I had the opportunity to thoroughly test a new F82 M4 this afternoon. I was able to drive the car on both back roads and the highway. Traffic was minimal so I had plenty of room to have fun (within the bounds of the law, of course).
In short, I was floored (in a good way).
I'll beef up the quick impressions I'm about to share here later. Feel free to throw out any questions as I'd be happy to follow up. For the test drive, the steering was in "Sport" and the transmission was set to the most aggressive automatic setting. I also dabbled around with the "Manual" mode as well.
Torque: This car is a torque monster. There are gobs and gobs of torque down low in the rev range. I had no trouble whatsoever lighting up the traction control (which was fairly intrusive, as others have noticed). The car really throws you back into the seat and keeps you there. As a daily driver, it will be a much better car than the E9X (in my humble opinion). There is just flat out more "usable" power/torque across the rev range.
Throttle Response: The throttle response is very sensitive and crisp. There really isn't any lag. The car responds immediately to the driver's input(s). The throttle response felt entirely different (i.e., better/more aggressive) than what I experienced in my previous tuned F30 M Sport 335i.
The throttle does not feel quite as "linear" as the throttle response in the C63 but that is to be expected. This is a fairly "high strung" turbocharged inline 6. Simply put, you know you are in a sports coupe/sedan when your right foot engages the throttle.
Seats: The seats are very comfortable. They are much better than the F30's seats (they're miles better than the E9X's seats, too, IMO) but not nearly as heavily bolstered as the C63 sedan's seats. Depending on your size, this attribute may be a blessing or a curse. The leather is very soft and supple. The Silverstone interior was showing dye transfer. If you chose Silverstone, rest assured that it looks great. However, you are going to have to spend some time maintaining it in order to keep it looking presentable.
Transmission: The DCT transmission is absolutely phenomenal. It's still a bit jerkier around town than the MCT but
handily outshines the MCT in M Mode. When you grab a shift, it is
there. The upshifts are so smooth that they're almost imperceptible. In short, I was absolutely blown away by this version of the M-DCT.
Sound: I'm a bit spoiled by my 6.2L NA V8 and my 4.6L biturbo V8 (E550) right now. It is hard to beat the throaty roar of a V8 at 6,000+ rpm.
That said, I had a chance to really open the car up today and I was absolutely
blown away by the exhaust sound of the M4. When you analyze the sound in isolation, it is really spectacular/special. It is loud, it is mechanical, and very fitting of an M car. To me, the sound represented the essence of the M3's/M4's character and history.
The overrun "pop" this car produces WILL scare small women and children. Backing off the pedal/engine braking in lower gears (e.g., 2nd or 3rd) also produces some wonderful crackles and burbles.
Accelerating on the highway, with the windows down, I could still hear both the engine and the exhaust. The induction noise was wonderful and it sounded like there was a chainsaw loose in the backseat (I mean this in a good way).
Relative to my previous F30 335i, the car has an angrier, more aggressive exhaust note. The exhaust note unquestionably sounds better than the one on my previous F30 335i w/ M Performance Exhaust.
I don't mind the Active Sound. Overall, both the engine noise and exhaust note fit the character of the car very well. I am sure that an aftermarket exhaust would improve the noise factor even more.
Does the M4's exhaust sound as manic/loud as the exhaust on my C63? Not quite, no. Was it as throaty/deep as the exhaust on the E550? Nope.
But,
in no way does that mean that the car's exhaust sounds bad. Quite the contrary,
I think that the M engineers nailed the sound. Considering that the car is equipped with a twin-turbocharged inline 6, both the motor and exhaust sound absolutely incredible.
Steering: The steering feel is more precise than the steering on the F30. Period. Turn-in is a joy. In S and S+, the steering is plenty firm. I honestly couldn't believe that the car had an electric steering setup. The "Sport" steering setup was absolutely perfect for me. Plenty firm without feeling artificially heavy.
The C63's steering weight remains consistently heavy, irrespective of driving "mode" (e.g., C, S, S+, M, RS). Furthermore, the weight/resistance increases as the input increases (both at low and high speeds). The M4's steering had a little more heft at the outset/beginning of a particular steering input. However, I was able to get used to the feeling rather quickly.
The M4's steering does feel a bit on the artificial side (in comparison to the hydraulic setup on the C63) when it comes to transmitting feedback/road feel through the car's front wheels/tires. Some of the road imperfections are dialed out. Depending on what you like in a steering setup, this could be a positive or a negative. Because the M4's steering weight and precision were both so good, the slight loss of feedback was not a big deal to me.
Handling/Suspension/Chassis: This is where the car really shines (not surprisingly). Any minor gripes are dispatched of here. My F30 felt skittish, floaty, and unsettled, even during daily driving. The F82 feels rock solid and planted . . . everywhere. The car is supremely balanced and feels light on its feet. The car felt lighter than my C63.
I induced power oversteer a few times (which is insanely easy to do because of the mountains of torque) and it is very, very easy to control the car and reign the rear end back in. The car responds predictably and doesn't snap back with as much violence as the C63 does.
Brakes: The car I drove had the standard brakes. They are absolutely perfect. I have had these calipers before and was impressed by them on the F30. They are even better paired with the M4's cross-drilled rotors. There is very little . . . actually . . . there is no slop during the brake pedal's initial travel. The pedal feel is firm and confidence-inspiring. At first, it felt like the brakes were an on/off switch, clamping down hard even in the first 1/3 of the brake pedal travel. As I got used to the pedal though, I found the brakes very easy to modulate. Damn those brakes have some serious bite.
Note: My C63 has absolutely fantastic brakes (6/4 front/rear fixed caliper setup with cross-drilled and slotted rotors). The M4's brake hardware, although smaller, is every bit as good as the hardware on the AMG. In my opinion, the CCBs are overkill/eye candy.
Looks: The car looks very wide and powerful in person. The front and rear fender flares are monstrous. The front end looks menacing/angry. I am an absolute sucker for cars with wide, gaping front air dams and the M4 satisfies this criterion with ease. Silverstone is an absolutely beautiful/classy color. The 19" wheels looked awesome in person.
My only knock on the car visually is the rear. It looks like sort of an afterthought. The exhaust tips look kind of "American" too, if that makes sense. I wish there was a more prominent rear diffuser and more color contrast at the rear.
I'm sure the aftermarket can dress up the rear a bit. Straight, non-slant cut exhaust tips would look better too, IMHO.
Overall, the M4 felt like a proper M car. I liked it a lot more than the last E92 M3 I drove and I quite liked the E92 (I almost bought one over the C63).
As a matter of fact, the M4 was the most FUN of any M car I have ever driven.
Going to have to buy one.
As I said above, I will bolster these impressions a bit later but I am a bit short on time right now.
