Watch us drag race the Smart #3 Brabus, Audi RS3, and BMW M2

What is 1,288 bhp doing on an airport runway? Well, of course, a drag race! For this 400-metre challenge, we decided to compare two of the most desirable and high-performance compact sports cars of the moment, the Audi RS3 Sportback and the BMW M2, with the Smart #3 Brabus, apparently an outsider. But let's see them in detail.

On paper, the car to beat is the Smart #3 Brabus which, despite being a comfortable and super-spacious SUV coupé, hides no less than 428 electric bhp and all-wheel drive under the bonnet and claims a 0-62 mph in 3.7 seconds. The challenge, however, is wide open as it is the heaviest and could suffer in the second half.

Almost supercar-like numbers on a par with those of the Audi RS3 Sportback: 400 bhp, 0-62 in 3.9 seconds, and all-wheel drive even in Drift mode. Its strong point? It is the lightest of them all.

In a 400-metre acceleration test, however, it's the acceleration that counts, as well as the sprint at the start: the BMW M2 is the most formidable rival with its big 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder engine producing 460 bhp discharged to the ground through the rear wheels alone. Want to see how it all turns out? Click on the video above or, if you want a spoiler, read the results below.

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Who won? Here are the results

Foreword: the test took place on an airport runway at a temperature of around 20°C and with all cars fitted with summer tyres and a full tank.

Let's start with the winner, the #3 Brabus smart car, which pulled away from its rivals to record an unexpected result. 0-62 mph in 3.52 seconds (almost two tenths better than claimed), 0-37 mph in 1.8 seconds, and quarter mile completed in 11.69 seconds. It's a shooting monster that seems tailor-made for this type of test: consider that the top speed is limited to around 112 mph and this is reached exactly at the end of the 400 metres, the limit beyond which it begins to plateau. 

In second place is the BMW M2 which, predictably, loses something at the start as it is the only rear-wheel drive car. 0-62 mph in 4.4 seconds - almost a second slower than the smart - but closes the 400 m in 12 seconds flat with a top speed of over 118 mph. The torque of the six-cylinder makes itself felt especially when stretching in the second half of the race: if it had a little more space it would certainly have won.

The bronze medal goes for the Audi RS 3 Sportback which starts very well but is unable to catch up with the Smart and hold off the advancing BWM: 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds - a very good result - and 400 metres in 12.26 seconds. It is the most gradual performer during the race: the Smart starts off with a slingshot and then slows down, the BMW does the opposite, starts off slowly and then recovers, and the Audi on the other hand starts off very well and maintains a constant drive.