Unsuspecting 540i Battles Big Brother M5 In Drag Race

There’s something just undeniably cool about a rapidly quick sports sedan. The concept of shoehorning your family and pet dog into a 600+ hp missile is something that never gets old, and BMW M cars have been at the forefront for around four decades.

However, while there’s no question that M cars are monstrously fast, there’s an appeal to driving something a bit more understated yet still has the performance to gap most supercars at the lights. Whether you’re a fan or not, most enthusiasts can appreciate the performance of any M5, especially the newer models with over 600 hp. A 540i, however, might make a few heads turn when they leave them in the dust.

That’s exactly what this highly modified BMW 540i sleeper car is likely to do, though, and it’s taking on a modified version of its M car brother in a series of drag races. Jamie from the YouTube channel OFFICIALLY GASSED – OG is checking out the two builds and giving a rundown on how these rapid luxury sedans compare.

This BMW 540i Has More Than Double The Stock Power

2020 BMW M5 F90 VS 2020 BMW 540i G30 Key Details

• The BMW M5 is the brand’s flagship sports sedan, with a twin-turbo V8 producing nearly 600 hp
• The 540i, meanwhile, is a mid-range 5-series with high tuning potential from its strong B58 3.0-liter turbo inline-6 motor
• These two modified BMWs have identical horsepower, but the 540i has a weight advantage while the M5 has a torque advantage
• Both cars are settling who’s the fastest with a best-of-three standing quarter mile and rolling quarter mile drag race
• The performance of both cars is unbelievably close, but the tuned 540i is around $20k cheaper than the tuned M5

In what is arguably the underdog in this fight, this BMW 540i has been modified by owner Mo and Hass Power in Glasgow, Scotland. The 540i comes with BMW’s 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 B58 engine, producing 335 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque.

While those figures aren’t anything special, the B58’s aluminum closed deck configuration and strong internals provide a great platform for reliable tuning. BMW themselves push the fettled variant, the S58, up to 560 hp in the G82 M4 CSL, and the B58 is a staple engine in everything from the BMW X7 to the A90 Toyota GR Supra.

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Of course, doubling a car’s horsepower is no easy feat, and Mo and the team at Hass Power have had to add a few upgrades. As mentioned, the internals of the B58 engine are notoriously strong, so mechanically, the engine and transmission remain stock. The main source of power increase comes courtesy of a Turbosystems Stage 2+ turbocharger, an MST induction kit, a 5-inch Osprey turbo cat-back performance exhaust, a fuel-it! high-pressure fuel pump, and a Snow Performance 2x1000cc methanol injection system.

As far as tuning goes, Jamie doesn’t go into the ECU the 540i is running but does say that the car has a stage 3 HXP transmission remap. With all the modifications, this 540i now produces 690 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, going to all four wheels via an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission.

This BMW M5 Has Only Minor Tweaks

The F90 BMW M5, on the other hand, is BMW M’s top dog performance saloon, with a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that produces 591 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque (617 hp in Competition spec). Power is sent to all four wheels via the same 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. However, the stock calibration is quite different compared to the 540i, and the M5 has a trick up its sleeve with its launch control system.

For the sake of parity, though, this M5 has a few minor upgrades that, like the 540i, push power figures into the 700 hp region. The only mechanical changes are the downpipe rear exhaust and upgraded BMC panel filters. Aside from that, the team at NV Motorsport has spent most of their time tweaking the car’s ECU with a stage 1 engine and transmission tune. In total, the M5 now produces 679 hp and a whopping 667 lb-ft of torque.

The M5 and 540i Go Head To Head On The Strip

Modified 2020 BMW M5 F90 Vs 2020 BMW 540i G30 Specifications

(figures courtesy of YouTube @ Officially Gassed – OG/BMW)

To see which tuned Bimmer reigns supreme, the two cars go head-to-head in a series of drag races. The format is pretty simple: a best-of-three quarter-mile rolling race from 100 kmph (62 mph) and a standing quarter-mile drag race.

Talking to Jamie before the race, 540i owner Mo says that the results will likely come down to the weight of each car and how well both get off the line. First up is the quarter-mile rolling race from 62 mph, and as the two cars cross the start line, both drivers floor the gas and take off down the runway.

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The M5 and the 540i run equidistant for the entire run, with the M5 barely squeaking its nose ahead by the time they cross the line. For the second run, the 540i pulls ahead on the initial pull but is soon overhauled by the M5, who takes the win by around a car’s length.

M5 Wins The Roller, But Does It Win the Standing Quarter?

2020 BMW M5 F90 VS 2020 BMW 540i G30 Race Results

(data courtesy of YouTube @ Officially Gassed – OG)

Next up is the quarter-mile drag race, and while the 540i has a 210 lb weight advantage, it is down by 76 lb-ft of torque on the M5. The other advantage the M5 has over the 540i is its launch control system, despite it being notoriously finicky. With the two cars ready at the start line, Jamie counts the race down, and the two drivers drop the hammer.

While owner Sandis in the M5 has a much better reaction time than Mo in the 540i, the M car doesn’t engage launch control correctly and bogs down off the line. Meanwhile, the 540i begins to claw back some ground. Once the M5 gets going, the extra torque pays dividends, and it manages to eke out a gap and take the win by two car lengths.

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The second race goes even worse for the 540i. This time, the M5 manages to engage launch control, firing off the line with its Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires and not looking back, leaving the 540i in its wake. The M5 completes the standing quarter mile in 10.79 seconds at 132 mph, compared to the 540i’s 10.99-second time at 127 mph. However, when it comes to 0-60 mph, both cars are only separated by one-hundredth of a second.

Which Tuned BMW Is Better Value For Money?

While the M5 is the clear winner, the fact the two cars are so close in performance does beg the question of whether the M5 is worth the extra money over the 540i. Used values for a 2020 F90 BMW M5 are around $60,750 on average, according to J.D. Power, and the NV Motorsports upgrade and tune cost £1,500 ($1,903), bringing the total cost to just shy of $63,000.

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Meanwhile, the average value for a 2020 G30 BMW 540i is less than half of that at $29,725. However, the upgrades and tune on Mo’s car cost significantly more than the M5’s at £10,000 ($12,700). Regardless, a tuned 540i still costs about $20,000 less than a tuned M5. While the M badge certainly carries some prestige, it arguably can’t offset the price difference – especially when the performance of both cars is this close. Now if you want the V8 soundtrack without the M5 cost premium, there’s always the BMW M550i.

sources: YouTube @ Officially Gassed – OG, BMW, J.D. Power