The BMW M3 and M4: A New Era of Performance and Aggression

One of the most noticeable changes in the latest BMW M3 and M4 is the front grille. With a number plate across the middle, it breaks up the aggressive design and creates a more conservative look that's less in-your-face than its standard counterparts. This change is significant because the M3 is inherently an aggressive machine, and customers who buy one are likely to want to showcase their status.

The profiles of both the 3 Series and 4 Series have been familiar for years, but they've been enhanced with swollen wheel arches, side seals, and aero-optimized wing mirrors. The front wheels come in at 19 inches, while the rear wheels are slightly larger at 20 inches. The M3 and M4 also feature a carbon fiber roof as standard, which adds to their aggressive appearance.

The real star of the show is the new engine: a 3-liter twin turbo straight six producing 503 brake horsepower in the M3 and M4 competitions. This is 60 horsepower more than the old M3 and M4, with an additional 100 newton meters of torque. The engine revs up to 1,000 rpm higher than before, with a redline now at 7,200 rpm. Top speed for both models is a blistering 155 miles per hour or 180 miles per hour if you opt for the M4 Competition.

However, not all buyers will be able to take advantage of this level of performance. In the UK, only the M3 and M4 Competitions will be available with the M Performance exhaust system, which produces a characteristic sound that's both aggressive and refined. The non-Competition version, meanwhile, will only be available in certain markets and features 473 horsepower – but it won't be sold in the UK.

One of the most significant new features for the M3 and M4 is four-wheel drive (AWD) capability, which will be made available from next summer. This marks a departure from BMW's traditional rear-wheel drive stance, but don't worry: the M Driver's Selection mode will still allow drivers to switch to rear-wheel drive only when they want to. Other new features include adaptive dampers, 10-stage traction control, and a braking system with two-stage selectable pedal feel.

For those who plan on taking their car to the track, there are several optional upgrades available, including semi-slick tires. And for those who want to shave off some weight, carbon bucket seats are an option – as is a 25kg reduction if you choose both.

Inside, the M3 and M4 have all the usual M goodies: shortcut buttons on the wheel, plus and minus controls on the blade paddle, stitching on the gear lever, and lashings of carbon fiber throughout. The M Pro Carbon Bucket Seats are particularly noteworthy – they're both gorgeous to look at and comfortable to sit in (as long as you've got your love handles under control). And for those who want to get really carried away with the M Experience, there's a special "M Lap Timer" mode that lets you record your lap times – and an "M Drift Analyzer" mode that shows you just how sideways you are.

Of course, all of this comes at a price. The M3 starts at around £75,000 in the UK, while the M4 Competition will set you back slightly more – but no matter what, it's clear that BMW has outdone itself with these latest models. And for those who want to take their M3 on a real adventure, there's even news of an upcoming "Touring" or "State" version of the car...

