BMW M cars are known for their eager willingness to step out their tails, if prodded with a stick. This stepping out of the tail, is called a drift. Drifting is one of the most spectacular feats, especially when done by professionals in an astonishingly capable car like the BMW M235i Coupé. Of course, clouds of tyre smoke just adds to the overall experience for the onlookers. The M235i Coupé seems to tick all the right boxes for a drifting car’s prerequisite. Perfect 50/50 weight distribution? Check. Adaptive M suspension and a taut chassis? Check. Powerful motor to keep the wheels spinning? Check. That power bit is taken care of by a punchy 3.0-litre twin-turbo 326 horsepower inline six-cylinder engine.
Five M235i Coupés took part in this driftmob in South Africa.
The Bavarian carmaker proved the M235i Coupé’s drifting capabilities last year, when they played host to a driftmob in the streets of Cape Town, South Africa. Amazed onlookers watched in exhilaration as five of these Coupés did their thing and left a lasting impression on the road with their rubbers. This amazing feat of car control and perfect synchronisation between each of the cars involved, proves a case in point. In the right hands, an M car such as the M235i Coupé, is nothing short of chuffing marvelous.
The autonomous car does a splendid job of going sideways.
However, if you thought BMW was contented with the creation of, what seems like, the perfect drifting tool, you would be wrong. Post the driftmob showdown in Africa, BMW decided that it would like a drifting showdown between a professional drifting champion and one of its new creations, a computer-controlled autonomous M235i Coupé. The company’s main aim was to showcase the technological prowess that it had garnered in all these years of its existence. So the Bavarians arranged for a skidpad and put two identical M235i Coupés against one another. Identical, except for one crucial difference. One was driven by a drifting champion (a human being), while the other was controlled by some microprocessors and clever computer software.
So which one did it better and which one would you pick as your drift tool? Look at it this way. If you like laptop computers and smartphones, you will love and appreciate the “self-drifting” car’s capabilities. On the other hand, if you are a fan of old-school typewriters and prefer a ’90s Nokia phone over a current top-end smartphone, you will admire the dexterity and skill of the human in the normal car. We loved both and think you should definitely check out this video. Let us know which car you preferred more and why. Also, what are your thoughts on driverless cars? Leave us your opinions in the comments section.