BMW F82 M4 vs. Mercedes-AMG A45 drag race
This is a mismatch. While the F82 M4 may be rated only 33 horses more than the A45 AMG the S55 3.0 liter twin turbo I6 under the hood makes much more power. The 2.0 liter M133 turbo four-cylinder was bumped up to 381 horsepower by Mercedes-AMG and the 45 AMG models received revised gearing as well to help off the line.
It doesn't matter. The M4 is simply in a different horsepower tax bracket. However, since it is rear wheel drive it is tricker to launch. An A45 AMG owner certainly can catch an M4 owner sleeping at a light or win by virtue of traction off the line.
The Germans at Auto Bild do a good job launching the M4 though and it wins the sprint going 12.29 seconds versus 12.39 for the A45 AMG:
No trap speeds are included because the Germans don't seem to understand why trap speeds are important. Despite the elapsed time for the M4 being only a tenth quicker it is pulling much harder. This is evident in its much quicker 0-200 kph time but why they do not understand that trap speeds would illustrate the horsepower disparity is simply evidence that they don't understand drag race metrics.
The A45 certainly is an impressive piece of machinery and it is a better match for the M2 rather than the M4 both in power and price.