The Jeremy Clarkson BMW M4 Review

[RingMeister01]

Originally Posted by bmwm3redblack

Personaly me, i don't like clarkson review, i prefer CHRIS HARRIS!!!

Same. Clarkson is a pompous troll. Harris is a genuine car and he can drive.

It doesn't really matter what the reviewer thinks. Yes I'll absolutely consider something positive or negative mentioned just for insight on something I don't have my hands on yet or is out of reach but you have to feel it or see it to decide what works for you. If anyone is changing their order to black because of this, you're concerned with a popularity contest that doesn't exist.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by bmwm3redblack

Personaly me, i don't like clarkson review, i prefer CHRIS HARRIS!!!

I like Chris Harris more but what I find striking is that Clarkson went Bonkers over the previous M3 sedan, loved the 1M and is less enthusiastic about this one. I think THAT is what is interesting. I also want to clarify on colors....I think it's awesome to experiment with colors because that makes them unique and gives everyone choice so because I loved the YMB and AY in pictures but was dissapointed in real life doesn't mean they shouldn't change the colors. As someone pointed there are other more valid concerns than color.

[pkimM3r]

Originally Posted by jphughan

If you have Netflix, go watch it starting at the 40-minute mark or so. I really don't want to say more because it would ruin a fantastic segment. You'll be surprised at just how much Britain still makes.

makes sense? i dont even know the difference between UK,Great Britain, Britain.

[Kayani_1]

He made it pretty clear that the new car is not as good as the old car. Fire the B team and hire the A team back quickly BMW before the upcoming ATS-V & CTS-V , Lexus RC-F coupe, MB C class AMG (based on new platform) and all new Audi RS6 versions hit the market.

or well just forget about it and put the A team on development of M2. Lets not repeat the mistakes.

[karussell]

its actually a very good review from him. lol not bad for the B team. hahahaha

[onatuesday]

Originally Posted by nachob

I like Chris Harris more but what I find striking is that Clarkson went Bonkers over the previous M3 sedan, loved the 1M and is less enthusiastic about this one. I think THAT is what is interesting. I also want to clarify on colors....I think it's awesome to experiment with colors because that makes them unique and gives everyone choice so because I loved the YMB and AY in pictures but was dissapointed in real life doesn't mean they shouldn't change the colors. As someone pointed there are other more valid concerns than color.

From what I've seen many members don't like the very limited color palette. Many members are picking the color not that they are most excited about but rather the color they hate the least. If you like the color palette then you're in the minority.

I was really hoping this forum could have demanded (in a constructive way) better colors from BMW but unfortunately there are too many ppl who are unwilling to accept any criticism at all. Criticism that's aimed at improving the product. I'm not a fan of the "colors are what they are so just deal with it" mentality. In this day and age of social media, consumers have more power than ever to influence product decisions not just by voting with their dollars. Let's face it with a lower volume car like the M3, people are going to buy it regardless of if it's not just good but great or not.

Adding better colors is one of the easiest things to influence. Heck Lexus had a public poll asking which colors people wanted the most and even let the public pick the name of a new color. There are too many people standing by BMW "no matter what" instead of demanding tat BMW listen to consumer wants and build the very best car BMW could because if that was the case they wouldn't have done the silly name change from M3 to M4 to begin with.

[6underpressure]

Originally Posted by M4 JTD

His inaccurate and poorly researched comments regarding the DCT gearbox particularly annoyed me.

“a seven-speed flappy-paddle gearbox that offers no creep. Unlike a standard automatic, the car won’t move until you put your foot on the accelerator. Which makes parking a jerky bloody nightmare.”
- Incorrect: The M4 does have the ability to creep – It’s called “Low Speed Assistant” and activated by one small tap on the accelerator.

“And while we are on the subject of the gearbox, I was forever being told by bongs and rude messages that I might not turn off the ignition until I had put the gearlever into Park. But as far as I could see, there was no Park. What you have to do to solve the problem is to slam the lever this way and that while swearing.”
- Incorrect: You don’t have to do anything other than switch off the ignition – The car is just warning you with a check control message that you have left the ignition on and that it will not auto engage park until you switch it off.

Funny I always leave my daily on drive every time it's nice just one this less you have to do

[3M TAPE]

LOL @ people taking JC's review so seriously..
I agree with the M color choices though, horrible yellow and blue.
Saw one yesterday with AY and it looked really bad.. really really bad.
I usually get excited when I see an M3

ps. take that rear AY M4 bumper banner on top of the page down already, ugh

[nachob]

Originally Posted by trinim3

From what I've seen many members don't like the very limited color palette. Many members are picking the color not that they are most excited about but rather the color they hate the least. If you like the color palette then you're in the minority.

I was really hoping this forum could have demanded (in a constructive way) better colors from BMW but unfortunately there are too many ppl who are unwilling to accept any criticism at all. Criticism that's aimed at improving the product. I'm not a fan of the "colors are what they are so just deal with it" mentality. In this day and age of social media, consumers have more power than ever to influence product decisions not just by voting with their dollars. Let's face it with a lower volume car like the M3, people are going to buy it regardless of if it's not just good but great or not.

