M4 GTS Tested by Jeremy Clarkson on The Grand Tour

[minn19]

Originally Posted by dmboone25

Agreed - in the ~100k range, the car makes a lot,of sense. Just not at 135.

I also think the new CS prices are way too high for what you’re getting (essentially a tune, revised electronics, and tires. Plus some CF bits).

BMW knows they could only hope to sell out these cars if they artificially limited production. You don’t see Porsche saying they will only produce X number of GT3s...because they know the car is so good that it will sell as many as they can build. No matter the number.

Agreed

[airwave808]

Originally Posted by dmboone25

Can’t speak to the GT3-RS, but I have a buddy who got an allocation for a 991.2 GT3 at MSRP. And no, he wasn’t required to deposit a kidney in order to secure the allocation.

If a person is thorough and looks around, they can be had at MSRP. And that’s a car that’s worth 150k. It’s so much more car than the GTS, for “marginally” more money at that level, that it makes the choice pretty easy.

No need to bring the RS into the conversation, as the standard GT3 is already on another planet.

PS - my buddy never considered the GTS. He didn’t see it as a worthy comparison to the GT3.

991.2 GT3 with reasonable options (I have a deposit still) comes to about $170k. Same for 991.1. The lowest you can get used with low mileage is 140k range. I am not sure how that is slightly more money than 100k. Fully agree it is a better car if you can afford and get an allocation.

[dmboone25]

Originally Posted by airwave808

991.2 GT3 with reasonable options (I have a deposit still) comes to about $170k. Same for 991.1. The lowest you can get used with low mileage is 140k range. I am not sure how that is slightly more money than 100k. Fully agree it is a better car if you can afford and get an allocation.

I was comparing to the original sticker/amounts folks were paying for the GTS, which was 135+.

[THEROK]

I'd love to see a dark colored GTS lowered on a set of properly fitting black 19 or 20 inch aftermarket wheels. Those orange 6s don't do the car justice. Updated LCI headlights would be perfect to keep this thing looking tidy.

The way it sells from factory, it looks really dated and a bit clownish. I don't have the sound either (not an MPE fan as well).

[jpdchicago]

Originally Posted by THEROK

I'd love to see a dark colored GTS lowered on a set of properly fitting black 19 or 20 inch aftermarket wheels. Those orange 6s don't do the car justice. Updated LCI headlights would be perfect to keep this thing looking tidy.

The way it sells from factory, it looks really dated and a bit clownish. I don't have the sound either (not an MPE fan as well).

Just posted earlier by someone else:
http://www.bmwblog.com/2017/12/10/bm...market-wheels/
Lots of other good posts on that topic.

[jeff@autocouture]

Originally Posted by THEROK

I'd love to see a dark colored GTS lowered on a set of properly fitting black 19 or 20 inch aftermarket wheels. Those orange 6s don't do the car justice. Updated LCI headlights would be perfect to keep this thing looking tidy.

The way it sells from factory, it looks really dated and a bit clownish. I don't have the sound either (not an MPE fan as well).

Is this good? ?

[THEROK]

now that's more like it! needs that big arse wing, too. thank you for posting.

i'd personally get a black one like that, delete orange bits, lower it on black 20" FI-Rs, get that bigger, higher wing and call it the fully sorted GTS. oh, add the LCI 2 lights as well like they have on the gt4. job done.

[jeff@autocouture]

Originally Posted by THEROK

now that's more like it! needs that big arse wing, too. thank you for posting.

i'd personally get a black one like that, delete orange bits, lower it on black 20" FI-Rs, get that bigger, higher wing and call it the fully sorted GTS. oh, add the LCI 2 lights as well like they have on the gt4. job done.

Headlights would be nice, but not worth what they currently cost

[THEROK]

Originally Posted by Alex@AUTOcouture

Headlights would be nice, but not worth what they currently cost

It's a deal breaker or must-have for me.

