The long awaited BMW M3 and M4 have now been revealed in their production form. Do they still carry the spark that M cars have portrayed in the past few years? Well, let’s find out shall we.
First thing that springs to mind when you think of M Cars is Performance. So how do these ‘new kids on the block’ stack up?
The all-new 2014 BMW M3 and M4 is lighter, feistier and aggressive in the way it delivers its power. The M3 features a 3.0-liter twin turbo inline-six which produces a maximum output of 425-hp and 550Nm of torque to haul this mega power. Combine 425hp with 80kg less weight (thanks to some lightweight materials such as carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic) and a dual clutch gearbox, this will allow you to hit 60mph in 4.1 seconds. Astonishingly fast? We think so.
Compared to the old 4.0-liter naturally-aspirated V8, the new 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six consumes 25 perfect less fuel and 25 percent less emissions than its predecessor (E92).
If you opt for the dual-clutch gearbox in the M3/M4, you’ll also get a Launch Control feature integrated in to the gearbox and… Wait for it… ‘Smoky Burnout’ mode. Yes, before you think dafuq, this is a system which will allow you to have the most perfect burnouts every time.
It’s funny actually, people nowadays complain about gimmicky-electronically-controlled-nannies but in reality, all they’re trying to do is help you. Smoky Burnout mode is for the veteran clutch fryers out there.
BMW has ensured to accentuate the new M3 and M4 from their rivals from Mercedes-Benz and Audi. The M3 and M4 are hugely more aggressive than their rivals (although much can’t be said for the next-gen C63 AMG). The M3 and M4 both display a muscular and low stance on the road. The new models have really got their mojo back. The E92 was a bit soft, a bit hard to tell apart from a regular M Sport 3-Series to the untrained eye but these two, woah.
We can talk about its swooping lines, low splitter, spoiler, blah, but we’d rather just let you drool over them because BMW has finally hit the sweet-spot of many automotive enthusiasts around the world.
The cabins of these two ‘monsters’, are very driver focused. The interior features sexy carbon-fibre trim and an abundance of ‘M’ badges which hints out to what you’re driving. The seats look incredibly sporty, the sporty sort that can hug you in corner after corner of hard cornering. This is what the old (E92) M3’s interior should’ve been.
WILL IT BE A PROPER M CAR?
Well why not? It features all the right ingredients of M Cars over the past few years; the M4 and M3 are a step forward into the evolution of BMW M. If this is how BMW’s M-Division will be evolving over the next few years, then we can’t wait to see what they have in store for us in the pipeline.
