EVERY BMW M MODEL RANKED BY ITS 0-60 MPH TIME

You can be happy with just about any M-model BMW you can get your hands on. They all hit 60 mph in under five seconds, they pack a bare minimum of 450 horsepower, and they handle like, well, BMWs. While BMWs are more at home around a track, 0-60 mph times have always been the perfect metric for enthusiasts who want to argue the merit of their vehicles.

So we're counting down the fastest BMW M-models, by 0-60 time, from slowest to quickest. Note that the top speed numbers listed below assume you're going with the M Driver's Package. Otherwise, they're limited to 155 mph, the number the German auto industry has agreed on to keep the Autobahn unrestricted.

BMW XM: The Halo Car Is The Slowest

We're not starting with the XM because it's the Halo M car; we're starting with the XM because we're listing these cars from slowest to fastest, and this one is tied with the next two at the back of the line. 4.1 seconds from a standstill is nothing to shrug your shoulders at, but it's not every day you see the flagship trailing behind the cars it's supposed to set the tone for.

The XM's base 4.4-liter engine delivers 483 horsepower on its own, with the electric motor bumping that number up to an impressive 644 hp. It's no stretch to say that the XM is one of the most powerful production SUVs on the market today, but it's also one of the heaviest, with the 2024 edition tipping the scales at an incredible 6,094 pounds, thanks in no small part to the hybrid's 600 lb, 31-mile-range battery pack. Still, a 4.1-second sprint is very impressive for a full-size, three-ton monster.

M2: The Baby M Has Some Serious Power

The recently enhanced 2025 BMW M2's power has been increased to 473 horses. With an automatic transmission, it also adds another 37 lb-ft of torque. Other than that, performance is generally the same between the two models. The automatic model sprints to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, while the manual can do it in 4.1.

We love the M2 for its perfectly balanced chassis and generous M traction control settings, ensuring a responsive feel on tracks, roads, highways, and city streets alike. While the automatic is slightly faster, we'd still go with the manual because the driving experience is even more involved. Manual models account for over half of M2 sales in the USA, so it seems most of you out there are inclined to agree.

X3 M and X4 M: AWD Traction FTW

Like the M3 and M4, the X3 M and X4 M have the same performance numbers. These two are even closer in weight, with the X4 M coming in at 4,597 lbs, and the lighter X3 M at 4,610 lbs. That's about the weight of a medium-sized bowling ball, so you can't expect it to affect that 3.9-second 0-60 sprint too severely. The X3 M offers a little more cargo space, and they're pretty much the same car otherwise. If you're having trouble choosing between one and the other, you might as well pick the one that looks cooler to you.

The SUV has been clocked at quarter mile times in the 15-second range, which is pretty good for a vehicle in this weight class. Of course, it's still an SUV at the end of the day, so it falls behind the lighter 2024 BMW M2 coupe at 12.2 seconds, despite matching that car in the 0-60 sprint.

BMW M3 And M4 Competition: Dipping Below Four Seconds

The BMW M3 and M4 Competition have more specs in common than not. The M3 Competition weighs in at 3,890 lbs, while the M4 model comes in at 3,880 lbs. Unsurprisingly, the M3's extra ten lbs make no measurable difference in take-off or its top speed. The M4 has been clocked at the quarter-mile finish line in eleven seconds at a speed of 125 mph, and the M3 typically tests in that same range.

Both cars pack an S58 engine with a pair of mono-scroll turbochargers. Drivers generally report both models to have minimal but noticeable turbo lag before the chargers kick in. Managing turbo lag is part of the fun of driving a Bimmer, but there's definitely a skill curve if you want your own 0-60s to look anything like the ones reported by BMW.

BMW X5 M and X6 M Competition: Blistering Grand Tourers

When discussing BMW, words like "refined" and "subtle" and "elegant" get thrown around a lot. And that's fair. But a family SUV that hits 60 mph in 3.8 seconds can only be described as ridiculous, and we mean that as very high praise. The X5 M has put in times of around 12 seconds on the quarter mile, which is, scientifically speaking, bonkers for a 6,614 lb SUV.

