BMW M3 & M4: Don’t judge this duo on face value

If you haven’t seen or read something about BMW’s new M3 and M4 Competition models by now you must be living under a rock.

Without a doubt, these are the two most controversial models to launch this year. So much has been said of the front end styling that most have forgot what the rest of these cars are about.

I am not going to pretend I am oblivious to the polarising styling. Is it conventional? Not a chance. Does it work? Yes and no. If you are looking for classic lines and want to fit in with the rest, then the looks of the M3 and M4 Competition are not going to do it for you.

Making a statement

If you are the kind of person who understands the show-off factor, and have a strong desire to be unique, you are going to love what they did with the front.

I know this is a massive cliche, but the cars do look better in the metal than they do in images. And personally, if I were spending a quick two bar on a car like this, I would want people to know what I am driving.

Rear-end styling of the M3 is more in-line with that of the 3 Series.

But enough about the styling, we can argue about this all day and never agree. This is a pukka M car, and the more important part is, how does it perform?

Up front you have the familiar BMW family 3.0-litre straight-six engine configuration running two turbochargers along with a bunch of internal changes and upgrades that now see this powerplant being code named the S58. A proper 375 kW of power and 650 Nm of torque are channelled through a very smooth shifting eight-speed M Steptronic transmission to the rear wheels only.

Rear-wheel driven

Now, before you think I have it all wrong, I don’t. We initially thought that we were only getting the xDrive models. These first Competition models to arrive are RWD only units, with AWD models arriving closer to the end of the year.

We were told that their base price will be a little more than the two-wheel-drive models, that come in at R1 860 000 and R1 940 000 for the M3 Competition and M4 Competition, respectively.

Like the M3, the rear-view of the M4 does not match the controversy of the front.

You also might be thinking that trying to harness this much power and torque through only two wheels is daft. And ultimately for an everyday streetcar, it is I guess, but I have to say, these new cars were massively impressive in how composed they were when being spiritedly pushed on less than perfect tar.

Not once while out on the road did I feel like I was driving some sort of satanic, tail happy, overpowered car. Something the previous generation car could not claim. I think it had a few demons, and I should know, I had one for a year.

Refined exhaust

Perhaps right here might be the first disconnect though for a person who has owned or driven the previous F80 series models. This new model is so much more refined than before, even the standard exhaust is somewhat subdued. It doesn’t snap, crackle and pop, you could almost accuse it of having lost some of its edgy nature of before.

Make no mistake though, this is still an extremely fast and composed car, and you can fix the lack of acoustic drama with an M Performance exhaust. Acceleration is claimed at 3.9sec to get to 100 km/h from a standstill and the top speed is electronically limited to 290 km/h.

Taking to the track

Where it did come charging back into “playful” territory, was on the track. Here the Active M Differential, Adaptive M suspension with electronically controlled shock absorbers, M Servotronic steering with variable ratio, and new M Compound brakes attached to an integrated braking system with two settings for pedal feel and response comes into play.

Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with M Dynamic Mode and, for the first time, integrated wheel slip limitation and M Traction Control adjustable through ten stages, all also fitted as standard kit. All this make for some clever trick bits that allow you to really extract the best out of your track time.

The ‘office’ of the M3 and M4 complete with the red M1 and M2 toggles on the steering wheel.

There is also a M RaceTrack Package available for the first time which reduces the car’s weight by around 25 kg thanks to the change to M Carbon ceramic brakes, special M light-alloy wheels and M Carbon bucket seats. And if you are still not convinced of the racetrack derived nature of the M3 and M4 Competition, you also get what is called M Drive Professional, and this includes an M Drift Analyser, M Lap timer and M Traction Control.

At the tip of a button

Setting up your M3 or M4 Competition is made quite easy via the two M buttons on the steering wheel. Here you can set the limits of the driver assistance systems, and the displays in the instrument cluster and optional Head-Up Display to be configured individually. ROAD and SPORT settings are available as standard; additional TRACK mode for track driving added when M Drive Professional is specified.

When fitted with the optional Carbon bucket seats, the car feels racier and more suited to the M4 Competition, and when left with the standard M Sport seats, the car is a bit more family fast and suited to the M3 Competition.

All I can say is that can’t wait to get these cars on test!

Pricing for the new BMW M3 & M4

M3 Competition – R1 860 000

M4 Competition – R1 940 000

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