Tag Archives: BMW M4

BMW M Rumored To Be Readying Special M4 For 50th Ann. With Manual Gearbox

December 23, 2021 admin

Next year is gearing up to be a special one for BMW’s M division. BMW M GmbH will mark its 50th anniversary in May, 2022, and new rumors suggest that there’s a special, limited production M4 on the horizon.

The lead comes from an alleged BMW insider on g80.bimmerpost. The user, who apparently has a good track record for new car info, suggests that the unnamed M4 special will be “configured like the CSL, but with a manual transmission.”

The forum member goes on to say that several options will be deleted, including comfort access, parking sensors, and electric seats. The absence of such would result in an M4 that’s even lighter than the already lightweight CSL, provided this special model is based on the upcoming CSL in the first place.

Although the production M4 CSL hasn’t yet been revealed to the public, our spies have spotted prototypes undergoing testing. These cars feature revised air intakes and grilles, as well as lightweight wheels, a more prominent lip spoiler, and a new diffuser.

Read: BMW Teases Next-Generation M4 GT4 Customer Race Car

A BMW M4 CSL prototype caught testing at the Nurburgring

As yet, powertrain details for the CSL have not been confirmed, although there have been reports that BMW may not offer a manual transmission. If that were the case, a limited, manual-equipped take on the CSL could prove to be the holy grail of BMW’s M4 line-up. The source also remarks that the new variant will be only produced for a few months, starting in November 2022, implying that production numbers will be kept low.

We already know that BMW M GmbH has big plans on the horizon for the upcoming year. Their 750hp plug-in hybrid SUV, the XM, is set to be in production before the end of 2022, and from January, customers will be able to order their cars with a roundel that harks back to the Motorsport division’s classic logo. If that weren’t enough, the new BMW M3 Touring would finally fulfill our M wagon dreams, and a series of 50 new M paint finishes will be made available. A special, ultra-limited edition of the M4 could just be the icing on the cake.

C8 Corvette Vs. BMW M4 Competition In 500 HP Sports Car Shootout

July 25, 2021 admin

If you’re lucky enough to have $70,000 to spend on a car and your buying criteria includes head-turning looks and the kind of power that can incinerate a set of tires before you’ve even left the dealer’s lot, you’re spoiled for choice.

That kind of money gets you into all manner of high performance front-engined coupes from the Dodge Challenger Hellcat to the brand new BMW M4 Competition. But in the C8 Corvette it also opens the door to the next best thing to an Italian supercar for those of us who can’t afford the real thing.

To find out which is best, Edmunds pitted its own long term Corvette against a BMW test car. The C8 had a $60,995 base price, but ended up costing $80,660 by the time they’d finished nibbling at the options list, adding stuff like the Z51 Performance Pack.

The BMW, on the other hand, stickered at $72,795, but loaded with the usual haul of press car goodies, came in at $101,995.

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They deliver eerily similar power, but do so in very different ways. The BMW’s 503 hp and 479lb ft comes courtesy of a twin-turbo 3.0-liter six, where the Corvette’s 495 hp is generated by a 6.2-liter V8. It kicks out a similar 470 lb ft, but being naturally aspirated, delivers it almost 3000 rpm further round the dial.

And Edmunds host Carlos Lago says the BMW’s stronger initial kick in the back means it feels far more powerful than the Corvette, despite the C8 beating the M4 to 60 mph and to the quarter mile mark.

The BMW’s limited traction also makes it exciting, Lago says, but maybe a little too exciting, while the Corvette is always controllable and surprises with a more comfortable ride, and, weirdly, more trunk space.

Pushed to call it, Lago gives the win to the Corvette for its value and breadth of abilities, but the four-seat, sideways-to-victory M4 runs it very close.

The New BMW M3/M4 Drift Analyzer Is Fun, But Could It Be Dangerous?

May 2, 2021 admin

The new BMW M3 and M4 have a lot going for them, including an all-new engine that helps to boost performance over the previous-generation models. One of the updates also made to the new cars is the fitment of a ‘Drift Analyzer.’

