9 July 2014
New car report; Even odds
There has been much debate surrounding BMW’s decision to go with even numbers for their Coupe model designations in recent times. As long ago as the mid-nineties, there was speculation that the then forthcoming E36 3 Series Compact would be called a 2 Series. That would have made sense because a 3 Series Coupe already existed; however a couple of generations of Compacts proudly carried the 3 Series nameplate prior to the littlest Beamer later becoming a 1 Series.
But now the 1 Series Coupes have become 2s, and 3 Series Coupes 4s, while sedans and hatches stick with the original odd numbering sequence. Yes, it’s a break in tradition and a bit hard to figure out why they’ve fixed something that didn’t seem to be broke in the first place, but who are we to argue with the Munich Marketing Maestros?
Treading on sacred ground
Of course, more than just any 3 Series, the M3 moniker is deemed by some to be sacrosanct and never to be tampered with, after all, there have been four previous generations of M3 Coupe, with the original E30 model born in the eighties being the most successful race car of all time. So there’s some rich heritage there but all things considered, it’s only a name; you can’t see or feel it from the driver’s seat, it doesn’t have any impact on performance, handling or styling, so no matter how long and hard we, or the barroom pundits discuss it, it doesn’t change anything that really counts.
Now in its fifth generation, we have an M3 four door sedan and an M4 two door coupe. They’re the same but different.
No more V8 - but oodles of torque
Gone is the normally aspirated V8 of the previous E90/E92 model to make way for a twin turbo straight six in the new F80/F82 M3/M4. While there’s an argument that a six doesn’t roar like a bent eight, the new powerplant emits a decent enough exhaust note when on song, and with 317kW/550Nm on tap, that’s 8kW more power and a massive 150Nm more torque than the old one.
Not only is torque increased from 400Nm to 550Nm, but the earth-spinning maximum level is now reached from only 1,850rpm, less than half the previous model’s 3,900rpm and at certain parts or the graph, torque is increased by up to 100%, so the grin factor has increased exponentially. And thanks to a more rigid crankshaft, the engine spins all the way up to 7,600rpm.
Weight saving measures have been adopted throughout, with both the four door car and the coupe being treated to a carbon fibre roof, lightweight seats with fixed headrests, a smaller M-specific steering wheel made from magnesium and an aluminium bonnet and front side panels. The drive shaft and engine strut brace are constructed from carbon fibre. The two door M4 also gets a carbon fibre boot lid.
Lighter, quicker and frugal too
While the engine is derived from the 435i unit, 75% of the engine’s cost is made up of M specific parts. Lightweight pistons, a magnesium sump and various other weight-shedding components all contribute to a total of around 60kg weight saving from the old M3, with the new car having the highest power to weight ratio in its class, managing the sprint to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds but a claimed fuel consumption figure of just 8.3L/100km.
Both models come with 19 inch double-spoke ferric grey alloys wrapped in 255/35 rubber on the front and 275/35s on the back. And if that’s not enough to get traction, there’s an electronically controlled multi-plate limited slip diff, which can vary lock-up from 0 to 100% within a fraction of a second to prevent wheel spin and optimise traction without interruption to power delivery.
It goes without saying that drive is delivered to the rear wheels, with all models for our market having a brilliant seven speed double clutch transmission with launch control. A six speed manual is available in other markets, but BMW NZ execs tell us that take-up on the three pedal model here has been so low that it’s no longer necessary to have it on the pricelist. Also, the DCT is quicker than the manual, and the flappy paddles shift cogs in lightning quick time when operated manually.
Not just high performance - a good deal of luxury too
Both M3 and M4 models serve up lashings of creature comfort features, with heated electric Merino leather M sport seats, lumbar support, a 16 speaker Harmon-Kardon audio system, a 20Gb hard drive, an 8.8 inch high res colour screen with sat-nav and Bluetooth with multi-device pairing capability. M3s have seating for five and M4s accommodate four.
Safety features aplenty include adaptive Bi-Xenon headlights with anti-glare high beam assist in the M3 and Adaptive LEDs in the M4. Rear view camera, front and rear parking aid, cruise control with braking function and speed limit device and anti-dazzle interior and exterior mirrors are standard fare. Also standard is Head-Up Display which comes with additional M-specific functions such as a gear display, rev counter and Optimum Shift Indicator.
The media launch drive programme took place over two wet days and took in both Taupo and Hampton Downs race circuits, including a stint on the skid pan, as well as a decent run on open highways and some of Waikato’s more twisty back roads, so pretty much every possible scenario to showcase the capabilities of the chassis and electronic driving dynamic aids.
Three options each for throttle response, damper control and steering response can be selected by the driver, with each having quite an impact on the car’s behaviour. In the wet conditions on the track, the softer set-up is more forgiving, but as the surface dried out, sharper settings made for a more direct feel and more responsive performance.
One thing that became very clear is that the enormous low down torque flattered even the most amateurish driver. A poorly executed gear selection option of perhaps taking a corner in 5th that a more capable pilot would have known 3rd was the right option is completely forgiven when accelerating out. No bogging down and waiting for the revs to biuld up – the thrust is instant.
Priced at $159,900 drive away for the M3 and $169,900 of the M4, although we felt the M4 seemed to feel and handle in a slightly more nimble manner, the M3 felt more solid and firmly planted, and given the four door practicality, it’s probably the one that would be easier to live with – not that either would be a hardship!