The wait is over. BMW has finally revealed the new M3 and M4 and boy is it causing all sorts of tornados and earthquakes in the motoring world. BMW sure knows how to stir up the world, but let’s take a closer look at probably the most anticipated cars this year.
We cannot go on without addressing the rainbow coloured elephant in the room. The new BMW 4 series was released with their new kidney grille design and it has had a lot of mixed responses but I think many people have grown to like it. Now though we did pretty much expect it on the M4 but we did not see it coming for the M3, the new grille covers the front-mid section of the car from top to bottom. They made it a lot more aggressive with the design and black outlines making it look like a serious racer.
The power plants offered in these two models, however, has got way more power than the previous models. The 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-6 engines produce, for the normal M3 and M4, 353kW and 550N.m but for the competition, it has 375kW and 650N.m, which if you do the maths is quite a lot more than the outgoing versions. The performance for the normal and competition is also outstanding, getting from 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds and 3.9 seconds respectively.
BMW has also ditched the DCT gearbox that we are so used to and put an 8‑speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic and 3 shift programs in the competition, the standard M3 and M4 will be available with a manual for the traditionalist. Plus BMW has put an exhaust system that is model-specific with electrically operated flaps that should make for an excellent exhaust note.
Something that we did not anticipate is that the new M3 and M4 will be offered in rear-wheel drive only that will be available at launch, BMW has also said though that we can look forward to the M xDrive Competition, which is both rear-wheel and 4WD, later in 2021.
Inside we see a cockpit that is very in-tune with the other BMW M cars. We do also see some newly developed M sport seats which look fantastic. The steering wheel does also feature the configurable M buttons on either side of the wheel. Options that will be available to choose from consist of; M Carbon bucket seats, M Carbon ceramic brakes, Driving Assistant Professional with Steering and Lane Control Assistant, Active Navigation, Emergency Lane Assistant, Parking Assistant with Reversing Assistant, BMW Drive Recorder and BMW Head-Up Display with M-specific displays.