[Bob MG]

I have a GT3 RS and a M4 GTS and I have to say I love them the same! It's a hard choice to pick which one to take out. Each has characteristics that are awesome over the other. The fact that they are so far apart in price makes the GTS so much car for the money IMO

[Cadaver]

I wonder if Jeremy Clarkson's opinion will be the same towards the Porsche GT2RS water injection system.

[RandyC54]

The things that make the M4 GTS special are often not appreciated.

Coil over suspension. Carbon brakes. Carbon hood and other bits. Aero kit. Lithium battery. Factory roll bar. Water injection system. All of these things combined would be $75k or more in a Porsche/Ferrari/Lambo/McLaren, but they don't get the respect and appreciation in the GTS because Clarkson didn't like it. It's a shame that so many people put opinion above actual effort and engineering. I guess it's like art.

[Cadaver]

I love my GTS. I do understand some bad reviews, but for the most part I feel they are out of context for the use of the car. My opinion... the car is a track car first and foremost. It can be driven to the track, but daily driver it is not. It is meant to be flogged hard on a track. A track car requires some adjustments of the suspension, tires, etc. These reviews are from a car from the factory, out of the box and ran on a track or street. Not going to get good reviews. The car begs for attention. Give it that attention and it will reward you on the track. It is a beautiful machine on the track in my mind and with my experience with my GTS. Having said that, I wouldn't buy the car to drive around town much.

[VCP]

I like the yellow torque marks on all the fasteners throughout the car. This shows how hands on assembled the GTS is. Not a robot cookie cutter. Any of the said parts can be bought. There are many other more special items that the eye does not see as well. To have a M car assembled and setup by the Garching crew is priceless to me.

Originally Posted by RandyC54

The things that make the M4 GTS special are often not appreciated.

Coil over suspension. Carbon brakes. Carbon hood and other bits. Aero kit. Lithium battery. Factory roll bar. Water injection system. All of these things combined would be $75k or more in a Porsche/Ferrari/Lambo/McLaren, but they don't get the respect and appreciation in the GTS because Clarkson didn't like it. It's a shame that so many people put opinion above actual effort and engineering. I guess it's like art.

[FormulaMMM]

Originally Posted by Cadaver

I love my GTS. I do understand some bad reviews, but for the most part I feel they are out of context for the use of the car. My opinion... the car is a track car first and foremost. It can be driven to the track, but daily driver it is not. It is meant to be flogged hard on a track. A track car requires some adjustments of the suspension, tires, etc. These reviews are from a car from the factory, out of the box and ran on a track or street. Not going to get good reviews. The car begs for attention. Give it that attention and it will reward you on the track. It is a beautiful machine on the track in my mind and with my experience with my GTS. Having said that, I wouldn't buy the car to drive around town much.

This is 100% true. People underestimate how small adjustments can make fundamental differences in a track oriented car. The range of adjustments available on the GTS -- ride height, camber, multiple aero settings, rebound, compression, corner balancing, etc. -- means that the car will behave completely differently once dialed in as compared to the factory settings.

Have a Z/28 currently. First went to the track with factory settings and left nearly suicidal. Stupefied that a car with 305 section front tires could understeer through e-v-e-r-y corner. Dialed in Chevy's "Track Alignment," which is all of ~0.5 more negative camber up front and even less out back, and now it's all I can do to keep the back end out of the grass. (Off topic: I'ma add me a wickerbill this spring for that.)

BMW all but invited the negative press by distributing a bunch of factory setting GTS's to shoddy journalists who didn't have the time nor concern to set it up properly for their test circumstances. A really bizarre oversight by M, imo.

Speaking of the Grand Tour, or Harris's coty competitions that he used to do, seems like whenever Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche are taking part in meaningful tests there are manufacturer engineers on hand, tire engineers, etc. Car & Driver's lightning lap article is often seeded with references to X or Y brand engineers that were on hand for setup adjustment & feedback, and literally to encourage faster lap times.

Then there's BMW... "Here's a GTS in a stock specification that we know won't work well in your chosen test environment(s). Let us know what ya think!"