Notes from today's M4 test drive

[Asbjorn]

Today my friend and I went to test drive the new M4 coupe. It was fully optioned and came equipped with the DCT transmission and adaptive suspension.

What did NOT surprise me

• The M4 looks great from the front, but I prefer the M3 overall. I would have loved to see a sports wagon M3.
• The M4 is much stiffer than my Z4, and the front reacts instantly to steering wheel inputs. It is almost on-pair with my friends M135i, although it is a bigger car... In my standard suspension Z4 the front end is softer and the car leans before it turns if you are aggressive on the steering wheel.
• The interior is not as nice or intimate as in my Z4.
• There is more grip available than in the Z4. I blame the wider and more performance oriented tires. I don't like grip much, because it makes drifting harder, but you can't blame them for going down this route.
• The car keeps pulling when my tuned N54 runs out of air. The S55 is noticeably more linear and persistent in its power delivery. The car is a very smooth rocket.

What did surprise me

• The head-up display is awesome
• You don't really notice the hood bulge when you sit inside the car. This is really a shame because it makes driving the car less of an event.
• The car sounds and feels very responsive when you play with the throttle in neutral. Not so much when you drive it. The throttle is not overly sensitive or hard to modulate in daily driving. I was expecting it to be a much bigger "challenge" to drive smoothly.
• The new DCT seems to shift a bit quicker between D and R than the older DCT in our Z4. In its hardest setting and in manual mode it is perhaps also a bit punchier compared to sport+ in the Z4, while also much slower in its slower setting compared to normal mode in the Z4.
• The M4 is surprisingly comfortable. Dare I say more comfortable than the M135i with non-adaptive suspension and non-RFTs that my friend drives? I blame the longer wheelbase and adaptive suspension.
• I couldn't sit in the back. Leg room was fine but there wasn't enough room for my head. I'm 6 / 183cm.
• The steering felt less transparent/communicative than sport+/DSC=off steering in my Z4. The different modes changed the weighting but there was an artificial and rubbery feel to all of them. It came across as a heavier but slower version of the M135i steering. I honestly like the sport+/DSC=off steering in my Z4 more, and that was a great surprise.
• The turbos are quite loud, and you can hear them spool more clearly than in my Z4. In my Z4 you mainly hear turbo spool when running higher boost. However, it is not a nice sound in either car if you ask me. It is a "please stop torturing me"-kind of sound.
• The in-cabin sound is louder, bassier, but more artificial compared to my friends M135i with de-catted down-pipes. I think my friends M135i sounds nicer because it sounds like it is begging you to rev it out. As regards to the non-artificial part coming form the front of the car, the S55 reminds me a bit of my N54 which also sounds a bit "stressed" when you rev it out (due to turbo noise etc). Everything changes when you put the top down of course, but that is an unfair comparison. In-cabin I like my friends de-catted M135i more. Roof down, my de-catted Z4 is just lovely, but again, that is an unfair comparison.

[nicknaz]

thanks for sharing. So, what's your bottom line? Would you switch your Z4 for the M3/M4 ?

[Hujan]

Thanks for the review. I suppose you could say I'm biased, but I was not super impressed by the F80 M3 I drove.

First gear was basically useless, the throttle response was too sensitive, and the car gave me the impression I was driving an FBO 335i, not a refined M car. It was definitely torquey and pulled hard, but I was not blown away like I was the first time I drove an E92 M3.

I saw nothing that made me want to trade my highly modded E92 M3 for one, though I could perhaps see how someone in a stock E9x M3 or a 135i/335i/Z4 35i might be tempted. I have no doubt it would handle the track far better than those cars.

[VMRWheels]

Excellent write-up

[Asbjorn]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

thanks for sharing. So, what's your bottom line? Would you switch your Z4 for the M3/M4 ?

As a toy replacing the Z4? Probably not, because it would have to be a convertible. The DCT M4 convertible is around 500lbs heavier than the DCT Z4 35i and M4 coupe. More importantly though, after the test drive I learned that the main direction for me is to go lighter, hydraulic steering and NA sound. The convertible corvette and SLS are not sold in China so the only alternative would be an older Porsche convertible or E93 M3. But while more capable on the track, they are not exactly known for being easy to drift. Becoming rich, moving to the US and getting an SLS roadster is the only way forward then.

As a second, DD then? Well, that is where I am missing an M3 sports wagon. If I needed a second car, I would probably pick the 5-door M135i over the 4 door M3 sedan, mainly because I like hot hatches and sports wagons over sedans (and SUVs). What I learned is that what the new M car offers is not enough to pull me away. The M135i is 200lbs lighter than the M3 sedan, more practical, arguably more fun to drive and better sounding. But then I would also have to consider the C63 and E90 M3s available on the Chinese second hand market...

[RobC2]

Great review. Like you, I want my fun car to be a convertible, or at least have some type of removable top. I also prefer a manual which makes it even tougher to find the right car. I plan to check out the M4 convertible when it comes time for another car, but the additional weight is disappointing. Maybe there will be a drop top version of the upcoming M2. Otherwise, I may have to settle for bigger car or give up something else. It is good to know that I am not the only one with such specific wants in a vehicle.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by RobC2

the additional weight is disappointing.

but the F80 lighter or same as E9x ?

[RobC2]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

but the F80 lighter or same as E9x ?

I meant that the vert is so much heavier than the coupe. I believe they are both heavier by about the same amount.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by Asbjorn

Becoming rich, moving to the US and getting an SLS roadster is the only way forward then.

This is a great plan. I support it completely

Re the 135, I have always thought those are about the same as 235 or 335 w/ m sport package?

[Asbjorn]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

This is a great plan. I support it completely

Re the 135, I have always thought those are about the same as 235 or 335 w/ m sport package?

I guess the main difference is the weight and (artificial) sound?

The M135i sounds like it loves to be pushed hard, and it really moves.

The 3-series is 180lbs heavier while offering less torque and power. Removing 5% of the weight and adding 10% extra torque is like asking three passengers to leave the car. Everything (besides comfort and your social life) gets better.

The M135i would only need an extra 60-70NM of torque to feel as fast as an M4. I am sure tunes achieving this will soon become available. The ECU tunes available for stock N54 engines easily add up to 150NM.

[nicknaz]

power kit for the latest 335 is +35hp these days

I don't know though, I took my wife's 335 to the track and it was a bit of a mess. The stock continental summer RFT chunked after 1 session and I got it to heat up the oil to power reduction levels. I guess the m sport package with extra cooling is mandatory, as are different tires

I'm a bit frustrated right now, with neither Z435 nor 335 having the cooling capacity for track use. I will need to go karting or something for a bit until the Z4 is replaced in a few months.