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: eni know what you're thinking jack why are you hanging out in a random corridor next to the gents toilets well it's not what you think is because behind this door here is not one but two brand new cars the new bmw m3 and the new bmw m4 what i wanted to do was give you the full slow burn reveal so you could see the cars as we walk into the studio from afar and then when we get up close because let me tell you there's quite a lot to take it come on through here now remind yourself from the lights and wires and everything but there they are look perhaps not quite what you're expecting was it the m3 competition over there the m4 competition over here and yes we are gonna start by talking about the front ends of these cars it's bound to dominate the conversation around them this one over here not so much of a surprise we've seen the cooking versions of the 4 series with its enormous new double kidney vertical grill so of course they're going to put a more aggressive version of it on the new m4 this however is a bit more of a surprise that they've taken that front end and grafted it onto the 3 series because with the standard versions of the 3 series saloon you get that smaller more conservative grille yeah two things i would say the first is that with a number plate across the middle it really does break up that grill it doesn't look quite as in your face and aggressive and as alarming as you might think and the second is well these are m cars they're inherently aggressive machines the type of person that buys one of these probably isn't going to be a wall flower if you are an m3 customer you're probably going to want your neighbor to know you bought the faster moving on the profiles of both three and four are familiar but enhanced with properly swollen wheel arches side seals that aren't messing around staggered alloys 19s at the front 20s at the back aero optimized wing mirrors and a carbon fiber roof as standard sorry no sunroofs here around the back there's these four gatling gung tail pipes with hidden flaps to keep the volume in line with your chosen driving mode it does look good from the back doesn't it say what you want about that grill the proportions are spot on under here though is the bit we care about most a brand new three liter twin turbo straight six producing 503 brake horsepower in the m3 and m4 competitions that's 60 horsepower more than you got in the old m3 and m4 comp it produces 100 newton meters more torque it revs a thousand rpm higher with the red line now at 7 200 rpm north 62 3.9 seconds whichever model you go for top speed 155 miles an hour or 180 miles an hour if you pay bmw a little bit of extra money now there will be a non-competition version with a measly 473 horsepower but interestingly that model won't be sold in the uk and that is the only car that is offered with a manual gearbox so if you're in the uk it's auto only and we do mean auto because no more twin clutch dct gearboxes here this is a tuned version of the eight-speed zf auto please address all hate mail to bmw uk and there's more surprises because from next summer the m3 and m4 will be offered with four-wheel drive for the first time sacrilege perhaps not traction will clearly be on another level and don't worry there will be a rear-wheel drive only mode when you turn the dsc off completely also working away underneath you are adaptive dampers 10-stage traction control so you can choose how sideways you want to be and a braking system with two stage selectable pedal feel carbon ceramic discs are optional and denoted by gold calipers as are carbon bucket seats get both and you can shave off 25 kilograms there's also the option of semi-slicks if you plan on taking your car to a track the interior is pretty much what you'd expect from an m3 that is to say a standard 3 series but with the smattering of red highlights all over it like these m shortcut buttons on the wheel the plus and minus on these gorgeous carbon fiber blade paddles behind the wheel the stitching on the gear lever down here and these buttons on the center console and then you've got lashings of carbon fiber everywhere a special mention must go to the m pro carbon bucket seats here which look absolutely gorgeous don't judge me i quite like the two-tone leather as well they're fully electrically controlled and not nearly as uncomfortable to sit in as they look as long as you've got your love handles in check this is though a fiercely complicated car there are many many modes to play with you cannot criticize bmw for lack of configurability but be warned you will need a full day in this car on your own to figure out how all the driving modes work this car also takes bragging to your mates in the pub to the next level with two modes in particular the first is called m lap timer and the second m drift analyzer yeah that's not gonna end well is it the old m3 was a bit of a spiky customer beloved by the type of people who like to wear their racing boots to bed it's unclear whether bmw have completely rounded off those edges on these new cars but with so much extra torque and power it's unlikely to be a shrinking violet which is just as well because prices are going to start from around 75 000 pounds just under 75 for the m3 just over 75 for the m4 competition which is quite a lot of money but no matter because i've saved the best piece of news for last bmw has confirmed that for the first time it will be producing a touring or a state version of the m3 so personally i'm going to be waiting two years so i can take my dog along for the ridei know what you're thinking jack why are you hanging out in a random corridor next to the gents toilets well it's not what you think is because behind this door here is not one but two brand new cars the new bmw m3 and the new bmw m4 what i wanted to do was give you the full slow burn reveal so you could see the cars as we walk into the studio from afar and then when we get up close because let me tell you there's quite a lot to take it come on through here now remind yourself from the lights and wires and everything but there they are look perhaps not quite what you're expecting was it the m3 competition over there the m4 competition over here and yes we are gonna start by talking about the front ends of these cars it's bound to dominate the conversation around them this one over here not so much of a surprise we've seen the cooking versions of the 4 series with its enormous new double kidney vertical grill so of course they're going to put a more aggressive version of it on the new m4 this however is a bit more of a surprise that they've taken that front end and grafted it onto the 3 series because with the standard versions of the 3 series saloon you get that smaller more conservative grille yeah two things i would say the first is that with a number plate across the middle it really does break up that grill it doesn't look quite as in your face and aggressive and as alarming as you might think and the second is well these are m cars they're inherently aggressive machines the type of person that buys one of these probably isn't going to be a wall flower if you are an m3 customer you're probably going to want your neighbor to know you bought the faster moving on the profiles of both three and four are familiar but enhanced with properly swollen wheel arches side seals that aren't messing around staggered alloys 19s at the front 20s at the back aero optimized wing mirrors and a carbon fiber roof as standard sorry no sunroofs here around the back there's these four gatling gung tail pipes with hidden flaps to keep the volume in line with your chosen driving mode it does look good from the back doesn't it say what you want about that grill the proportions are spot on under here though is the bit we care about most a brand new three liter twin turbo straight six producing 503 brake horsepower in the m3 and m4 competitions that's 60 horsepower more than you got in the old m3 and m4 comp it produces 100 newton meters more torque it revs a thousand rpm higher with the red line now at 7 200 rpm north 62 3.9 seconds whichever model you go for top speed 155 miles an hour or 180 miles an hour if you pay bmw a little bit of extra money now there will be a non-competition version with a measly 473 horsepower but interestingly that model won't be sold in the uk and that is the only car that is offered with a manual gearbox so if you're in the uk it's auto only and we do mean auto because no more twin clutch dct gearboxes here this is a tuned version of the eight-speed zf auto please address all hate mail to bmw uk and there's more surprises because from next summer the m3 and m4 will be offered with four-wheel drive for the first time sacrilege perhaps not traction will clearly be on another level and don't worry there will be a rear-wheel drive only mode when you turn the dsc off completely also working away underneath you are adaptive dampers 10-stage traction control so you can choose how sideways you want to be and a braking system with two stage selectable pedal feel carbon ceramic discs are optional and denoted by gold calipers as are carbon bucket seats get both and you can shave off 25 kilograms there's also the option of semi-slicks if you plan on taking your car to a track the interior is pretty much what you'd expect from an m3 that is to say a standard 3 series but with the smattering of red highlights all over it like these m shortcut buttons on the wheel the plus and minus on these gorgeous carbon fiber blade paddles behind the wheel the stitching on the gear lever down here and these buttons on the center console and then you've got lashings of carbon fiber everywhere a special mention must go to the m pro carbon bucket seats here which look absolutely gorgeous don't judge me i quite like the two-tone leather as well they're fully electrically controlled and not nearly as uncomfortable to sit in as they look as long as you've got your love handles in check this is though a fiercely complicated car there are many many modes to play with you cannot criticize bmw for lack of configurability but be warned you will need a full day in this car on your own to figure out how all the driving modes work this car also takes bragging to your mates in the pub to the next level with two modes in particular the first is called m lap timer and the second m drift analyzer yeah that's not gonna end well is it the old m3 was a bit of a spiky customer beloved by the type of people who like to wear their racing boots to bed it's unclear whether bmw have completely rounded off those edges on these new cars but with so much extra torque and power it's unlikely to be a shrinking violet which is just as well because prices are going to start from around 75 000 pounds just under 75 for the m3 just over 75 for the m4 competition which is quite a lot of money but no matter because i've saved the best piece of news for last bmw has confirmed that for the first time it will be producing a touring or a state version of the m3 so personally i'm going to be waiting two years so i can take my dog along for the ride\n"