The X5 M may not make sense to a lot of people who think "performance" and "SUV" should never be used in the same sentence. But think of it as an elevated grand tourer of sorts. The grip provided by the M xDrive system means this thing can cover ground at an alarming pace. On bumpy back roads, or in wet conditions, BMW M's rear-wheel drive models wouldn't see which way the X5 M went.

Naturally, you can also have an X5 M as a quasi coupe, called the X6 M. It may just be us, but we prefer the more practical version. Since the 2024 model year, these models have only been available in Competition spec.

BMW M4 CSL: Weight Makes A Difference

The fastest BMW on this list by a margin of a single mile-per-hour over the M5 CS and the M8, the M4 CSL crosses the quarter mile line at 128 mph in 11.1 seconds. BMW proudly boasts that the CSL is the "lightest road-ready BMW M4 ever produced," owing to extensive carbon fiber engineering, aluminum wheels, a titanium muffler, and carbon-ceramic brakes. All told, the result is a curb weight of just 3,640 lbs, down nearly 200 pounds from the lightest base model at 3,830 lb.

The CSL stands for Coupe, Sport, and Lightweight. According to some sources, the C stands for Competition, but BMW says Coupe, and we can't find a sedan with the CSL title. It's easier to abbreviate than it is to list it, but these three words explain why this car is such a beast, turning in a 3.6-second 0-60 sprint: it's simply good engineering, cutting the dead weight and building a two-door that flies like a bullet along the track.

BMW M3 CS And M4 CS: Supercar Quick

Another pair of BMWs that deliver the exact same performance specs despite a difference in weight. The M4 CS weighs in at 3,620 lbs while the M3 CS weighs 3,915 lbs. Despite this nearly-300 lb difference, reported 0-60 times are the same whichever car you pick. These cars have been clocked at the quarter mile at around 11.8 seconds, hitting a top speed of 129 mph at the finish line. Independent tests have show that these cars are also capable of hitting 60 mph in as little as 2.7 seconds. That's in supercar territory.

The CS stands for Competition Sport, with the stated intention of the branding being to denote cars that are "equally at home on road and track."

BMW M5 CS: Already Achieved Legendary Status

The M5 CS has been AWOL since the 2022 model was released. We had high praise for the car's flawless powertrain, excellent chassis tuning, and super-capable handling, and especially the Pirelli Zero Corsa high-performance tires that come standard. In practice, that all adds up to a 10.6 second quarter-mile time, crossing the finish line at a speed of 130 mph.

A 2025 model year relaunch for the M5 lineup has been announced, and it was confirmed earlier this year by BMW M CEO Frank Van Meel that both the sedan and the touring models are on their way to the US. The new one will be considerably more powerful, a 718-hp plug-in hybrid with a 4.4-Liter twin-turbo 8-cylinder engine. It's also going to be considerably heavier, at 5,356 lbs, according to leaks, compared to 4,114 lb for the 2022 model. Hopefully, this won't knock the sedan down the list any.

BMW M8 Competition Coupe

Tied with the 2022 M5 CS for both 0-60 time and top speed, the M8 has been clocked at an 11.2 second quarter-mile time, coming in about a half-second behind the M5 CS, owing in part to a slightly heftier curb weight, with the heaviest model weighing in at 4,560 lbs. It's a razor-thin margin that you could theoretically overcome with excellent driving skill, of course, but that extra five hundred pounds has to go somewhere, and in this instance, it lands on the quarter mile track.

The M8 is essentially unchanged since we reviewed it for the 2023 model year, noting the muscle car spirit driving this 8-cylinder track star. Where the M2 is a nimble corner-hugger, you can feel the M8's hefty weight and V8 power charging down the road. This is a freeway car, and you'll get the most value out of this 4.4-liter coupe cruising up and down coastlines and interstates.

2024-06-24T04:06:27Z dg43tfdfdgfd