred had each vehicles been operating the identical tires.
We’d even be curious to see how an M4 with xDrive would have fared within the U-drag race, or higher but, an M4 CS. That stated, the rear-wheel-drive M4 Competitors examined by Edmunds already carried a premium of about $19,000 over the supercharged Mustang Darkish Horse. The all-wheel-drive G82 variants are even pricier, which might have widened the hole additional.
Regardless of the obtrusive variations between the 2 vehicles, it’s fascinating to see how Germany and the US stack up in back-to-back drag races. Each have their strengths and weaknesses, and no matter which aspect you’re on, it’s value being grateful that vehicles just like the M4 and Mustang are nonetheless round in 2026.
