BMW M4 COUPE
by Tony Yates
First off – I will happily admit I’ve never really had a play in a BMW!
Yes, they make great cars – but maybe I was thinking that they are
not really for me. But, recently I had the pleasure of testing a range
of models that BMW produces and I was pleasantly surprised just
how fantastic some of them really were. Yep, I’m not kidding here
folks – I think I may have seen the light. Ok, I hear you all shouting
at me saying that all BMWs are utterly brilliant and how I’m an idiot
for not realising. Agreed, I think you’re onto something.
I came across a machine designed with such brilliance, that I
might have left a small puddle on the floor just looking at it.
I am of course talking about the BMW M4 Coupe.
Power & Efficiency:
Fitted with an M TwinPower Turbo in-line six-cylinder petrol engine with
431 racing horses galloping ahead like a poised Grand National winner
heading for the finishing post. There is also 550Nm of torque going
through the rear wheels meaning at every opportunity - you can be
assured of thrills when you press the loud pedal.
Fuel consumption? Well, if you really are interested, then it’s about
27mpg. But, if you believe that then you are more of a fool than I am. I
managed at best 22mpg – but I don’t care because boy was it serious fun.
Give the M4 some beans and you will get a healthy 0-62 time of around
4.3sec along with a top speed of around 156 mph (electronically limited of
course) which is decent, but can it keep up with the likes of the Audi RS6 or
the wonderful VW Golf R which is less powerful, but still wonderful all the
same. The answer to that question is YES – the M4 is not the fastest off
the line – but man, when that mid-range power comes alive, it’s like nothing
on earth, Nasa time! You can feel your internal organs running for cover!
On the road:
Like all BMW M models – it's brilliant most of the time. As a motoring
journalist, I can usually find the limit in most cars quite quickly before
they decide to swap ends – but in the M4 there was none of that tell-tale
sign of wanting to let go at the rear end – which would have sent me
into a wild spin. This is one seriously stable machine.
Of course, all cars have a point when the back end will eventually break
away – but the M4 was so well poised that I did struggle to flick the tail out
at all. Even with all the electronic wizardly turned ‘OFF’. Well, just because
it says its turned ‘OFF’ – doesn’t mean its ever actually fully ‘OFF’.
But this does make for a fun exercise – trying to get the back end to step
out, thus creating smoking tyres and wet underpants.
Design & Technology
As with all BMW’s, the interior is of a great standard – and the inside was
festooned with M badges and leather. Do I like the setup of the satellite
navigation? No – but this car was not built to take you on a shopping
trip – it was built to be driven fast - and at such a pace that the satellite
-navigation is unable to keep up with it anyway. Yes, the seats are wonderful
and the number of buttons and things are immense – but then you look again
and you finally see what BMW have done here; they have made the M4 a
proper drivers car with everything you will ever need right there with just the
flick of a finger or a raise of the hand. Utter brilliance.
Some of the standard equipment on the M4 Coupe includes; 19” M light
alloy Double-spoke style 437 M wheels, Ferric Grey, 8 programmable
favourite buttons, access to BMW Connected+ for 12 months from vehicle
production (subscription required) Active M Differential, Adaptive M
suspension, Air conditioning, automatic with two-zone control, BMW
ConnectedDrive Services, comprising: BMW Emergency Call -BMW Online
Services - BMW TeleServices - Real-Time Traffic Information (RTTI) -
Remote Services- TMC for lifetime. Carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP)
roof, Control Display–8.8” colour display screen with touch functionality,
Cruise control with braking function, DAB tuner, Direction indicator lenses,
clear, LED, Door sill finishers with M designation, Electric windows
with anti-trap facility and comfort closing, Enhanced Bluetooth with wireless
charging and WiFi hotspot preparation, Exhaust tailpipes, quad, Chrome,
Extended Merino leather upholstery, Exterior trim, High-gloss Shadowline,
Four seats and a Gearshift lever with M badge.
There is also; iDrive Touch Controller with shortcut buttons, LED
headlights, LED tail lights, with new 3D L-shaped, LED light design, MDrive
Manager, M Instrument cluster, M multi-function leather steering wheel,
three spoke with M stitching, M rear spoiler, M-specific rear seat with
integrated headrests – two. M-specific seats for driver and passenger,
lightweight construction with integrated headrests and illuminated M
badge and model name, with Black High-gloss surround. M TwinPower
Turbo in-line six-cylinder petrol engine, Navigation system, BMW
Professional Multimedia, Park Distance Control (PDC), front and rear,
Rain sensor with automatic headlight activation, Tyre Pressure Monitoring
and Wireless charging cradle in front centre armrest storage compartment.
To sum up:
Well, what can I say – the M4 Coupe is absolutely perfect.
Excellent work BMW! 5 STARS!
Price: from £58,440
I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year.
104 wirrallife.com