Adding better colors is one of the easiest things to influence. Heck Lexus had a public poll asking which colors people wanted the most and even let the public pick the name of a new color. There are too many people standing by BMW "no matter what" instead of demanding tat BMW listen to consumer wants and build the very best car BMW could because if that was the case they wouldn't have done the silly name change from M3 to M4 to begin with.

Sir, you are a freakin' genius!

Yes, BMW has been just doing stuff to it's customers without asking. They go to runflats with no spare and no choice. They drop the temp gauge on 2 series, they force iDrive with no choice. They drop the old key system but don't give you full keyless functionality unless you fork over close to 4K for Comfort Access, they give you active sound without letting you turn it off, the make the Park in the DCT strange, etc, etc. They sorta simply dictate the product and everyone loves it. When they were building focused driver's cars, it worked. They forced central window controls which keeps your left hand on the wheel, they have you white on black purposeful instruments with red night lighting, high brake dust pads because they have outstanding cold bite and high heat capacity. Now the stuff they are forcing on some of us, we don't want and it has no real value to the driving experience. Comfort Access does not make for a better driving experience. Weird Park process does not add to the driving experience, arcade M logo on dash does not add to the driving dynamics, etc. yet they don't seem to care because everyone keeps buying the cars. Even the naming convention doesn't make sense! It used to be targeted a car guys that new what motor sizes were, not it's some weird thing that means nothing. I have been on several panels for Audi and Acura where they show us colors and front ends and wheel colors and we vote on them. I have never heard of such a think from BMW and we are their biggest customer or one of them.

Then again maybe I should worry about what I wish for because based on what I see on the forums M3s would have massaging seats, telepathic opening doors, enhanced engine sound, no gauges and all be automatics.

I think until sales drop BMW will not take an interest in better targeting its customers. They did that with the 1M and it was a big success, then they went back to the old ways.

[smedin]

JC wants sooo badly to hate BMWs. But he can't. And he always begrudgingly admits it. Why? Because they are just too good, and he knows that he'd be a fool not to admit it. His whole shtick (and that's all that it is,) is pretty hilarious.

[Damasconian]

Originally Posted by Kayani_1

He made it pretty clear that the new car is not as good as the old car. Fire the B team and hire the A team back quickly BMW before the upcoming ATS-V & CTS-V , Lexus RC-F coupe, MB C class AMG (based on new platform) and all new Audi RS6 versions hit the market.

or well just forget about it and put the A team on development of M2. Lets not repeat the mistakes.

No where in that article did he state the new one is worse than the new one.

[onatuesday]

Originally Posted by nachob

Sir, you are a freakin' genius!

Yes, BMW has been just doing stuff to it's customers without asking. They go to runflats with no spare and no choice. They drop the temp gauge on 2 series, they force iDrive with no choice. They drop the old key system but don't give you full keyless functionality unless you fork over close to 4K for Comfort Access, they give you active sound without letting you turn it off, the make the Park in the DCT strange, etc, etc. They sorta simply dictate the product and everyone loves it. When they were building focused driver's cars, it worked. They forced central window controls which keeps your left hand on the wheel, they have you white on black purposeful instruments with red night lighting, high brake dust pads because they have outstanding cold bite and high heat capacity. Now the stuff they are forcing on some of us, we don't want and it has no real value to the driving experience. Comfort Access does not make for a better driving experience. Weird Park process does not add to the driving experience, arcade M logo on dash does not add to the driving dynamics, etc. yet they don't seem to care because everyone keeps buying the cars. I have been on several panels for Audi and Acura where they show us colors and front ends and wheel colors and we vote on them. I have never heard of such a think from BMW and we are their biggest customer or one of them.

Then again maybe I should worry about what I wish for because based on what I see on the forums M3s would have massaging seats, telepathic opening doors, enhanced engine sound, no gauges and all be automatics.

I think until sales drop BMW will not take an interest in better targeting its customers. They did that with the 1M and it was a big success, then they went back to the old ways.

Great minds think alike I suppose

[myzmak]

Originally Posted by Tornrider

JC's spot on-

Eventually, though, I was able to put the styling and the colour out of my mind and concentrate on the car, which — on paper at least — looks a step back from its predecessor, which was called the M3 coupé. That car had a glorious V8 that screamed and hollered as the revs rose and then howled in an orgy of what sounded like BDSM ecstasy as it neared the red line.

So, to recap, the colours are awful, the styling is blingtastic, the door mirrors are annoying, the gearbox is flawed, the engine is a step backwards and parking is hard. It sounds, then, as though BMW’s B-team hasn’t been able to overcome the emissions regulations, and as a result the car is not as good as the previous model. Yes, and there’s more.

you need to read the whole thing.

but you probably know that.

and decided not to.

and to instead miss the whole damn point.

[Sandye90m3]

Originally Posted by M4 JTD

His inaccurate and poorly researched comments regarding the DCT gearbox particularly annoyed me.

“a seven-speed flappy-paddle gearbox that offers no creep. Unlike a standard automatic, the car won’t move until you put your foot on the accelerator. Which makes parking a jerky bloody nightmare.”
- Incorrect: The M4 does have the ability to creep – It’s called “Low Speed Assistant” and activated by one small tap on the accelerator.

