07-08-2014, 03:13 PM | #1 |
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F82 M4 Test Drive/Review - Wow (Current C63 Owner)
Featured on BIMMERPOST.com 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.
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07-08-2014, 03:28 PM | #3 | |
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I mentioned this in another thread that got deleted - I had the chance to spend a week in Europe with 21 other M3/M4s. During the trip, I had the chance to hear the car (22 of them) in almost every imaginable situation - indoors, outdoors, city cruising, autobahn passes at 140mph, countless tunnels, at Spa, at Nurburgring, on deserted German country roads, etc. I was blown away by the sound. Absolutely loved it. And I wasn't alone on the trip. We had numerous discussions about how good the car sounded. For those that haven't heard it in person on the road, please don't make any judgments from videos or standstill revs. Sounds horrible IMO in both cases. Some still won't like it - understandable given that sound preference is exactly that, a personal preference - but please don't judge until you've spent some time with the car. |
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07-08-2014, 03:29 PM | #4 |
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Thanks man. With this test drive, the car really exceeded my expectations (which were already high). The torque, the sound, and the steering were all impressive.
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07-08-2014, 03:30 PM | #5 | |
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Wow, you went really down and dirty to hunt flaws! I agree about the visual points, and approve the term American.
Now, serious commentators take this to the other direction.
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07-08-2014, 03:31 PM | #6 | |
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07-08-2014, 04:02 PM | #7 |
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great review, and means a lot coming from you (owner of merc, skeptical of m3 and highly focused on new merc c63).
what options did the car you drove have? how was the power delivery at the top of the RPM band? what was the ride quality / body roll like? standard or adaptive suspension? thanks for the review, and congrats on the incoming m4 Edit : did this car feel any lighter than the e9x? Or was it not noticeable? Also, if you had to list the worst parts of the car, what would they be?
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07-08-2014, 04:11 PM | #8 |
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My thoughts as well, after hearing the car in person. It sounds like a very angry, high-strung pissed off euro beast with a golf club up its ass. It's very different from the typical "powerful" exhaust notes (if that makes sense), but awesome in its own way.
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07-08-2014, 04:16 PM | #9 |
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I love all of these analogies regarding the F8X exhaust sounds. All the way from a Eureka violating a Dyson to a very angry, high-strung pissed off euro beast with a golf club up its ass.
I'm still trying to figure out where and how these peeps quantified their comments. |
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07-08-2014, 05:03 PM | #12 | |
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07-08-2014, 05:27 PM | #14 | |
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07-08-2014, 05:32 PM | #15 | |||
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As far as options are concerned, I know the car had the Executive Package and 19" wheels. The M HUD was absolutely fantastic. I loved being able to see the digital tachometer. That will be very useful for spirited driving. Compared to the C63's M156, the M4's motor had a tendency to run out of breath a bit (just a bit) at the top end. It didn't feel like, from a power perspective, that it pulled as hard as the C63 does from 5,500 rpm on. The C63 will quite happily wind out to about 7,200 rpm. That said, by no means did the motor feel "weak" in the top end, either. When merging onto the highway, I hit 80 pretty damn quickly. However, as I mentioned in my OP, the M4 actually felt like it had more torque than the C63 off the line. No joke. With its NA motor, the C63's torque builds gradually past 2k rpm whereas the M4 just hits you with a wall of it right from idle. I absolutely loved that characteristic of the motor. The car had the Adaptive M Suspension and wow was it stellar. I had the pleasure of attacking a few roundabouts and the car remained very, very flat. As I mentioned previously, there is very little to no body roll. As far as the chassis/suspension is concerned, the car felt vastly different (i.e., significantly better) from my old F30. The seats hug you very tightly during cornering. The ride quality was excellent. The suspension soaked up road imperfections with ease. As a matter of fact, the car rode quite a bit "softer" than my C63 (the LCI C63s have very firm rides with quality damping). This ability to handle crappy pavement pleasantly surprised me, as the car was equipped with 19" wheels whereas my C63 only has 18s. The rear tires squirmed a bit at times but I was carrying some serious speed through a few of the roundabouts. Keep in mind the new Michelin PSS are still pretty slick. The Continental ExtremeContact DWs I just installed on my C63 a few weeks ago felt the same for the first few hundred miles. If I was forced to list the worst features, I would have to mention the following: 1) the car's rear end doesn't have the same menace as the front (although the M4's integrated trunk spoiler looks very sporty/well done in person); 2) some of the hard plastics from the F30's interior were carried over into the F80/F82; 3) the exhaust tips could look more special (for example, I love that my AMG's exhaust tips have the AMG logo embossed/imprinted on top of each tip). These are all pretty minor gripes, to be honest. At least 2 of the gripes can be easily addressed by either BMW M Performance or the aftermarket. There isn't a lot about this car I would change. The overall package is very cohesive. I will think more on this topic and get back to you. Those were just a few that came to mind. Furthermore, I'll update my OP with more thoughts about the interior later. I loved the carbon fiber interior trim. It both looked and felt very high-quality. Quote:
Thank you very much, sparkyg. Truly appreciate it. It's great to hear from you man! It's been a while. Hope all is well with you my friend.
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07-08-2014, 05:33 PM | #16 |
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thanks for taking the time to post your impressions! very cool
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07-08-2014, 05:39 PM | #18 | |
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Both cars feel very special and as dual threats (i.e., cars capable of both daily and track driving), they are hard to beat. The biggest difference between the W204 C63 and the F80/F82 that stood out to me is that the M feels like the fresher car now. The technology in the M is newer and more extensive. Furthermore, the M4 does feel lighter on its feet than the C63. I didn't feel the weight discrepancy between the E92 and the W204 as much as I felt it today with the W204 and the F82. Thank you.
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07-08-2014, 05:39 PM | #19 |
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How did it pull relative to the C63 off the line as well as one you were moving? My ideal car would be one that was a combination of C63 muscle with M3 agility and luxury (not C63 luxury).
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07-08-2014, 05:39 PM | #20 |
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The more reviews I read, the more pumped I get. I better stop, since I'm likely gonna receive mine in October... My head's gonna explode.
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F80 6MT. In full color.
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07-08-2014, 05:43 PM | #21 |
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