BMW has eschewed a
naturally-aspirated V8 engine in the latest M3 for a twin turbo six-cylinder,
or be happy that in a world where emissions restrictions and political
correctness dictate a seemingly endless procession of front-wheel drive cookie
cutters it continues to exist at all? I’ll take the glass half full option
thanks.
With this latest
generation, the Ms Split in two; the sedan remains an M3 and the coupe becomes
the M4. That’s an issue that has commanded a lot of attention but is relatively
insignificant in comparison with the worthy mechanical progress that has been
made. Two drenching days of hard road and track driving in New Zealand in
Aussie spec right-hand driver prove that beyond doubt.
I’m completely
sideways in the new M4 coupe, steering lock wound on, right foot playing a tune
on the throttle, real wheels spinning, twin turbo six cylinder engine
bah-bah-bahing. Wah-hoo!
Uh-oh! Too
sideways and suddenly over the edge, spinning through 360 degrees, then
snapping to a halt. Thankfully there’s no crunch of mangling metal. But then
again I was doing more than seven or eight km/h. Ah the joys of a wet skid pan,
in this case located at the Hampton Downs racing circuit south of Auckland,
where we are sampling the M3 and its no-identical technical brother in arms,
the newly renamed M4 coupe.
Slip sliding
around on a skid pan at ludicrous angles at ultra-slow speed doesn’t reveal
that much about these two M weapons, except that traction control definitely
works.
At least the
soaked skid pan was totally in keeping with the theme of our New Zealand
sojourn for the first right-hand drive of the F80 M3 and F82 M4. It pissed down
– or pussed down in localise – most of the time we were in-county and pretty
much all the time we were in-country and pretty all the time we were installed
in that curvaceous new seat, grasping that chubby new steering wheel and
looking over that power dome.
If there’s one
thing driving 317kW/550Nm rear-wheel drive sports cars on sodden race tracks
and ludicrously serpentine Kiwi highways proves, it’s the easy reports of this
being the most user-friendly M generation yet are certainly accurate.
Oh there was the
occasional slip and slide caught at the Hampton Downs and the Taupo circuit we
visited the next day, but sphincter puckers were rare and big grins common.
On the road, where
it all really counts, there was no signs of dramas whatsoever, no matter how
heavy the rain the Ms just motored on, showing disdain for conditions that
might have prompted Noah to head for Mitre 10 and start ordering lumber.
The thought of
what an E36, E46 or even the most recent V8 E90 fourth generation M3 might have
been like in these conditions is worth contemplating. Especially on the
racetrack and especially in the sixes, the traction light would have been
blinking a constant Morse code as rear tyres scrabbled for traction.
Not everyone will
think making a high performance sports car easier to drive is a step in the
right direction. There’s got to be a challenge in life after all. I certainly
have sympathy for that view and remember the E90 with great fondness. But that’s
not confusing ability with appreciation. I know I am better off in the new
generation car than the old.
Having dived in
headlong, let’s just take a step back and reprise what we’re driving. We won’t
go into it too deeply, because BMW has pre-revealed just about everything there
is to know about these cars and ‘we drove them in Europe only a couple of
months ago’. What mike Sinclair reported then remains true today.
The renaming of
the coupe from M3 to M4, reflecting the change in nomenclature for the donor
car, has been one of the biggest pre-launch talking points. But more important
to eemphasizeis just how good this new engine is, pouring out a wave of torque
like a breached dam and roaring fiercely as the revs spiral upward.
It lacks the
threshing mechanical soundtrack of the naturally aspirated E90 and maybe doesn't spin up to and beyond 7000rpm as quickly, but it’s almost as immediate in its
throttle tip-in response despite having to spool two single scroll turbos and
is clearly faster because it makes more grunt everywhere, shuffling it rearward
via a third generation M-DCT dual clutch seven speed gearbox and electrically
controlled Active M Diff.
Which brings us to
the oh-so talented chassis. Beneath bodies pumped up like gym junkies are
bespoke suspensions, strong brakes with a feel-some pedal, 19-inch wheels and
Michelin Pilot supersport rubber. The rack and pinion steering has electric
assist for the first time and there is absolutely no reason to regret that. This
car steers and handles with dexterity, confidence and authority.
Australian pricing
and equipment level. If we were to whinge about that it would be having to
option significant safety equipment such as blind spot and lane departure warning,
which are standard in much cheaper cars.
Overall, the
whinge list is pretty short for these cars, but you can add the horrible amount
of road noise generated by the huge tyres, although the payback is phenomenal grip.
Then there’s the profusion
of center console buttons, which give you three turning choices for throttle
response, steering weight, suspension firmness and shift settings for the
gearbox (a six-speed manual is a no cost option). You can also detune your
traction and stability control response or shut it down altogether.
Efficient is too
soft for true M-type throttle response, comfort or sport the preferred choices
for steering (sport + was just too heavy). Comfort is fine for the suspension –
it was terse enough and sport and sport+ didn't make that much difference – and
the mid-level drive-logic setting a good intermediate choice for the gearbox – although going manual via the shift paddles was always fun. On the track it was
pretty much sport+ all the way for everything.
Thankfully, you can store your favorite settings behind buttons on the steering wheel and never have to faff around with multiple choice again.
If there was once other theme which emerged from this experience, it was just why would you bother buying the M4? It's more expensive, less practical and lacks the historically prestigious name. the sedan even gets the same trick carbon-fibre roof as the coupe this time round.
The M4 feels no faster despite having a lower center of gravity, smaller frontal aero
(so better aerodynamics even if the Cd is claimed to be the same) and a 23kg lighter kerb weight.
In fact, with that extra weight centered over the rear of the sedan (thanks to rear doors, a heavier seat and boot-lid), some of the more sensitive testers in the media pack ventured the opinion it offered better traction. with conditions and therefore grip changing by the minute your correspondent wasn't prepared to be so definitive.
what is define is BMW's M division has veered the M3 and M4 onto a new course, even if the fundamental direction remains familiar. they are different yet the same, ferocious yet pliable, fierce yet enjoyable, wild yet tameable.
they are exceptional driver's cars and that's to be celebrated. Wah-hoo!
By Beth Lloyd
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