“And while we are on the subject of the gearbox, I was forever being told by bongs and rude messages that I might not turn off the ignition until I had put the gearlever into Park. But as far as I could see, there was no Park. What you have to do to solve the problem is to slam the lever this way and that while swearing.”
- Incorrect: You don’t have to do anything other than switch off the ignition – The car is just warning you with a check control message that you have left the ignition on and that it will not auto engage park until you switch it off.

I haven't driven the F80/82, but my E90 M3 has the same "creep function" and it is a POS to park especially in tight places.

[myzmak]

Originally Posted by Kayani_1

He made it pretty clear that the new car is not as good as the old car. Fire the B team and hire the A team back quickly BMW before the upcoming ATS-V & CTS-V , Lexus RC-F coupe, MB C class AMG (based on new platform) and all new Audi RS6 versions hit the market.

......um, no he didnt.

Did you not make it through the whole review?

[shortseller]

He loves what he affectionately calls "BMs"!

[phear_me]

Originally Posted by stressdoc

His comments on DCT make me more comfortable with my choice of the manual tranny.

And one does have to chuckle at the thought of Lups' Hornet being a baby diaper...

Yeah I didn't think about parking until he mentioned it. I was like, "Just go in slow" but then it dawned on me that I use the clutch on my manual to throttle the car without even thinking about it. With so much torque it could be an issue.

Any real world feedback on this point?

[gthal]

Originally Posted by nachob

Sir, you are a freakin' genius!

Yes, BMW has been just doing stuff to it's customers without asking. They go to runflats with no spare and no choice. They drop the temp gauge on 2 series, they force iDrive with no choice. They drop the old key system but don't give you full keyless functionality unless you fork over close to 4K for Comfort Access, they give you active sound without letting you turn it off, the make the Park in the DCT strange, etc, etc. They sorta simply dictate the product and everyone loves it. When they were building focused driver's cars, it worked. They forced central window controls which keeps your left hand on the wheel, they have you white on black purposeful instruments with red night lighting, high brake dust pads because they have outstanding cold bite and high heat capacity. Now the stuff they are forcing on some of us, we don't want and it has no real value to the driving experience. Comfort Access does not make for a better driving experience. Weird Park process does not add to the driving experience, arcade M logo on dash does not add to the driving dynamics, etc. yet they don't seem to care because everyone keeps buying the cars. Even the naming convention doesn't make sense! It used to be targeted a car guys that new what motor sizes were, not it's some weird thing that means nothing. I have been on several panels for Audi and Acura where they show us colors and front ends and wheel colors and we vote on them. I have never heard of such a think from BMW and we are their biggest customer or one of them.

Then again maybe I should worry about what I wish for because based on what I see on the forums M3s would have massaging seats, telepathic opening doors, enhanced engine sound, no gauges and all be automatics.

I think until sales drop BMW will not take an interest in better targeting its customers. They did that with the 1M and it was a big success, then they went back to the old ways.

BMW is doing exactly what their customers are asking for. The hardcore enthusiasts are the minority whether people here like it or not. Their sales would DROP if they didn't do the things you wish they wouldn't. People generally want the comfort and tech things. They "think" they want raw and hard performance cars but then complain and regret it. They want their cake and want to eat it too so BMW, like any company, does their best to manage a wide range of expectations for the car.

P.S. I have taken part in a BMW survey. BMW is a smart company and builds want their customers want. If they didn't, they would be out of business. Clearly that's not happening even though some don't like the result. People have complained about Porsche, Corvette and others for similar reasons. This is not a BMW concern it is the function of a changing demographic.

[myzmak]

Originally Posted by gthal

BMW is doing exactly what their customers are asking for. The hardcore enthusiasts are the minority whether people here like it or not. Their sales would DROP if they didn't do the things you wish they wouldn't. People generally want the comfort and tech things. They "think" they want raw and hard performance cars but then complain and regret it. They want their cake and want to eat it too so BMW, like any company, does their best to manage a wide range of expectations for the car.

Yup.

I realize that on an enthusiast forum we like to play up our own importance and the power of our views, however when it comes to marketing and selling what the broader market actually wants, I think it is reasonable to assume BMW and ///M know something about what they are doing.......

[GMe90]

This reminds me of his review of the e60 M5.

[ykkrox]

Originally Posted by krx927

" ... But Baby Diarrhoea is nearer the mark."

[onatuesday]

Originally Posted by myzmak

Yup.

I realize that on an enthusiast forum we like to play up our own importance and the power of our views, however when it comes to marketing and selling what the broader market actually wants, I think it is reasonable to assume BMW and ///M know something about what they are doing.......

Okay but on the colors why can't the offer a normal blue and a normal red and a normal light grey like they do on every other BMW they sell (especially the ones for the mass market?) And adding tanzanite blue as an individual color at a premium isn't the fix (though I do appreciate that's better than nothing).

If they want to add YMB and AY and some unique colors, no problem there whatsoever, but don't take away colors that people are used to being able to pick? Did we really need TWO versions of white?