Watch A BMW M235i Take On The Old E46 M3

With 322bhp on tap from its 3.0-litre turbocharged six-pot, the new BMW M235i isn’t all that far off the old 338bhp E46 M3 in the power stakes. Weight figures are relatively similar too, so getting this pair on track is an interesting way of seeing just how far BMWs have come since the E46 version of the M3 landed in the year 2000. It’s particularly fascinating given that the M3 is a proper, full-on M Division machine, whereas the M235i is from the ‘lesser’ M Performance sub-brand.

If you couldn’t quite grasp this from the German language video (translated subtitles are available if you watch this on YouTube, although they’re not awfully helpful), the M235i won this battle by a significant four seconds.