M-Power: The All New M3 & M4 - Part 2

Take the letter M for example, which BMW claims is the most powerful letter in the world. Put it together with 4, and you have the all new BMW M4....

80 kilograms lighter than its predecessor, the all new BMW M4 coupe is the new BMW M3 coupe... Aside all commercial and marketing value in its name, The M4 is an M3 in a coupe body... But commercialism and marketing is not what were here to discuss... The M-division of BMW has gone down a rather different path this time...

Coupe Bodied M3?

Words of TopGear Magazine UK

Well yes... Obviously. Aside from the drop in weight of 23 kilograms as compared to the new M3. The M4 is largely similar to its sedan sibling. Gone is the beautiful high-revving V8 and in with an all new twin-turbocharged straight-six. Though smaller in displacement as compared to the V8, engine response is immediate. As stated in my previous article on the M3, when poor engineering is used to bind engine and turbochargers together it doesn't deliver a happy couple.... But the new M4 has a party trick up its sleeve... In sport plus mode, the ECU keeps those twin-turbos spooling by controlling airflow whilst still injecting petrol into the cylinders, the result is lag-free response. The moment you get on the throttle, the response is without hesitation. It's immediate, it's quick, its brutal and it's utterly magnificent... Going 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, it's faster than it's bigger brother, the M6. As compared to the previous V8 this all new engine delivers 150 more newton metres of torque, while being 10 kilograms lighter. 

Aside powertrain engineering, M-division has also put a lot of work in to the chassis. The whole car comes in 80 kilograms lighter as compared to the previous generation. The suspension is completely bespoke, and is an adaptive system. It's direct, precise and accurate... It responds to every angle of the steering wheel. There's almost no understeer, step on the gas and with the instant wave of torque, you'll be drifting and sliding through corners and that's where the clever M-differential really comes in to place. The balance is perfect and that clever electronic differential as mentioned, really knows its business. Switch of traction control, and you'll be doing fast laps, drifting sideways with some opposite lock...


Then we come to stopping power, which comes from either M-compound steel brakes or M-compound carbon ceramic brakes. Sensational, is the only word... There's no fade in braking performance, especially if you've optioned the carbon ceramic brakes. The whole car from 100km/h comes to a standstill in 99 feet. This amazing stopping power will help drivers to brake late through a corner, and maintain a higher speed through a bend. 

Conclusion.... Turbocharged M3 & M4?

Both are superb cars.... It's a slight let down that BMW has decided to step away from natural aspiration, though I understand the reasons they had to. The result however, is much better than expected. Despite new technologies incorporated into the car, the new BMW M3 & M4 remains as one of the best handling cars out there....
BMW: Sheer Driving Pleasure