BMW Confirms Up to 510 HP for New M3 & M4, Releases Heel-and-Toe Track Video

The new versions of the 3 Series sedan and the 4 Series coupe have both been unveiled, but it's really their M Power incarnations that everyone - ironically, even those who'll buy the standard ones - is waiting for. With the wonderful M2 just waiting to steal any disappointed customers, the pressure is on the pair to perform or face record low sales.

Luckily, it seems BMW got the most important bits right with the two (the jury is still out on the 4 Series' and M4's grille). While the cars still wear their camouflage during any outing, their powertrains are no longer the subject of speculation. We're looking at 480 horsepower for the base versions, and 510 hp for the Competition trim.

It looks like the lower-power models will get all the fun, though: they come with a six-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel-drive, which is more or less the classic recipe for a successful M car. Meanwhile, the Competition versions will get the eight-speed M Steptronic auto and, only optionally and not available from launch, the company's M xDrive sporty all-wheel-drive system.

But because words - and particularly numbers - can be boring, and an image is only worth a thousand (boring) words, BMW released a video of the upcoming M4 on the Sachsenring racetrack. The footage won't reveal much in the way of design - there's only the initial exterior shot but the car is wrapped in camo and the interior is also mostly covered - but it gives us an idea of how capable the car is in the hands of an experienced driver.

Being a manual, the clip falls into the ever-thinner group of track videos that also have a camera pointed at the driver's feet. Of course, that can only mean one thing: there'll be a bunch of heel-and-toe on the menu. That's quite a refreshing sight to see in 2020.