To find out, we were taken to one of the
rally stages of the WRC Rally of Portugal. It's one of those twisting, curving
hill stretches that really afford no margin for error. And that’s preceded by a
fast set of undulating stretches that in a rally car probably leave a lot of
air beneath when taken at full chat. The all-pervasive feeling in the two Ms is
that the turbos don't suffer from any lag whatsoever. With two small turbos —
one for cylinders one to three, and the other for four to six — there's a constant
and unrelenting surge all the way through the revs. And right at the peak, as
we discovered on the track and even on road, there's a lot of drama from the
engine bay, even if it's amplified that tiny bit by speakers inside the car.
For a 3.0-litre straight-six that's borrowed from the otherwise brilliant
M135i/335i, there’s no lack of potency on any front. There's a complete,
unbridled sense of reeling the horizon in like an Australian Road Train that
makes your time behind the wheel a complete joy.
The
M4 comes with 18-inch alloy wheels as standard
Also using a lot of parts from the 335i,
but suitably modified to suit the M, the wider track up front allows lots of
turn-in grip. I encountered this around a tight corner, which I entered a bit
too hot only to see an oncoming car in my peripheral vision. Some deft (and
frankly last minute) corrections were dialed in, but the sheer grip and
fast-turning steering saved the day (and some blushes), putting us back on
track for the drive home. Even in Sport and Sport+ modes, the ride on the
275-section, tubeless rubber is reasonably comfy, which accords the car some
pretty credible day-to-day usability.
If you care about how the car looks and feels on the inside, then
you’ll find nothing to complain about. Lots of
carbon fibre trim; controls that fall to hand easily; and a steering that's
great to grip with paddle shifters that don't feel cheap. You even get side
bolstering that hems you in firmly in the seat — whether you’re going sideways
around a track or simply going hell for leather on a closed-road section. For
those who like less doors, the good news is that rear seat occupants still have
easy access and there's ample room for your larger friends as well.
The
new BMW M3 uses turbo power in place of a naturally aspirated engine
Most importantly, the cars look the part.
From the Gurney spoiler on the CFRP bootlid to the quad exhausts and bonnet
bulge (all signature elements of M cars), to the lovely 18-inch, five-spoke
wheels that offer a viewing window to those lovely carbon-ceramic brake
callipers; the M3 and M4 are complete head-turners. The treatment for the new
M-mirrors and the front air-dam is particularly delicious — a sign that M is
willing to let its bold new car wear its prowess on its skin.
The new M3 and M4 are cars that blitz
straight to the top of the pecking order, not just in their segment, but can
rub shoulders with some of the best sports cars out there. Purists may feel
that the cars lack some of those 'M' factors — a naturally aspirated motor and
motor sound being most apparent — but after driving the two around, it’s
apparent that BMW has more than atoned for these lacunae.
Powering
the M4 is a new turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder engine
When they launch in India by the festive
season, they’re not going to be cheap — with a price tag in the region of
$180,155 to $212,910. But if you do have that kind of money to spare then you
can pick up a car that's lithe, agile, explosive and practical. A combination
that will be deadly hard for most to beat.
