BMW M4

[G.Irish]

BMW has finally unveiled the M4 and it looks maaahvelous.



Copious amounts of carbon fiber, aggressive bumper treatments, and a slick rear diffuser, what's not to like (other than the color)?

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I saw somewhere that it'll be coming with ceramic brakes, which I have to think will be an expensive option. Hopefully this car won't get a huge bump in price over the E92.

[V1GiLaNtE]

I'm sorry but what about this does NOT make it an M3?

What the hell is the 4 designation now?

[Sully]

I'm sorry but what about this does NOT make it an M3?

What the hell is the 4 designation now?

New marketing scheme. Even numbers will be coupes, odd numbers will be sedans. I'm looking forward to the M2. It will be what the M3 should have been. The e92 was always too big compared to what the e36 and e46 M3's were

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[G.Irish]

The M4 should be a good bit lighter so it may weight near what the E46 weighs. That said, make a M2 that weighs under 3000 lbs like the E30 M3 did and BMW can take my money.

[D_Eclipse9916]

The M4 should be a good bit lighter so it may weight near what the E46 weighs. That said, make a M2 that weighs under 3000 lbs NA motor like the E30 M3 did and BMW can take my money.

Fixed that for you. That said, I just can't see myself buying a brand new vehicle anytime soon.

[G.Irish]

The M4 should be a good bit lighter so it may weight near what the E46 weighs. That said, make a M2 that weighs under 3000 lbs NA motor like the E30 M3 did and BMW can take my money.

Fixed that for you. That said, I just can't see myself buying a brand new vehicle anytime soon.

Yeah unfortunately it seems like fuel economy and emissions regulations are killing all of the high specific output n/a motors. Only companies still doing them are those that make low volume supercars like Ferrari and Porsche. Even Honda is going turbo, which is something I thought I'd never see them do.

I'd much rather have a 3.2L spinning up to 8500 rpm in a M2, than a twin turbo 3.0L, even if the turbo has more torque and peak power.

[Beej]

I like it a lot more than I expected to! From some angles, those rear fenders just look outrageous.

I've got a paycheck that the mirrors and exhaust tips don't make it to production. And what's the deal with the headlights? There's no projector lens - is that even a thing?

My biggest beef with the F30 is the "droopy nose" feeling I get when looking at the front end from a side angle - hope it looks better on the coupe/M4. One thing that sticks out in the picture G posted is how much higher the bottom of the front windshield is than the bottom of the side windows, and it's messing with my head.

That said, the M4 logo...it just doesn't look right.

Found this link, decent pictures: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.stanceworks.com/2013/08/the-bmw-m4-coupe-concept/">http://www.stanceworks.com/2013/08/the- ... e-concept/</a><!-- m -->

Also, didn't know the M2 was going to actually be produced - it'll be cool to see how that turns out.

[G.Irish]

I've got a paycheck that the mirrors and exhaust tips don't make it to production. And what's the deal with the headlights? There's no projector lens - is that even a thing?

Yeah maybe the cf rear diffuser/exhaust housing will get the axe or be an option. I think the mirrors will make it though.

Also, didn't know the M2 was going to actually be produced - it'll be cool to see how that turns out.

Still a rumor at this point. I've heard that instead of making a real M, they'll just make a M235i. Kind of like some of the old "is" models.

I'm hoping there'll be a true M2 because I'm still mad I couldn't buy a 1M. Of course, by the time I need a 4 seat car again I may just go back to Subaru.

[SlimKlim]

Color hurts my soul, the wheels are completely unimaginative M6 knockoffs they've been milking since '07, and the badge on the grill is the stupidest thing I've ever seen. Other than that I like it... I guess.

I'm with everyone else. I don't know if they'll actually do an "M2" but I think they've already confirmed an "M235is" which will be close enough, and following the new branding scheme, one can assume that an small E46-sized 4-door will be along under the name of "M135is" that would be totally titties. Especially because Audi is bringing an "A3" sedan next year.

A tiny, manual transmission-ed, lightweight sedan would really take BMW back to its roots. I agree that N/A will be nice but its not really feasible anymore, and the twin-turbo cars have such a strong power band and practically no turbo lag, so just don't look under the hood and pretend.

Or you can just buy and mod E36/E46 because new cars are dumb.

