BMW has long been a brand synonymous with driving performance and driving pleasure. Even today, when BMWs hardly live up to their 'ultimate driving machine' hook, the average person is still highly likely to recommend a BMW to someone looking for a genuinely thrilling daily driver. I should specify that these kinds of people usually know jack-all-shit about cars, and are likely the same kind of person who generally refer to all videogames as "Nintendo". This is a textbook case of how well marketing works on people, even though they are completely oblivious to it. BMW is so good at marketing its product that it can sell an uglier and slower SUV, that seats fewer, with less room, and more weight for a $7000 premium. But had BMW gone too far when they took the coveted 3-series and split it up for the sake of filling a numbered gap, thus creating the 4-series? Inevitably, we all knew we'd no longer be dealing with an M3 anymore…there would now be an M4, replacing the M3 Coupe. More importantly, with the demise of the 5-series as the ultimate luxury mid-sizer, and the 3-series losing its fanciful poise, aggression and agility, in favor of comfort and mild sporting credential, could the new M4 coupe possibly live up to the wailing hero that was the highly controversial, though much loved E92 M3 and its high-strung V8? I can't answer that. But I will break it down in detail.
The BMW M4 is a car I've been really looking forward to driving. I see them all over my town here in Central Florida and the urge simply gets stronger and stronger to jump into one. I finally got my chance and surprisingly I wasn't completely blown away. The car I drove had the Driver Assistance Package and Executive Package, in addition to the optional Harmon/Kardon audio and Adaptive Suspension. Oddly enough, the car ran on the base 18s, as opposed to the upgraded 19s that every single one I've seen prior is equipped with. The MSRP with these options was a whopping $76,000. Don't get hung up on that price, though, and I'll explain why later on.
By now you know that the M4 is powered by a twin-turbo Inline-6 that makes 425HP and 406lb-ft of torque. While this may not look like a considerable gain over the E92's V8, consider this: the new S55 motor that resides in the current M3 and M4 makes over 100lb-ft more torque than the V8 S65 motor, while horsepower increases by an otherwise unimpressive 11HP. With this also comes a huge sacrifice: redline and noise. Turbos suppress exhaust noise considerably, so gone is the racy and eager sound of the Ms before it, including the metallic tone of the E46's S54 I6. Likewise, where as revs of the former M-cars swole to 8000RPM (E46) and then surpassed it (E92), this all new F82 model rings out at a max of 7500RPM.
Now bear in mind, I'm not dogging the car for its decreased ability to spin, I'm simply pointing out a compromise BMW has made. Having said that, purely objectively, I do feel as if this motor isn't especially M-worthy. Or, at least, not M3/M4 worthy. It puts the power down with no hesitation as the turbos spool right up and whisk you away to triple-digit speeds with absolute ease. Gone are the days of the pitiful low-end power of the E92 M3, as it tried to lug its 3700lb ass around with a meager 295TQ. We have two-turbos now to make max torque at only 1850RPMs. On top of that, we've also shed weight - 150lbs worth of it. The dual clutch transmission has been further refined to be even smoother than before. Add all of that up and the BMW M4 is a better car in every way than the model it replaced. But why am I not blown away?
In the process of gaining torques, losing weight, becoming fuel efficient, and gaining twin-turbos, the M-car has also lost quite a bit of its soul. It's character, if you will. That visceral and connected feeling of the past M-cars is gone. The exhaust and engine roar is pumped in from the speakers of the car, at a nearly deafening level if you're opening the car up a little bit. Quite honestly, it felt like the car was louder in the cabin than it actually was outside. The sound emanating from the speakers became annoying no matter how quiet you set it. Granted, there are other cars that are obscenely loud, one such being the Jaguar F-Type V6S and V8R, but none of that sound is enhanced or piped in. It's just a visceral roar from a sweltering 5-liter 8-cylinder behemoth, and its 3.0 V6 little brother.
There were other things I didn't quite like about the car. Namely, its interior. It's no secret that BMW cheaped out on interior materials going from the E9x cars to the current iteration. Where as in the past the I-Drive screen was housed inside a cavernous hump covered with leather padding, the current BMWs have exposed screens with their plastic bezels in plain sight. The center console is a stack of plastic, all of which is ergonomically pleasing to use and look at, but relatively cheap to feel. The cupholders, now housed where they should be, unfortunately do not close. So you're always forced to look at two gaping plastic holes with plastic prongs. Call me a stickler, but if there's nothing in my cup-holder, I want it out of sight - I want to be able to conceal it with a sliding mechanism of some sort. And these little things make me feel like BMW cut corners. Also, the door cushions by the windows are some sort of plastic hybrid that feel like a grade below what older BMWs have had in the past.
Still, I will give BMW credit for fitting the car with a very clean wide-screen monitor, it makes using the navigation features that much clearer and easier. Furthermore, the seats are superb on the coupe, boasting beautiful bolsters that rise nearly all the way up the seat (not so much on the convertibles), superb comfort, solid rear legroom, and a meaty steering wheel, that despite being electric feels wonderfully in tune with the driver. The suspension is firm, but not bone crushing. It's certainly a softer and more compliant ride than the E92 M3, which was grueling over rougher roads in poorly maintained cities. Also, as if by some sort of tremendously powerful wizardry, the M4 is not equipped with runflats or some mediocre Bridgestones or some C-grade Pirellis. No, instead we are blessed with, what I firmly believe to be the best tire in the world: the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Yes, the same Super Sports that are used in so many high-end exotics today. The very same that Ferrari used to debut the Ferrari 458 Italia with, as they felt it was the only tire worthy of the car.
