‘Carwow’ Gives In-Depth Look at All-new BMW M3 & M4 Sport Sedans
BMW offers a $5,175 optional carbon pack for the new M3 which also gets a bespoke ‘Isle of Man Green’ color scheme.
BMW’s all-new M3 and M4 twins will make their stateside debut in March next year. The company has revealed several details about the upcoming performance sedans and invited Mat Watson from the Carwow YouTube channel to review the cars and offer a detailed look at BMW’s latest offerings.
Both BMW M3 (Right) and M4 (Left) get contentious designs which have managed to polarize enthusiasts around the world. Mat is particularly fond of the way BMW has styled the next-gen models. He reckons that BMW’s more aggressive design approach is responsible for the improved aesthetics.
Mat explains, “takes me a while to get used to them (BMWs) because BMW is quite daring with its design, unlike some other German carmakers (Porsche) who evolve them steadily but this is one of the first ones where I’m like… I like that”.
The front-end of the M3 and M4 is dominated by large angular kidney grilles which in our opinion, boast an Audi-like fascia. Regardless of the uncanny resemblance, the angular kidney grilles have been designed to divert airflow to large radiator units and work in tandem with fender vents. The track of the all-new BMW M4 is 2 centimeters wider than its predecessor and 4 centimeters wider than the outgoing 4 Series coupe.
BMW offers a £4,000/$5,175 (current exchange rates) optional carbon pack for the new M3 which also gets a bespoke ‘Isle of Man Green’ color scheme that happens to be exclusive to the new model. The cars ride on all-new alloys and run 19-inch units at the front and 20-inch alloys at the rear which also result in the aggressively flared rear wheel arches.
As it turns out, other than the doors and the boot lid, the new BMW M3 and M4 do not share any body panels with the standard 3 Series and 4 Series models. The roof of the new models has been made out of carbon fiber to keep the center of gravity low.
The interiors of the new models receive extensive M Series styling treatment which includes M colored stitching on the seat belts and also on the thick leather-wrapped steering wheel. BMW offers a generous serving of carbon fiber accents throughout the cabin. The gear selection is completely customizable and drivers can specify the response they desire from the gear shifts.
The new models get BMW’s top-end infotainment system that comes compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard along with the company’s latest iDrive technology. The cabin also features electric M Sport seats that are designed to be lightweight and made completely out of carbon fiber and as one would expect there’s plenty of M badging to be found around the cabin.
BMW M3 and M4 are powered by the same 3-liter twin-turbocharged 6-cylinder motor that produces 480 BHP in the standard models, but the power output gets increased to 510 BHP and 480 lb-ft in case of the Competition models. In each case, the power-to-weight ratio is better than the outgoing models. The engine will come mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard but the Competition models will receive an 8-speed automatic transmission.