There was a bit of an uproar — a kerfuffle, a donnybrook, a dust up — when BMW decided to discontinue the M3 luxury sports coupe. That car is a legend, and no BMW lover wants to see the “is” in that sentence turn to a “was.”
The M3 make will live on as a four door sedan, but I that vicious coupe version must retire. The grieving process continues. You see, loss is the cause of all anxiety.
Fortunately, it’s not as though BMW abandoned the sports car business, nor are they walking away from the class of vehicle the M3 once filled. The new M4 coupe is reporting for duty as the new performance model, and automotive journalists were invited to Road America in Wisconsin to give the M4 a test run on one of the great racetracks in the United States.
The M4 grew from the M3 in full keeping with BMW’s “M” philosophy. The M line takes a BMW, keeps the luxury and adds sports tuning. In that spirit, this M4 offers M TwinPower Turbo straight 6-cylinder engine, Active M Differential Launch Control, Adaptive M suspension band a Servotronic 7-speed M DCT with Drivelogic. The driver aids package built into the M4 (traction control, ABS, etc.) allow any driver to take to the wheel in total control of all that power. If a driver is more ambitious, sport settings tighten suspension, acceleration and other factors for track driving.
The only question that matters amidst all of the technology is how well does the M4 drive compared to the legendary M3? If anything, I would argue that the M4 improves on it.
Related: 2015 BMW M3 Sedan Defends Model’s Championship
The engine is wonderfully brutal at first blanch, but it rapidly transitions to a very smooth aftertaste. The power never feels the slightest bit out of control. The handling is absolutely precise — even better than you might expect for a car priced just over $65,000. My personal favorite attribute is the car’s spectacular balance. To have all of that speed at your disposal with such a reassuring grounded sensation is very much an elite driving experience.
The only circumstances under which a driver could find fault with this new M4 coupe would be if he or she is simply and stubbornly addicted to that M3. Like the enthusiasts addicted to the Porsche 911. They’re 911 people and so they shall remain. If Porsche were to end the 911 (which will never happen), there are fans of that car that will be driving secondhand for the rest of their days.
Those people are out there for the M3, and it’s completely understandable on this end. Ye ole M3 was a magnificent car — a perfect amalgam of the luxury and performance BMW represents. It was such an easy, safe choice for any buyer looking for class, comfort and performance. But, they can relax. The M4 is ready for duty.
