The new BMW M4 Coupe. Picture: Supplied
I haven’t tackled a track day or done any top speed events in the car yet, but this will all be changing soon. I will be joining the BMW Car Club Gauteng at their Bridgestone Speed and Sound ODI 1km-top end run day on Sunday to put some of Bavaria’s best technology to the test. And one thing is for sure: this M4 has the right goodies under the bonnet to deliver.
The Coupé sees a return to the much loved in-line six engine configuration, as used on the second and third generations of this car. But now with a little extra sting in the tail – thanks to two turbochargers doing duty and ensuring that although the power is only up 8kW from 309kW to 317kW – the torque has jumped up to a massive 550Nm from 400Nm.
Anybody who knows anything about horsepower will tell you that because the new M4 is force-fed, here on the Reef this alone makes a massive difference over the old car that had to make do with sucking in as much air as it could the good old-fashioned naturally aspirated way.
Besides the two fast-responding mono-scroll turbochargers, high precision direct petrol injection, valvetronic variable valve timing and double-vanos continuously variable camshaft timing, you also get an engine that features a closed-deck crankcase design, which is very rigid and allows cylinder pressures to be increased for improved power output.
And instead of liners, the cylinder bores feature a twin-wire arc-sprayed coating, which results in a significant reduction in engine weight.
And when you have the third generation of the M double clutch transmission with Drivelogic doing duty, you know ultra-fast gear changes with no interruption in the flow of power is the order of the day when required.
Now you know why I am looking forward to some high speed work with this car.
You can also follow me on @markjonesZA23 for up-to-date happenings with the car.
