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      06-22-2014, 04:18 PM   #1
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Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson Thrilled with BMW M4 in first reviews

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Richard Hammond reviews the M4: http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/mo...anages-3725985

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BMW's M4 is so good it even manages to justify its £56k price tag

June 19, 2014 22:00
By Richard Hammond


They’re filming a new Star Wars epic I wouldn’t have heard about had a door not fallen on Harrison Ford’s ankle and broken it.

Get well soon, Mr Ford, and may the force be with you.

If you like sci-fi, a new Star Wars film is as exciting as it gets and if you like fast cars, a new BMW M3 is also big on the fever-o-meter.

And so it is here at last, the latest super-hot Three Series. We’ve been through it before but just to remind you, the M3 is the four-door saloon version and the M4 is the coupe.

BMW reckons the M4 will outsell the four-door version by five to one so although we’ve driven both versions, we’ll concentrate on the M4.

That said, there’s so little difference between them that you can assume you’re reading about the M3 as well.

First we must lift the bonnet – if it isn’t right under here then it isn’t a proper M car. The previous-generation M3, which BMW insiders and anoraks refer to as the E92, was powered by a 4.0-litre V8 engine with 421bhp.

Now V8s are great and have a gorgeous sound, but there’s a school of thought that says a high-performance BMW should really have a straight-six engine under the lid.

The new one has. It’s a 2,979cc motor with a pair of turbochargers and a power output of 431bhp. Only 10bhp more than the old V8 but that isn’t the full picture because this new motor has a massive 406lb ft of torque against the V8’s 295lb ft.

That, and the fact the M4 is 80kg lighter than the old car, means it does 0-62mph in 4.1sec. In other words, just over a second faster than the old car. There’s a six-speed manual gearbox or seven-speed dual clutch auto. Most punters will go for the latter so that’s what we’re driving. The car is quicker with this gearbox, you get launch control and better fuel economy.

All UK M3s and 4s come standard with BMW’s M adaptive damper control – you can switch between Comfort, Sport and Sport+ modes with the last of those the setting for superior racetrack enjoyment. Those same choices also change the electric power steering’s sensitivity, weight and speed and also adjust the exhaust note. Ah, the zorst.

A couple of flaps at the back of the system open to increase the volume of the music and BMW’s engineers have also fiddled with the induction system to create one of the best-sounding cars in ages.

The first thing new owners need to do is get the atlas out and find some long tunnels in which to hear the full effect.

In a world in which 431bhp doesn’t sound much, the M4 is truly quick. The engine produces an enormous amount of thrust that never tails away. There’s no surge of power as you get over 5,000rpm. The engine simply pulls all the way from about 1,800rpm. Your licence will always be in danger.

Both the M3 and M4 look the part. Both have CFRP (carbon-reinforced plastic) roofs to save weight and feature M-trademarks such as bulging wheel arches and what BMW calls the powerdome on the bonnet and what the rest of us would describe as a bulge.

Inside there’s a load of equipment and a few special details such as illuminated M badges in the bucket seats’ backrests.

All this for £56,650 (that’s for the M4 – the M3 is £56,190). A lot of money but then this is one of the best sports saloons in the world at any price – and considerably better than its predecessor.
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      06-22-2014, 08:23 PM   #2
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And for those who missed it, Clarkson seems to like the new M4 as well.

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      06-22-2014, 09:07 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by myzmak View Post
And for those who missed it, clarkson seems to like the new M4 as well.
This is great! Where did you find it?
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      06-22-2014, 09:21 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Damasconian View Post
This is great! Where did you find it?
Top Gear mag. iPad edition. End part of his article. Weird bimmerpost image size requirements made it too much of a pain to post the whole 2 pages, but, as always with JC, he goes on a tangent (this time about an album his gramps bought him when he was 12), diverts into middle (loves car things, it finding fewer cars he likes, with discussion if car shows he has attended) and ends by saying as he gets older, he likes fewer and fewer actual cars, but WOULD take the M4

Interesting both he and RC like the new car.
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      06-26-2014, 12:11 PM   #5
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Well they loved the old car too. I can't wait to see the good ol' Top Gear visuals for filming these things
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      06-26-2014, 12:13 PM   #6
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Wow... Talk about putting a nail in the coffin.

