Rarely has one letter and one number meant so much when joined together. They are M and 3.
This is exactly the sort of embarrassingly pretentious and utterly wanky prose that the BMW M3 inspires. As soon as I wrote it, I regretted it. But it serves as a great example of what the BMW M3 can do to an otherwise cynical motoring journalist. It makes me feel like a giggly school boy just thinking of the fun I have had in M3s over the years. I love the M3 completely and unapologetically.
That is why the new one worried me so much. If BMW got it wrong, I would be devastated. And I would tear it apart. In words, that is.
We headed to a very wet, very cold, very slippery Taupo to find out…
What are they?
If you don’t know what a BMW M3 is, then I certainly am not going to waste my time telling you. I will, however, be more forgiving if you don’t know what a BMW M4 is…
Following along with BMW’s split of the 3 Series line into two separate models, with “3” now representing sedans and “4” now representing the coupe variants, the M3 is now the four-door sedan and the M4 is the two-door coupe of the fire-breathing “cars based on the 3 Series platform, beaten with the angry stick by M GmbH” range.
As such they both boast the same 317kW/550Nm 3.0-litre twin turbo inline six-cylinder engine hooked up to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission driving all that power through the rear wheels.
The M3 and M4 are lighter, more powerful and faster than the cars they replace, yet prices have barely risen (less than 1 percent). But BMW have jammed almost $20,000 worth of extra specification into the M3 and M4, with a carbon fibre roof, 19-inch alloy wheels, the 7-speed dual clutch transmission, a heads-up display and M adaptive suspension now coming as standard.
The spec difference between the two is minimal, with the M4 getting a carbon fibre boot lid and a carbon fibre brace in the roof (both are steel in the M3 sedan), but sees the M4 tipping the scales at 23kg lighter than the sedan. Not that this makes much difference to performance, as BMW claims both scamper to 100km/h from a standing start in a scant 4.1 seconds.
Both also return a claimed fuel consumption of 8.3L/100km, but that is only if you drive it like a little girl.
The M3 sedan is priced at $159,900, while the M4 coupe costs $169,900.
What’re they like?
Thankfully, it is staggeringly good.
The local launch took place at Taupo Motorsport Park, Hampton Downs Motorsport Park and the back roads in between.
The weather was equally awful at both tracks and the roads in between, however, but this actually helped highlight just how incredibly good the new cars are.
On the Taupo track (which was very wet and very slippery) we were warned not to turn the stability control off, which was disappointing at first, but after driving the M4 for the first time, a thoroughly sensible thing to do. It is simply a remarkably ferocious beast of a car.
Driving it slowly out onto the track, the M4 feels almost disappointingly normal. It is civilised and comfortable. Nail the throttle, however, and it turns into a feral animal, desperately trying to pull up the tarmac with its rear wheels.
It belts ferociously forwards, rear squirming under the savage acceleration with only the excellent traction control system keeping things in a vaguely frontwards facing position, while barely reducing any power.
The flat woofle coming from the exhaust at low speeds turns into a deep, resonant bellowing scream of anger. It is a brilliant sound, entirely different in character to the screaming V8 of the previous M3, but not without a charm all of its own.
On the roads the next day, the M3 and M4 are equally ferocious and ridiculously accomplished. Of course, here you have to be ware of your speed and keeping the M3 and M4 in check is a constant task. Acceleration that is brutal at full throttle is effortless and deceptively innocuous at smaller throttle openings, but no less devastating to your bank account or the status of your license if you don’t pay attention…
While the ride is always firm (even in the comfort setting) it is never harsh or intrusive, while the handling is always simply addictive. Turn in is remarkably crisp, with a renewed eagerness to the steering that was missing in the previous M3. The steering still isn’t perfect though, but it feels better in the lighter comfort setting than in the artificially heavy sport setting.
Hampton Downs was unfortunately almost as wet as Taupo, but there was a secret weapon here that would demonstrate just how good the platform the two cars share really was – the skid pan.
Here we were allowed to turn all the safety electronics off and lots of lurid, sideways-y fun ensued.
Getting the M3 and M4 sideways is childishly simple – nail the throttle. Even just a little bit. The rear of the car swings eagerly out, but is equally easy to catch – and hold there – with the sharp steering. Both cars are just so beautifully balanced that using the throttle and steering to control them on seriously slippery surfaces is an utter delight. A horribly addictive utter delight…
What’s good about them?
Pretty much everything. Just as an M3 should be.
The power is just mind-blowing, the ride is sporty, but surprisingly comfortable and the handling is just fantastic.
Equipment levels are much higher, with the price barely increasing. They both look incredible, with just the right mix of aggression and subtlety.
What’s not so good?
The steering does feel artificially heavy in sport mode, but still retains the crispness that makes it vastly superior to the old car’s.
The sound you hear inside the car is not entirely honest, with a subtle “assist” being piped in through the stereo speakers and the sound outside is oddly flat at low revs. But then who buys an M3 the potter around at low revs…
First impressions?
The new BMW M3 and M4 are thoroughly remarkable cars that truly live up to the legendary M badge.
The savage acceleration and sublime handling that come from being designed for the track as much as the road make for the almost perfect all-round performance car – one that you can drive to the track, spend all day mercilessly thrashing it and embarrassing Porsches and Ferraris, then drive it home again, popping into the Maccas drive-through on the way to keep the kids happy.
It may not sound as good as it used to (but it still sounds mighty good!) but it goes harder, handles better and looks sensational.
Models/prices
M3 sedan – $159,900
M4 coupe – $169,900
Powertrain
3.0-litre inline 6-cylinder petrol turbo producing 317kW/550Nm; 7-speed dual clutch transmission; rear-wheel drive.
Fuel consumption: 8.3L/100km
CO2 emissions: 194g/km
Safety
ANCAP/EuroNCAP rating: Five stars
Air bags: 6
Stability control: yes
Lap/diagonal belts: 5
