Photo: BMW
BMW made sure that the new M3 and M4 would be perfect for track days and daily chores, creating them from the ground up with that idea in mind. The Motosport division was, therefore, obliged to create a really impressive package.
The guys from Auto Zeitung recently wanted to see just how the new M4 would fair against a previous generation rival, the Audi RS5. Looking over the pure numbers wouldn’t really tell us anything as the Audi is using 2010 technology even though it received a slight facelift in 2012.
That being said, the more natural competitor would’ve been the E92 M3 even though the Audi is all-wheel-drive and the Bimmer would be rear-wheel-drive.
The specs show a drastic difference, though, with a power advantage for the four-ringed model and a smaller weight for the M4. While the Audi uses a naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V8 making 450 HP and 430 Nm (317 lb-ft) of torque, the Bavarian has a 3-liter twinturbo inline 6-cylinder under the bonnet making 431 HP and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque.
In the weight department, that bigger engine and the all-wheel-drive system pulls the RS5 down, tipping the scale at 1,788 kg (3,942 lbs) while the M4 can do with only 1,615 kg (3,560 lbs).
On a tight track such as the Nurburgring GP one, where the tests were performed, that small weight advantage proved essential. The 3.7 km long circuit was done in 1 minute 38.9 seconds by the BMW and 1 minute 41.5 seconds by the Audi, a drastic difference.
Actually, looking over the other cars that were tested on the same track over the years, the numbers posted by the M4 surprise in a big way. The new M model is just 0.1 seconds slower than a Lamborghini Aventador and 0.6 seconds faster that a 2010 Porsche 911 GT2 RS that had 620 HP to play around with and only 1,370 kg (3,020 lbs) to carry around.
If that’s not impressive enough for you, the 2011 Nissan GT-R, a car that has long become a reference point in track testing, was capable of only a 1 minute 39.62 time on the same track.
Unfortunately, we can’t be sure of the lap times posted on the fastestlaps.com website. We can’t possibly know who was driving what car and what the road conditions were. Even so, the drastic beating the RS5 took on this independent test shows just how much the M4 advanced over the last few years.
Overall, the guys from Auto Zeitung gave the win to the M4 but not just because of the track results but also because it scored better in safety, driving comfort, fuel consumption and handling.
That being said, the more natural competitor would’ve been the E92 M3 even though the Audi is all-wheel-drive and the Bimmer would be rear-wheel-drive.
The specs show a drastic difference, though, with a power advantage for the four-ringed model and a smaller weight for the M4. While the Audi uses a naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V8 making 450 HP and 430 Nm (317 lb-ft) of torque, the Bavarian has a 3-liter twinturbo inline 6-cylinder under the bonnet making 431 HP and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque.
In the weight department, that bigger engine and the all-wheel-drive system pulls the RS5 down, tipping the scale at 1,788 kg (3,942 lbs) while the M4 can do with only 1,615 kg (3,560 lbs).
On a tight track such as the Nurburgring GP one, where the tests were performed, that small weight advantage proved essential. The 3.7 km long circuit was done in 1 minute 38.9 seconds by the BMW and 1 minute 41.5 seconds by the Audi, a drastic difference.
Actually, looking over the other cars that were tested on the same track over the years, the numbers posted by the M4 surprise in a big way. The new M model is just 0.1 seconds slower than a Lamborghini Aventador and 0.6 seconds faster that a 2010 Porsche 911 GT2 RS that had 620 HP to play around with and only 1,370 kg (3,020 lbs) to carry around.
If that’s not impressive enough for you, the 2011 Nissan GT-R, a car that has long become a reference point in track testing, was capable of only a 1 minute 39.62 time on the same track.
Unfortunately, we can’t be sure of the lap times posted on the fastestlaps.com website. We can’t possibly know who was driving what car and what the road conditions were. Even so, the drastic beating the RS5 took on this independent test shows just how much the M4 advanced over the last few years.
Overall, the guys from Auto Zeitung gave the win to the M4 but not just because of the track results but also because it scored better in safety, driving comfort, fuel consumption and handling.
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