"BMW’s engineers have also fiddled with the induction system to create one of the best-sounding cars in ages."
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      06-26-2014, 12:28 PM   #7
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Don't they like all M cars?
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      06-26-2014, 12:41 PM   #8
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Well I can certainly eat crow...if this thing is reasonably reliable I think BMW has a bonafide hit/crowd favorite on their hands. WELL DONE BMW!
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      06-26-2014, 12:41 PM   #9
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Clarkson gets it.
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      06-26-2014, 12:43 PM   #10
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Wow, quite an endorsement given that JC seems to always hate the fact that M cars are good.
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      06-26-2014, 12:45 PM   #11
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Sweet!!! I cannot wait!!! I will be so broke but who cares. No I mean really, no one cares if I go broke and my wife leaves me. The truth is that they are a pair of unique TQ powerhouses. As an owner of e30 M3 and e92 M3, the M4 would be ideal for my collection. Who knows, the New M3 could possible squeeze in as well. Thanks for publishing it and possibly ruining my life. Lmao
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      06-26-2014, 12:48 PM   #12
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Hammond is wrong about the DCT having better MPG than the 6MT, but other than that good read. I like that he said it's one of the best sounding cars in ages.
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      06-26-2014, 12:50 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zuschnell
Wow, quite an endorsement given that JC seems to always hate the fact that M cars are good.
He hated that because of the people who DRIVE them (cock-o-meter, "M3 drivers have no friends", etc) -- but in a more recent episode he said that he was thrilled that the M3 was now safe to buy because all of "those people" had moved to Audi.

But he had consistently positive comments about the car itself across the episodes where he drove the E92 M3, E90 M3, and E92 M3 ZCP (though he felt ZCP itself was pointless), and he absolutely loved the 1M.
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      06-26-2014, 12:51 PM   #14
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very cool!
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      06-26-2014, 12:55 PM   #15
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Cant wait for mine!
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      06-26-2014, 12:59 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackCobra08 View Post
Hammond is wrong about the DCT having better MPG than the 6MT, but other than that good read. I like that he said it's one of the best sounding cars in ages.
BMW M4 Coupé

Manual
Petrol317 kW [437 hp]Benefit in kind 33% [1] 32.1 mpg [1] CO₂ emission 204.0 g/km [1]
£ 56,650.00

Seven-speed Double Clutch Transmission (M DCT) w/ DRIVELOGIC
Petrol317 kW [437 hp]Benefit in kind 31% [1] 34.0 mpg [1] CO₂ emission 194.0 g/km [1]
£ 59,145.00

[1] The fuel consumption given in miles per gallon, energy consumption is in kWh/62 miles and the CO₂ emission given in grams per kilometre represent the combined values. In line with new European standards, the range shown displays the fuel consumption and CO₂ values from the smallest to largest wheel size available on the selected model.
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      06-26-2014, 01:02 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Matski View Post
BMW M4 Coupé

Manual
Petrol317 kW [437 hp]Benefit in kind 33% [1] 32.1 mpg [1] CO₂ emission 204.0 g/km [1]
£ 56,650.00

Seven-speed Double Clutch Transmission (M DCT) w/ DRIVELOGIC
Petrol317 kW [437 hp]Benefit in kind 31% [1] 34.0 mpg [1] CO₂ emission 194.0 g/km [1]
£ 59,145.00

[1] The fuel consumption given in miles per gallon, energy consumption is in kWh/62 miles and the CO₂ emission given in grams per kilometre represent the combined values. In line with new European standards, the range shown displays the fuel consumption and CO₂ values from the smallest to largest wheel size available on the selected model.
Okay something isn't adding up then. The EPA numbers were just announced a couple weeks back and it was confirmed the MT is more efficient

MT: 17 city, 20 combined, 26 highway
DCT: 17 city, 19 combined, 24 highway

Last edited by BlackCobra08; 06-26-2014 at 04:17 PM..
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      06-26-2014, 01:07 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackCobra08 View Post
Okay something isn't adding up then. The EPA numbers were just announced a couple weeks back and it was confirmed the MT is more efficient

MT: 17 city, 21 combined, 26 highway
DCT: 17 city, 20 combined, 23 highway
Different test cycles is all it is, but Hammond will report the one we use over here, because it's a UK market test.
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      06-26-2014, 01:07 PM   #19
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MPG has been discussed before. Euro and US EPA test differently and get different numbers. As always, YMMV.


Cheers.
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      06-26-2014, 01:22 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackCobra08 View Post
Okay something isn't adding up then. The EPA numbers were just announced a couple weeks back and it was confirmed the MT is more efficient

MT: 17 city, 21 combined, 26 highway
DCT: 17 city, 20 combined, 23 highway
This is rehash. Issue discussed at length in other threads. The Euro tests all indicate DCT has better fuel efficiency. USA and CND the opposite.

Theoretically the gearing on DCT should provide slightly better mpg at steady highway speed.
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      06-26-2014, 01:28 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Double Bubble View Post
Don't they like all M cars?
I think I remember them saying that the X6M was the most useless car on Earth. I think it was a JC piece on the show.
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      06-26-2014, 01:33 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackCobra08 View Post
Okay something isn't adding up then. The EPA numbers were just announced a couple weeks back and it was confirmed the MT is more efficient

MT: 17 city, 21 combined, 26 highway
DCT: 17 city, 20 combined, 23 highway
who cares, it beats the hell out of my old C63 AMG that was 12/18 MPG and this car should be more fun to drive and just as much launch from the start. If I can actually get 19-20 mpg on average out of it that will be a 40% increase over the 13.5-14.0 I got in the Mercedes, that's pretty awesome.
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