Reviews
Gallery 1
Few cars generate more discussion in the MOTOR office than the latest M3 and M4.
We’ve driven both a few times over the past two years and every time come away impressed with their capabilities, but ultimately disappointed with how difficult it can be to exploit them.
On the face of it, a swathe of cosmetic enhancements and a shoutier exhaust should do little to alter this, however the M4 ‘M Performance’ does alter the car’s character enough to give pause for thought and the feeling that perhaps a fresh outlook is needed.
The exterior mods seemed to be an acquired taste. I loved them, the bodykit giving the M4’s steroidal stance even more aggression and the stripes adding some ’70s M-car cool. Some found it garish, but I couldn’t walk away from it without stealing a backwards glance.
It probably liberates a little extra power, too, but to be honest that’s not something the M4 is lacking. The spec sheet says 317kW/550Nm, but it feels much, much stronger than that, with enough torque to have the rear end squirming in the first four gears on cold tyres.
Combine this behaviour with enormous amounts of turbo torque and the experience can leave you feeling a bit frazzled. It’s a marked departure from previous M cars, which have traditionally been friendly and exploitable at the limit. This partly explains our disappointment with the current crop, however, viewed another way, attempting to tame them is undoubtedly thrilling.
We’ll find out next issue.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
LIKE: Sensational looks; incredible speed; added character DISLIKE: Tricky on cold tyres; extras are expensive
SPECS Engine: 2979cc inline-6, DOHC, 24v, twin-turbo Power: 317kW @ 5500-7300rpm Torque: 550Nm @ 1850-5500rpm Weight: 1537kg 0-100km/h: 4.1sec (est) Price: $167,610