Moving on, brakes are 4-piston front, and 2-piston rear anchors. They're constantly kept dry and cooled to ensure stopping power is always consistent no matter what the conditions are outside. Brake feel was extremely positive and I wouldn't change a thing. Hitting the brakes on corner entry did make one thing clear to me, though…this car's suspension is softly dampened. It's balance overall is stellar, but the softer dampers give the car a slight lean which coupled with some mildly aggressive throttle inputs can definitely let the rear end hang out. I'd argue that the balance of the F82 M4 has swung more on the side of hooliganry, as opposed to the buttoned-up firmness of the E92. Perhaps the M-division has taken a page out of the AMG book? Don't get any of this twisted, though, because the M4 is still extremely capable and will no doubt outperform the old car on a track. The differences in handling between the two will be subtle to most daily drivers, but apparent to the few devoted out there.
I have to say that I do like the pull of the engine. It doesn't have a flat spot anywhere in its powerband. Peg it from a stop and it rips off the line like no M3 ever has before. Its brute force is second to only the current M6. Revving out the M4 felt easy; it was eager to hits its 7500RPM finish line, and then hand the baton over for the next gear to continue its proverbial relay race. Brilliant motor. But I still can't shake this feeling that it's not an M-motor. Fortunately, unlike the S63 motor, which is housed by the BMW M5, BMW M6, BMW M6 Gran Coupe, BMW X5M, and BMW X6M, it's highly unlikely we will see this S55 motor appear in anything but the M3 and M4. So it does have that major advantage going for it, helping to keep the motor feeling like a proper BMW Motorsport powerplant, if only because of its exclusivity.
By the numbers, the BMW M4 shines. It'll hit 118-120MPH through the 1/4 mile, doing the deed in a mere 12 seconds, though some persistent drivers have achieved very high 11s. So yes, the M4 is fast. Very fast. But is it worth the premium for those who currently own an E92 M3 Coupe? Especially a late model one that is 2011+? Well, that depends. Are you the kind of M3 owner who's always looking for the latest and greatest? If so, then yes, trade yours in get this car and I doubt you'll regret it. Are you looking forward to the repairs on your out of warranty E92 M3? I doubt you are, because there are issues with these cars, as they age, that cost thousands of dollars to repair. Now, having said that, if you can afford to foot the bill of repairs easily, but are looking for more power out of your E92 M3…I would encourage you to research supercharging your current car with the ESS kit. Again, that's assuming you can continue to maintain the car, because it will have random failures, such as the differential, idle air valve, and so forth, most of which will not be at the fault of the forced induction. I say this because the E92 M3 has aged so exceptionally well inside and out that you don't absolutely have to dump it for the current car. A moderately tuned ESS supercharger will give you all the thrills without having to incur a new auto loan. But this logic of mine only applies to existing E92 M3 owners. Otherwise, if you've got a BMW M3 E46, a Mercedes C63 AMG, an Audi S4 or RS4, you should probably upgrade because the BMW M4 is considerably better than all of those. I'm just hung up on justifying how much better it is than the car it replaces.
To close this off, early on I mentioned the pricing for this car. As is typical with BMW, they will keep one really important feature out of the standard equipment list and bundle it with a fuckload of other things you don't care about. That being a backup camera. But wait, you probably think "oh I'm sure it has backup sensors as standard! I can make do with those!" No. It doesn't. The backup camera and sensors cannot be equipped separately, and are part of the Executive Package, which costs $4000. This package adds : Heated Steering Wheel, Comfort Access Keyless Entry, Rear View Camera, Retractable Headlight Washers, Park Distance Control, Head-Up Display, and a 1 year satellite radio subscription. Let me be clear, that a heated steering wheel and comfort access keyfob have no value to me. Retractable headlight washers are the bane of my existence, pointlessly spewing washer fluid all over my freshly detailed hood and bumper. Fuck off. No thanks. Likewise, the head-up display I still find to be a gimmick and distracting. That leaves us with the worthless satellite radio subscription, which in the age of iPods, Pandora, Bluetooth audio, and Spotify is single-handedly the stupidest thing to highlight on a list of features that add up to $4,000. That's like giving someone the results of their STD test by starting it off with "Great news! You don't have syphilis, chlamydia, Hep-A, Hep-B, Hep-C, gonorrhea, or herpes. But you do have AIDS."
So what to do? Well, tell BMW to shove a stick up its ass. Considering that the car comes standard with essentials like the navigation, and a host of other toys, you don't have to equip this car with much. Order an M4 with your choice of transmission (the DCT is $2900 extra), leave the 18s on it (you can always get something else later), and add the Harmon/Kardon audio for a measly $895. Your MSRP with the dual clutch comes out to $69,000, with an invoice price of $64,380. And if your persistent enough, a deal $500 above invoice should be easily doable. At that cost, the BMW M4 is a good deal. But above the $70,000 mark, I would be very hard pressed to recommend it over its competition: the Mercedes-AMG C63 and the ATS-V. Both of which offer more power from larger displacement motors (the AMG being a V8), and are based on platforms that are better than that of the standard F30 3-series platform. I should also mention that, having been in a Mercedes-Benz C400, its interior is leagues ahead of the BMW's, so there's that too.
This may not be the words people want to rear, but my conclusion…wait for the new C63 and ATS-V if you're open to driving something without a blue and white roundel.
