Ever since BMW revealed the M4 Concept, they tried to make the world understand the challenges they would go through to create the production car. Today, it’s not as easy as it might seem to create a better, more powerful car while also keeping CO2 emissions in check and fuel consumption as well.
Actually, the guys from XCAR did a pretty good job at explaining why the new M3 and M4 duo are not exactly as the world expected. You see, BMW had to keep emissions, fuel consumption, specs and performance all in mind and create a car that does it all. Could it be possible? Close enough.
The new M cars are basically identical when it comes to the specs. They have the same 3-liter twinturbo engine up front, the same acceleration times and the same options lists but the 4-door model is slightly heavier due to, of course, the extra doors.
Saving weight was not only a demand from the wider BMW audience but also a necessity. Without it, some of the amazing numbers posted couldn’t have been possible.
You can’t lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions without lowering the weight of your car. You also can’t keep up with the competition in tight corners if you have to carry around 2 tons of metal, as the M5 and M6 know by now.
But shedding weight has to be done in the right places. Get a 1000 HP RWD car that has almost no weight on the rear axle to a drag strip and you might be surprised to learn that you can’t actually use all that power as there’s no traction available.
Therefore, intelligent lightweight construction is essential when it comes to M cars. BMW took a pound off here and there, keeping things tight and nimble at the same time. There’s a magnesium oil pan, a CFRP prop shaft, a CFRP roof and plenty of aluminum used in the frontal side of the car to keep the car’s 50:50 weight distribution intact.
On the road, the car’s exactly as you’d expect it to be: precise, loud and sharp. What BMW customers have been asking for for years is finally here, the M4 being the type of car in which you can do many things. From taking your kids to school to occasional hooning, this thing will do it all. And that’s its charm, even though it’s sliding away from what the original M cars used to be.
In the end, the M4 is still just starting to gain traction. The BMW world has to adapt to it and eventually embrace it and that will take some time. However, we’re pretty confident that in the future, we’ll see it having its own fan club, just like all the other M3 Coupe models before it.
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