BMW M3

We had a test drive booked for a new BMW M4.
Me and @michelle.gent visited Sytner BMW at Nottingham.

We first looked at one at The Goodwood Revival and they invited us for a drive at our local dealer. Well it would be rude not to accept.

@michelle.gent checking it out for size

Anyway we arrived and things didn't go quite to plan. The M4 was not available but we had a drive in a M3 instead.

It might not have been exactly what we had planned but with the same engine and dct twin clutch gearbox it should drive the same. It is the same car really except the M4 is a two door and the M3 a four.
The M4 is a little lower also.

Verdict

Very impressed.
It sounded nice and boy did it shift.
It now comes with a 3.0 litre twin turbo straight six engine producing 425bhp and a whopping 548 Nm torque.
This new power can shift the car from standstill to 60mph in 3.9 seconds. The manual takes 0.2-0.3 secs longer.
The car we drove was showing a overall mpg of 22.4 which is higher than the factory specified 17/24 mpg average.

It was very easy to drive and we both just jumped in and drove. It gave confidence that inspired enjoyable driving.

The steering is now electronically operated like most up-market cars nowadays. It is adjustable to give more feedback and stiffer operation. This function like adjusting the suspension, gear changes and power curve of the engine is controlled by buttons near the gear selector.

On the gears. The selector is pulled to the right to select auto operation and the left for paddle shift manual.

The car has a normal style handbrake and the auto park function is controlled by the engine Stop/Start Button.

The seats are very supportive and gripped you well in corners. Fully electrically controlled of cause.

The brakes are impressive and gave lots of feel. They need to be when you think this car can do nearly 190mph if unrestricted. It is however restricted to 155mph for the road.

The car is available with a competition pack which gives 30bhp more and also unrestricts the car. The extra 30bhp does not do much for acceleration from rest but is designed for race tracks where you only do a start once and need everything available further up the rev range.

BMW M4
The test drive is due to happen next weekend.

All photos my own.

Check out @planetauto for more car reviews.