The M3 flows along the N2 so well I assume
the road is flattering it – it is predictably well surfaced, after all. That’s
until I see a hard-driven Punto yawing back and forth like a just-popped
Jack-in-the-box. The BMW isn’t having to make much apparent effort. All the
controls do as they’re told, when they’re told, and traction, suspension and
composure are immaculate. I’m full of admiration for it, I feel warm towards
it, it’s chuffing impressive, hard to criticise. I start thinking of its
rivals. On this road, the C63 would be more exuberant, but its torque would get
the better of its body control. An RS4 might be as fast, but it would be leaden
in comparison.
BMW
M3's front track is stretched to 1579mm, 34mm up on the old version
The M3 has changed. The last-generation
car’s pin-sharp, yowling V8 was so crisp and pure it gave the M3 a very
distinct, almost edgy character. You had to drive it, to work with it, to know
its strengths and frailties. It fired your soul. You don’t have to think about
driving this one nearly so much. It’s a much more rounded proposition – its
repertoire as broad and even as the torque curve that dominates the driving
experience.
The
new BMW M3 uses turbo power in place of a naturally aspirated engine
To say that it’s M5-junior would be easy,
but – mostly – inaccurate. There are similarities in the power delivery, of
course, and it’s similarly quiet and placid on motorways, but the M3 is so much
more agile and entertaining. I do have some reservations over the ride’s
firmness on broken surfaces, but on the whole my concerns have been allayed. It’s
a tremendous road car: fast, poised, effortless. Does a turbo M3 work on the
road? Yeah, it does. Time for the track.
The M4
What is it with this corner of Portugal?
First the gorgeous N2, now the plunges and crests of the scintillating Portimão
race track. The Yas Marina Blue four-door has been traded for an Austin Yellow
two-door. The colours are better than those crass, clumsy names, but I can’t
see either being a top choice in Britain. Out here, the harsh sunlight is
pinging on the yellow paint, and the M4 seems to bathe in its own acidic halo.
The
M4 really is a car for all occasions
But we need to venture beneath the skin
again. For the first time on an M3, both front and rear subframes are solid-mounted
to the central monocoque to increase stiffness. No bushings at all. Open the
bonnet, and instead of a plain strut brace, a sinuous carbon-fibre construction
artfully curves itself around the bay, strengthening the bonds between chassis,
suspension turrets and engine carriers. I’m sure it’s not a coincidence that
the carbon weave looks like snakeskin.
The suspension is completely bespoke, ditto
much of the engine bar the capacity itself – M division has a lot of autonomy
in the design and development of its cars. The driving ethos this time, besides
how to enable the car to cope with an extra 110lb ft of torque, was to lower
the weight. It comes in 80kg lighter than the old one. I bet you’re thinking
the lion’s share of that comes from the smaller motor, but once you add in all
the ancillaries (intercooler, turbos, pipework, etc), straight-six betters V8
by only 10kg. Instead, the weight savings are across the board: carbon
propshaft saves 5kg, front seats are 7kg lighter (and, in a second snaky
analogy, the seatback shape reminds me of a hooded cobra), rear bootlid saves
about another 5kg, etc. And both are identical, don’t forget. Well, the
saloon’s rear entrances mean it’s that bit heavier and has a fractionally more
rear-biased weight distribution.
The
M4's cabin offers superb driving ergonomics
It’s clear the chassis is sharp. Not darty
to the point of instability, just accurate and honed. Those are the hints we
got from the M3 on the road – the faithful way it held a line, the positivity
of the nose, the resistance to understeer. Has this been done to try to offset
the bluntness of the turbo delivery? Because it is blunt. OK, so it revs
surprisingly fast and the turbos don’t over-surge, giving you more than you ask
for. They’re fast-reacting – you can meter out the power very precisely.
No, if I have a problem with this engine,
it’s that there’s no reason to use high revs. BMW makes a great song and dance
about the fact this turbo engine can rev to 7,600rpm, but when maximum torque
is available at any point between 1,850rpm and 5,500rpm, there’s no pressing
need to wait for the changeup lights to start flashing, no sense of anticipation
to what awaits the driver beyond 7,000rpm. Not even better noise.
