2015
BMW M3 Interior
Really up the ante and the acceleration is
absolutely ferocious; the S55 engine is a beast and the torque it serves up is
just as outlandish, it makes the car and its performance so accessible and such
a pleasure to indulge in. You have 406lb ft of torque at your disposal between
1850-5500rpm and that means there’s virtually no situation where you don’t have
full torque available to you. That means whenever you put your foot down the M3
and M4 hit so hard and just launch themselves up the road. It’s so visceral, so
thrilling, a real white-knuckle hit of pure adrenaline. The way you can power
out of corners, the way you can blitz past slower-moving traffic is devastating
and hugely addictive. You will most likely find yourself using the torque and
shifting up early most of the time as the speed piles on at such a rate that
there seems little point in hanging on to the gears. But when you do you’ll
find that the S55 has a wonderful, rev- happy side to its character and
delivers its 431hp in a wonderfully linear fashion. You can take it past
7000rpm with ease, the power coming right up to the redline with no loss of
urge and all the while you’ve got that howling straight-six storm swirling all
around you. It’s really rather special.
2015
BMW M4 Engine
The chassis and steering are an absolute
delight, with a pleasant weight and plenty of feel. It never feels artificial
or false in any of its three different weight settings and really gives you the
confidence to commit, and the M3 and M4 flow beautifully through the corners
when you do; neither car ever feels heavy or unwieldy and the vast levels of
mechanical grip mean that it’s a formidable tool with which to dispatch winding
roads. It encourages you to push hard and rewards you when you do.
2015
BMW M3 Engine
I also love the seats. They’re really a big deal. M3s have always
had slightly different seats to their non-M counterparts but I think the last
truly dramatic and special M3 seats we had were the E36 Vaders. Until now.
Finally, BMW has a pair of seats that step up to the lavish Recaros found in
Audi’s RS models; they look fantastic, though the illuminated M logo will
divide opinion, and they feel even better and more comfortable with all the
adjustment you could want. They’re also incredibly supportive in all the right
places and they’re actually lighter than the E9x M3 seats. The seats have lost
the extendible under-thigh support, however, though in all honesty it never
feels like a shortcoming and I missed it more through posterity than need.
All the test cars were fitted with M DCT and I have to say it would
be my gearbox of choice. It’s actually one of the few options I’d bother with
to be honest. I applaud BMW for making the six-speed manual the default
transmission and there will be plenty of customers who will go for the manual
but there will plenty more who will tick the M DCT ’box on the options list.
I’m sure the manual is a good ’box but, in my eyes at least, the DCT is better
and on the fast, twisting Alpine roads I had the pleasure of driving the M3 and
M4 on, the gearbox felt absolutely wonderful and made me love it even more.
