2019 BMW M850i vs. M2 Competition Hot or Not Review: Does Twice The Money Really Get You Double The Car?

Both are quick, but do you get much more speed for six figures?

These two BMWs both have some power packed under the hood. Rather than it’s standard twin-scroll turbo engine, the modest-by-comparison 2019 BMW M2 Competition packs the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six from the M3 and M4. The brand new BMW M850i, on the other hand, has a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8. One costs nearly twice as much as the other, and that got us thinking: Is the M850i xDrive really twice the car?

To find out, we had to take both of these high-performance coupes to IMI Motorsports Park in Dacono, Colorado and put them in the hands of Paul Gerrard, our pro racing driver.

2019 BMW M850i.

The results

The $67,045 2019 BMW M2 Competition packs 405 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. That 3.0-liter twin-turbo engine exclusively powers the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. A six-speed manual is available, for all you three-pedal lovers out there. BMW bills the 0-60 time as 4.2 seconds, but how will it perform at a mile above sea level?

BMW charges nearly twice as much for the 2019 BMW M850i, with ours racking up a $120,745 price tag. Under its long hood, the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 puts out 523 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. Unlike the M2, you get an eight-speed automatic transmission here. BMW claims it will hit 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, and we expect it to still be pretty quick up here.

And the numbers bear that out. Paul managed 60 mph in the BMW M2 in just 4.75 seconds — about half a second off the advertised 0-60 time. The M850i, thanks to its all-wheel drive system, was still remarkably quick, racking up a 4.14 second 0-60 run. Paul was even impressed by the time: “I was completely surprised by how hard [the M850i] went off the line.”

Around the whole track, however, there was a bit of a mixed result. The 2019 BMW M2 Competition managed the lap in 1:04.83 minutes, which is a full second slower than the standard M2 we tested back in 2016. Despite its heft, the 4,500 pound M850i managed a respectable 1:04.20 time.

2019 BMW M2 Competition
2019 BMW M2 Competition.

Are they both hot?

Both cars get Paul’s stamp of approval after the 0-60 runs and hot laps. “They’re both damn hot. It’s nice to jump in cars like this that have balance.”

Whether or not the 2019 BMW M850i is really worth twice as much as the M2 is up to you. Granted, the 8 Series has a fresh new look, a substantial array of technology, and neck-snapping acceleration. The M2, on the other hand, is more of a track-focused car than a grand tourer.

Find out more in the video above, and come back to TFLcar.com for more news, views and Hot or Not reviews!