Car Magazine Comparison test: M4 VS 911S VS F-type S (Scans)

[ake]

That was a good article...I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for posting

[mkoesel]

Any comparison of the M3/M4 to a sports car is already a win for BMW and M Division.

You don't see too many other sedans or sedan-based coupes making it into these types of comparisons and that should tell you something.

[myzmak]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

Any comparison of the M3/M4 to a sports car is already a win for BMW and M Division.

You don't see too many other sedans or sedan-based coupes making it into these types of comparisons and that should tell you something.

+1

[s4awd]

Another magazine stating that the M4 is a smaller version of the M5 is disconcerting I have an F10 M5 and his comment about the steering is spot on. It gets messy when there are a lot of transitions. Definitely not a buttoned down car. Power, yes but it's not always about power.

[r3dbimmer89]

Originally Posted by paddy335

It's actually £23k but your point is still just as valid.

IMO most people shopping the M4 view the 911 as an aspirational car. Which kind of matches the comparo result.

What someone else said though, doesn't look like this M is going to whup the opposition quite as consistently as it's dad and grandad did.

I agree 100% ...most ppl cross shop M3s and C63s not 911s. That's a lot of M3 drivers dream car and it certainly is for me as well. I wouldn't even try to walk into a Porsche dealership as of now but after my M4 lease is up then we'll see.

I think this review is a little unfair and expected. Of course a 991 911 will come up over a M4. To me, this is a different league to compare the M4 to.

[sensi09]

That was a good article...I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for posting

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by KevinM

Ha Ha I can't believe I made that mistake having lived with the S62 for 10 years...it was a typo

Thanks for catching it!

Hmmm...methinks it was a Freudian slip Kevin. That wicked siren song from 6000 to 84000rpms of the Bavarian seductress, otherwise known as the S65 is calling you.

Cheers,
Chuck

[KevinM]

Originally Posted by CSBM5

Hmmm...methinks it was a Freudian slip Kevin. That wicked siren song from 6000 to 84000rpms of the Bavarian seductress, otherwise known as the S65 is calling you.

Cheers,
Chuck

That does sound epic (as I know from driving the E9X M3), but I think I'll have to settle for my S54 at 8K. What I really want is a less sound-worthy wall of torque from < 2000 rpm!!

[Sparco]

So here I am contemplating a Cayman GTS vs an M4. Now realizing some bias certain magazines have, I have to wonder if the car I really think will hit the mark is the M2. Lets face it, 911s and M3s have been compared for years. Yes, the 911 is a true sportscar, yes an M3 is a great performance car, but as performance keeps getting better I have to ask the question, does outright performance mean everything? Having owned all U.S. spec versions of M3s, when I landed an 08 M3 sedan, part of what I enjoyed in prior M cars was the connection between driver and car which for me was somewhat lost due to weight gain. The car was better in all performance areas vs my prior E46 but it honestly felt bloated and no where near as fun to drive. The upcoming Cayman GTS i think will be a terrific drivers car and coming from a 996 turbo, which WILL outperform the Cayman in most performance categories, will still be a better car. The statement that sticks out in my mind is that its a numbers car and that the M division is holding back a better version, etc. That for me is enough to either pull the trigger on the cayman or stay put till the M2 arrives.

[cc3]

It will be interesting to see if they do build a CSL. Somehow I doubt it as M division seems to have limited additional capacity. Probably just see a whole string of special editions once the order book starts to fall. Surprising doesn't seem a long waiting list at present for this car. Is that the case in all markets?

[YungDro]

So the M4 is the far better car out of the two and it comes second.. wtf

[ake]

Originally Posted by Sparco

..., I have to wonder if the car I really think will hit the mark is the M2.

I'm sad that I don't have the time to wait for an M2.
I believe that it will be a superb car with even more driving joy than the M3/4.

[Drift Master]

Equally equipped porsche to an M4 You'll be spending around 123k after you add all the options to make them at least somewhat equal however there are still plenty of goodies that you can't get like surround view cameras and other stuff. A loaded M4 is gonna be at least 40k cheaper. Not the same prestige as a porsche but factoring how much more tax and insurance ill pay its more like 45-50k. The real question is it 50 k better than an M4 ill say hellll Noooo. Is a porsche a daily driver compared to an M3 practical daily use Hell Nooooo. The real question is should u buy a 2009 porsche turbo with around 10,000 miles for the same price of a new M4 i am still thinking about that.

[CptSlow]

Originally Posted by Sparco

So here I am contemplating a Cayman GTS vs an M4. Now realizing some bias certain magazines have, I have to wonder if the car I really think will hit the mark is the M2. Lets face it, 911s and M3s have been compared for years. Yes, the 911 is a true sportscar, yes an M3 is a great performance car, but as performance keeps getting better I have to ask the question, does outright performance mean everything? Having owned all U.S. spec versions of M3s, when I landed an 08 M3 sedan, part of what I enjoyed in prior M cars was the connection between driver and car which for me was somewhat lost due to weight gain. The car was better in all performance areas vs my prior E46 but it honestly felt bloated and no where near as fun to drive. The upcoming Cayman GTS i think will be a terrific drivers car and coming from a 996 turbo, which WILL outperform the Cayman in most performance categories, will still be a better car. The statement that sticks out in my mind is that its a numbers car and that the M division is holding back a better version, etc. That for me is enough to either pull the trigger on the cayman or stay put till the M2 arrives.

