I thoroughly enjoyed Chris’ preliminary review and can’t wait to see the rest of it. It wasn’t a whitewash, nor does he snootily henpeck at things for the sake of trying to make himself appear discerning. Instead, he hits on the features and drawbacks in an honest, balanced and helpful way. He gets that these cars are intended to be both competent track cars as well as daily drivers. There are other cars that can perform either purpose better.
So there are trade-offs associated with having a car that works well on a race track as well as transporting you from point A to B. Likewise, adopting new technology has its trade-offs too. You have an engine that is more efficient, powerful and has more torque versus an engine that can rev higher and sounds better. You have steering that is more precise and controllable versus steering that returns a bit more feel. In final result the new ///M goes better and steers better. M Mission accomplished.
A car company that adopts new technology and minimizes its drawbacks is one that’s going to be around for a while. A car company that caters to the nostalgia crowd might as well be selling used cars. Adapt and improvise or become irrelevant I say.
I will conclude by throwing in a few snippets from other reviews that I like that say an awful lot about the new ///M’s and are in keeping with why Chris liked them, for your enjoyment:
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/05/12/2..._river_article
Quote:
|
Launched out of the seat by a huge, unexpected dip in the road, yet still held largely in place by the smooth webbing of my safety belt, I clench my teeth waiting to come back to earth. A tenth of a second later, the M4 Coupe touches down and my body is slammed into the leather seat cushion. All of the air is forced out of my lungs upon landing, but the BMW's chassis, suspension and steering appear unfazed. Pleasantly surprised, I mash the accelerator to the floor in giddy pursuit of the car in front of me – an absolutely identical 2015 BMW M4 coupe.
|
http://www.drive.com.au/new-car-revi...512-384e3.html
Quote:
On the road to the challenging Portimao circuit in Portugal where it was launched last week, it took less than 15 minutes behind the wheel to come to that conclusion. It cemented itself on a ragged and winding piece of tarmac - just as good as any in Australia in terms of corners and just as bad in terms of being as pockmarked as a teenager - where, right on the exit of a tight bend, the car hit a sharp-edged bump while it was fully loaded and with the engine right in the meat of its power band.
It’s the kind of situation that would have massively upset its predecessor, sending the stability control into overdrive, causing heart palpitations for whoever was behind the wheel and making the daisies on the side of the road duck for cover.
In the same scenario, the E92 M3 coupe would have bucked sideways and then kangaroo-hopped out of the corner as you modulate the throttle to bring the high-revving V8 back under control.
Not this time; the M4, even with the adaptive suspension in its stiffest setting and the engine tuned to its sharpest throttle map, hopped over it, composed itself quickly and then, without even needing any correction through the steering wheel or lifting off the gas pedal, simply bolted towards the next corner as if nothing ever happened.
|
This is the car for me.