As the name implies, this system analyses the drifts a driver performs in the car. It can only be accessed by turning off all of the safety nannies so is best used on a racetrack, rather than on the road. Eager to test out the system, Evo Magazine’s Steve Sutcliffe headed onto a circuit and started powersliding the new M3.

The Drift Analyzer measures a host of different parameters to provide drivers with a rating of their drift. It measures things including the distance covered by the rear wheels, the speed of the drift and most importantly, the angle of the car.

The best drift performed by Sutcliffe was awarded 4.5 stars out of 5 by the system. Interestingly, he suggests that the system is much more interested in the angle of the drift than the speed or distance. The bigger the angle, the higher the score.

While the system will no doubt be appreciated by some owners, Sutcliffe also suggests that it could lead to a number of crashes as M3/M4 owners try to get the highest drift rating possible on the street.

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BMW M4 Vs. Mercedes-AMG C63 Vs. Audi RS5: Which Is The Quickest Premium Sports Coupe?

April 11, 2021 admin

The BMW M4, Mercedes-AMG C63 and Audi RS5 are all great compact premium coupes with lots of performance, but which one takes the prize when you pit them against each other?

One might argue that the Quattro all-wheel drive system of the Audi is hard to beat. Some might say that the twin-turbocharged V8 engine of the Mercedes is simply superior here, whereas others would defend the BMW simply because it is arguably the most fun to drive.

Driven: Here’s Why The 2021 BMW M4 Competition Is Great – And How It Could Be Better

Okay, that obviously does not answer the question, so it’s time to see them in action, in a video that focuses solely on the straight-line performance, from a standing and a rolling start, and includes brake tests too. But before doing that, let’s see what the spec sheets say, starting with the Audi, which uses a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 that makes 444 HP and 442 lb-ft (600 Nm) of torque. It can hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds and up to 174 mph (280 km/h) with the optional RS Dynamic Package.

The C63 S, on the other hand, which is the pinnacle of the previous-gen C-Class lineup, has a 503 HP and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 and will do the 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds, with a top speed of 180 mph (290 km/h). And the new M4 Competition uses a twin-turbo 3.0-liter straight-six with 503 HP and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm), for a nought to 62 mph of 3.9 seconds and a maximum speed of 180 mph (290 km/h).

On paper, then, they are almost inseparable when it comes to straight line speed. However, 0-60 times are one thing; how they actually perform in the real world can be quite another. So, which comes out on top?

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BMW M4 And M4 GT3 Teased, Billed As Icons For The Road And Track

August 20, 2020 admin

The teaser campaign for the 2021 BMW M4 continues as the company has shown the model alongside the upcoming M4 GT3 racer.

Billed as “two icons designed for the road and the racetrack,” the cars were presented on the Red Bull Ring in the run-up to the BMW M Grand Prix of Styria.

Since the cars aren’t ready for their official debut, they have been covered in camouflaged wraps. This hides some styling details, but both models share the massive (and divisive) grille and similar lighting units.

Also Read: 2021 BMW M3 And M4 Confirmed For Mid-September Debut With Standard Manual Gearbox

However, the M4 GT3 is far more extreme as it features a prominent front splitter, a ventilated hood and lightweight windows, as well as a large rear wing and an enormous diffuser.

While the two Bimmers have different missions, both are powered by a straight six-cylinder engine with TwinPower Turbo technology. While the company wasn’t ready to go into specifics about the race car, they have previously confirmed that the road-going model will have a twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six with outputs of 473 hp (353 kW / 480 hp) and 503 hp (375 kW / 510 PS) in standard and Competition guise respectively.

The base M4 will be offered with a six-speed manual transmission, while the Competition will have an eight-speed automatic. Furthermore, there will be a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive.

The new M4 will be unveiled in September, while the M4 GT3 will compete in selected races in 2021. The racer will adopt a full schedule in 2022 and replace the M6 GT3 as the “top-of-the-range model in BMW’s customer sport offering.”

In a statement, BMW M CEO Markus Flasch said: “From the outset, both vehicles were developed parallel to each other, so they both have the same genes”, adding that both cars are “prime examples of the technology transfer from motorsport to series production – and back again.”

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