A bit of a different situation....

I went 335i to E92 M3 to 135is to Cayman S. The Cayman is the first car I've ever owned that I feel no regret. The GTS is going to be fantastic.

Thread hi-jack over....my apologies.

[coloradoe92m3]

Wow, I could not have said it better myself! Finally a respected reviewer has the idea here and verbalizes it so well. I sum up what he says as simply a lack of soul. F80 does everything better than the e92 terms of numbers ( or low end torque for those who like that) but wasn't the point of the M3 always to excite and provide a unique "experience" that offered a taste of race car excitement? How does the m4 really do this? IMO it doesn't. No sound, no rewarding you for really. Working the engine and no razor sharp race car throttle response or intake noise.

Boring car IMO

[coloradoe92m3]

We need a poll to predict how many total comparo wins the f80 mounts vs e92. I don't think e92 seriously ever lost a single comparison! Even to 997 carrera non s when e92 came out

[Sparco]

Originally Posted by CptSlow

A bit of a different situation....

I went 335i to E92 M3 to 135is to Cayman S. The Cayman is the first car I've ever owned that I feel no regret. The GTS is going to be fantastic.

Thread hi-jack over....my apologies.

For what its worth, I went E90 to 997 GT3 to Audi S5 to current 02 996 turbo. I at one point flirted with other cars but have taken an oath since to only stick with either M products or Porsches. GT3 was obviously a great car but my situation changed and couldn't see wadding her up on track. One would argue what else would one do with it. Audi purchase at the time was a safe pick but got ultra boring really quickly, not to mention a certain disconnect between car and driver. Turbo is what it is, bargain supercar at a realistic price point. Time will tell which way I go

[Sparco]

Originally Posted by coloradoe92m3

Wow, I could not have said it better myself! Finally a respected reviewer has the idea here and verbalizes it so well. I sum up what he says as simply a lack of soul. F80 does everything better than the e92 terms of numbers ( or low end torque for those who like that) but wasn't the point of the M3 always to excite and provide a unique "experience" that offered a taste of race car excitement? How does the m4 really do this? IMO it doesn't. No sound, no rewarding you for really. Working the engine and no razor sharp race car throttle response or intake noise.

Boring car IMO

Who would have thought a high 3 second 0-60 time, ceramic brakes, carbon roof, DCT, would be boring but I tend to agree. I will say this, I'm curious to hear from future owners how connected they feel with a manual gearbox. I know DCT, DSG, PDK, etc are the wave of the future and no one can argue the performance benefits, just wondering if it helps with the involving piece.

[FogCityM3]

At 18:30 in this Steve Dinan interview- interesting in discussing the power vs torque arguments and touches on what makes race engines exciting and effective. Great interview overall on a number of topics (including the approaches to properly tune a turbo vehicle).

http://dinancars.com/steve-dinan-int...-tire-podcast/

[myzmak]

Originally Posted by coloradoe92m3

We need a poll to predict how many total comparo wins the f80 mounts vs e92. I don't think e92 seriously ever lost a single comparison! Even to 997 carrera non s when e92 came out

That is 100% true.

Except that it lost to a cadillac...

http://www.youtube.com/embed/fSIDLyK...vq=hd1080&fs=1

...and the C63....

http://www.youtube.com/embed/fSIDLyK...vq=hd1080&fs=1

...and the GTS to a C63 black...

http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/jer...gts-2012-03-16

...but I will give you an 'onionskin thin' win over the Mustang...

http://m.motortrend.com/roadtests/co...m3_comparison/

While I recognize you have posted your considered opinion on how boring this car is (a car you have never driven, heard, experienced or, i will guess, seen) you can at least get the objective facts right.

[FogCityM3]

I think it lost a couple but is safe to say the E9x won 90%+ of them. That's a pretty high hurdle and probably won't be beat because of the competition catching up

Originally Posted by coloradoe92m3

We need a poll to predict how many total comparo wins the f80 mounts vs e92. I don't think e92 seriously ever lost a single comparison! Even to 997 carrera non s when e92 came out

[myzmak]

Originally Posted by FogCityM3

I think it lost a couple but is safe to say the E9x won 90%+ of them. That's a pretty high hurdle and probably won't be beat because of the competition catching up

Exactly. The excellence of the E90 (and the volume it sold) has caused the rivals to up their games considerably. F80 losing a head to head doesn't make it bad or worse than E90, it means there is much better competition.

(which for any gear head/petrol head/car lover can only be a good thing)