babypuppi: [14] Bmw M4 2015 At Today Talks

LaFerrari, Lamborghini Huracan, first drive of the Porsche 918 on US soil: This has been one hell of a month for new metal (and composite). But the BMW M4
is arguably the most interesting and the most important of the lot. Why? Because even if you can't afford the $65,125 needed to put one in your driveway
right now, you know that in three, maybe five years' time, this could be your daily supercar ride. That's not something you can say of the Maranello hybrid.

"BMW"

Let's start by saying there is no soft option here. Both
cars were engineered to feel and respond as similarly as the guys at M Division in Garching could manage. Given that the two are separated by a mere
10 lbs in curb weight and are almost identical in terms of bending stiffness, they didn't have to try hard to manage it. Both get the carbon roof, but the
coupe needed some help to match the sedan's downforce, so it gets a specially-shaped carbon trunk lid, too. Both get the hood bulge, both get the quad
pipes, and both get flared fenders. Both look seriously badass.

The big news for this fifth generation of M3 is the return of the inline-six. The M3 might have started with a four back in 1986 and worked up to a V8 in
2007, but the straight-six, the quintessential BMW engine, is the engine that we most closely associate with the M3. So out goes the 4-liter V8, a
strung-out, torque-shy monster of a motor that didn't get out of bed unless the tachometer was halfway into the red, and in comes a 3.0-liter six. BMW says it's a
proper M engine because it's not used elsewhere, but the truth is that it's loosely based on the N55 engine fitted to the 316-hp M235i.

BMW

Despite the twin-power name, that N55 makes do with a single blower, but this S55B30 gets a pair, each operating a trio of cylinders. While power climbs
only slightly over the old V8, from 414 hp to 424 hp, the torque curve is on another planet. Instead of 295 lb-ft at 3900 rpm, you get 406 lb-ft all the way
from 1800-5500 rpm, and that comprehensively transforms the way this car drives—and how much more mischief you can now get up to.

Curves that required second gear before can now be dispatched in third. Cheeky on-ramp powerslides that used to last 100 ft now feel like they'd last all
the way onto the highway and onto the off-ramp a junction down. Roll onto the gas hard in second gear in moving traffic, and the bespoke Michelin Pilot
sports will actually spin up. Go for the seven-speed DCT dual-clutch transmission, and besides the expected launch control, which will scoot you from
0-62 mph in 4.1 seconds (down 0.7 seconds), there's a smoky-burnout mode. Instead of building power against the brake to be a holeshot hero, you simply mash the right
pedal from idle, the revs swing up to 3500 rpm, the clutch engages with a bang, and you're left sawing at the wheel as the car slews up the road. Not the
fastest way to get off the line, but a whole lot of fun.

Opt for the six-speed manual and those two features are down to your own clutch control (and total lack of mechanical sympathy). But there are good reasons
to go for the stick. Price is one. The DCT will set you back $2900. Weight is another. This manual 'box comes from the old 1 M and weighs 26.5 lbs less than
the old one, 88 lbs less than the DCT. And it's a really sweet change. First gear is longer than on the double-clutch, but from there on, the gearing is
pretty close through sixth, the key difference being that the DCT has the benefit of a long seventh ratio for cruising.

BMW

Whichever transmission you go for, it drives through a one-piece carbon prop to an electronically-controlled LSD. In fact, the rear axle assembly is
essentially lifted from the M5 and bolted solidly to the rear floor. This diff is a great piece of hardware: staying unlocked on the way into a curve to
promote turn-in and locking up smartly when you need to unload all 424 hp. Whether you want to tease the rear tires a little or exit in plumes of smoke
is up to you, but the traction is actually really strong, and there's virtually no understeer. The default DSC-on setting has been tuned to be uber-safe so
as not to freak out drivers used to unflappable Audi RS AWD traction, but the middle-setting MDM (M Dynamic Mode) is properly fun, allowing some serious
angles before cutting in, and then doing so as smoothly as a lounge lizard at a 1950s dance.

Related Story5 Reasons to Respect the 2015 M3 and M4

Equally smooth is the change in rack gearing as you move the steering from the straight ahead to the lockstops. It's way more subtle than in something
like a 3 Series sedan with optional sport steering, which just feels plain odd on the track. This is actually the first time BMW has fitted an electric rack to
an M3, but you'd never know it, so convincing are the sensations. We enjoyed it best in Sport rather than over-weighty Sport Plus, or one-finger Comfort,
and mated to the sharpest of the three engine maps. As with the M5, you can save your favorite settings and call them up by pressing one of two buttons on
the steering wheel.

"BMW"

While you're fiddling with those buttons, and maybe the one for the optional adaptive shocks, you'll notice one major difference between this M4 and the last
M3. It finally has a set of seats that look like they belong in a 400-hp M car, and they're mounted much lower in the car so you no longer feel like you're
umpiring a tennis tournament. And to keep customers happy, BMW has finally ditched the sliding caliper brakes for four-pots. Our test cars went one
further with the carbon-ceramic brakes and six-pot calipers. Great stopping power and fade resistance, but at $8150, I wasn't keen on the long pedal travel
on track. If you want the ceramics, they don't fit behind the stock 18-inch rims, but the $1200 19s should be considered mandatory from an aesthetic viewpoint
alone.

With so much new tech, BMW had so many opportunities to drop the ball with this new M3 and M4, but it seems like they've nailed every aspect—well, nearly
every aspect. For all its newfound punch and the massive difference that makes to the car's real-world performance, I'm not convinced by this engine.
Sure, it pulls hard right 'round to 7500 rpm—big speeds for a turbo engine—but it somehow never feels that exciting. There's never any real
encouragement to chase the limiter, and when it comes to the soundtrack, while there's plenty of volume (some of it amplified through the speakers), it's a
case of quantity over quality. It sounds more like a tuned diesel engine than the heart of a pedigreed motorsport product.

"BMW"

On every other level, though, this M4 is more than fit to carry the M3 mantle forward, and at almost $40K cheaper than a Nissan GT-R, it's even pretty good
value. Whether you're in the market now or planning a used buy five years ahead when prices have tumbled, you won't be disappointed.

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