[.RJ]

Go home BMW, you're drunk. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 series, X1/2/3/5/whatever series...

[Ryan T]

Doesn't make it move for me at all. I consider it a very strong "meh."

[WRXtranceformed]

Sweet 3 series coupe with an M3 hood

I'm with RJ and Ryan. So much to meh about in BMW styling lately

[G.Irish]

I'm with everyone else. I don't know if they'll actually do an "M2" but I think they've already confirmed an "M235is" which will be close enough, and following the new branding scheme, one can assume that an small E46-sized 4-door will be along under the name of "M135is" that would be totally titties. Especially because Audi is bringing an "A3" sedan next year.

From what I've read, BMW has no plans to offer a 1 series sedan here. Maybe they'll change their mind if the A3 and CLA take off but I wouldn't bet on it.

I hope BMW doesn't just do a M235i and calls it a day. I think a M2 would be a far more compelling product and would do a lot more for the brand. Only problem they may have is that the M2 could outrun a M3/M4.

[Evan]

not sure why, but the M4 does very little for me.

this doesn't help
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/08/21/bmw-m4-to-debut-in-detroit-lose-manual-transmission/">http://www.autoblog.com/2013/08/21/bmw- ... nsmission/</a><!-- m -->

our source says the upcoming F82 M4 will arrive with a dual-clutch transmission (DCT) as standard equipment – with no manual option

Overweight land barge, forced induction, automatic transmission;
BMW has truly become Mercedes, catering to fat, lazy self absorbed baby boomers who buy their cars as status symbols.

[G.Irish]

I'd be surprised if the M4 isn't lighter than the E92, that just leaves the FI and the DCT. Personally I'd prefer a n/a engine, but it seems like they wouldn't be able to do a high specific output V8 and still pass emissions. Only people still able to use high power n/a V8's are companies using 5.0L+ V8's and the those building exotics.

If the M4/M3 do come with the crazy rumored tri-turbo system I'd be very skeptical of its reliability. Certainly wouldn't buy one of the first model year.

As for the DCT, I've never had a problem with those. Every supercar made comes with one and even hardcore stuff like the GT3 only comes with DCT. If people wanted manuals they'd buy enough of them to convince manufacturers to keep making them. I love the idea of being able to left foot brake all the time. That said, I think Autoblog is probably wrong here, other people are saying that BMW will make a manual for the M4. Still, I can't imagine BMW will lose a lot of sales if they didn't offer a manual. Someone looking for a fast GT coupe in that price range don't really have any alternatives with a manual other than maybe stuff like the ZL1 and GT500, which I'd argue are for a different type of customer.

[Evan]

I was speaking of BMW in general, not the M4 in particular. Even if the M4 is the same weight as the E92 M3, that's 3700 lbs before options, which is well into land barge territory.

My point is that that the M division (and certainly not BMW in general) is no longer driver focused.

[G.Irish]

To be honest though, I thought the M division got off the rails as soon as the E36 M3 showed up. The E30 M3 was a true homologation special and I believe was the most successful touring car of all time. But with the E36 BMW discovered they could make a ton of money making the M3 a more luxurious GT. Over each generation they've just gone further down that road. All of the M3's have been plenty fast, but they keep getting signficantly heavier, with all of the luxo features and size creep.

Supposedly the weight target for the M3/M4 is to get it back down to the E46 M3's weight (~3400 lbs). Still heavy, but at least an improvement. What BMW really needs to do is bring back the M3 Lightweight. I'm sure they could sell quite a few of them and it would allow them to serve the desires of the hardcore customers without alienating the unwashed M3 masses.

[HAULN-SS]

How much weight are you subtracting based on safety features alone that the government mandates? I'd argue a touchscreen bluetooth stereo unit is much lighter than a 6 disk changer or whatever was in there back in the day. It seems to me like a lot of the weight creep is having 11 airbags, traction control, blah blah blah

[G.Irish]

Bulk of the weight is probably air bags but sound deadening, little motors all over the car for all kinds of stuff, hundreds of feet of wires, and heated/cooled seats are the main culprits. Traction control actually ads very little weight. Just some wheel speed sensors and wire.

[D_Eclipse9916]

If all the increase in weight was in airbags and interior items only, why do e92 race cars and e46 race cars still weigh significantly more than their e30 and e36 brethren....

Just something to think about