I had the opportunity to drive an M4 this weekend and I'm considering trading my 997.2 4S. I'll be the first to say that if I decide to do this, I'll be back in a 4S in probably a year (most likely a 991). As some background, I've owed a 2006 and a 2008 M3. Comparing to my current car, here are some pros and cons:

Pros
- Most obvious is the torque. The M4 was just simply amazing. Definitely not comparable to a 997 turbo, but way more than my 4S (and yes, I realize I comparing a NA car to a Turbo...)
- The tech is nice and the sound system is decent
- The seats are very nice and would be comfortable on a long drive
- The transmission is smooth (I currently drive a 6MT), so anything that shifts automatically is going to seem nice. I can't compare this to a PDK as I've only driven a PDK once about 2 years ago
- While expensive for an M3, you get a lot for the $75k price tag

Cons
- The interior and exterior (i.e. front and rear bumpers) styling is a little gaudy
- The interior CF looks/feels cheap
- The interior buttons look/feel cheap
- The full leather interior would definitely enhance the interior appeal
- On startup, the exhaust note is weak. At speed, the exhaust comes alive. Not comparable to a PSE though

Welcome thoughts and comments....

i've always had a soft spot for any M series car, especially the 3s......have heard nothing but good things about the new car, my colleague is contemplating purchasing one.

great cars (lots more utility), just different than ours.

I owned a 2003 M3 and the motor was the real deal. That's when the M brand meant something (as with the next generation too). BMW no longer puts the same effort in the their motors for M cars. I'm ultra disappointed in BMW M these days. And no M keeps its value. There are simply too many of them. The M4 is a downgrade to the balanced precision and drivability of a Porsche.

BTW, the BMW M4 clocked a 7:52 around Nurbrurgring. That's not impressive for a new offering. It's slower than the previous generation M3 GTS. And slower than a 2009 997S. Fail.

I understand what you're saying, but have you driven one yet? Having owned the two previous generations of the M3, it is my opinion that it is much better. I think it would be hard for any car enthusiast to not commend BMW M division for putting together a decent, fun to drive car.

The M3 competition package is apparently coming next year, so it will be interesting to see what kind of numbers it puts up around the ring.

IMHO... take it to a BMW forum...just sayin

I was fortunate enough to be given a behind the curtain tour of the M factory in 2008. I've been around BMWs for a long time. My first one was a 1976 2002. BMW M was once about NA power, but still compromised in brakes and handling to what their cars truly deserved. Now the motor is just a parts bin special like all BMW motors these days. They did this all for profits. No reason to go that direction ever again unless they get back to their traditional ways. I also don't trust their marketing power figures. Even more so that they claim their M4 has 425 hp, yet posted such a disappointing Nurburgring time (for that power). My 325 hp Cayman S is a mere 3 seconds adrift. Again, fail.

The new M4 will be just another of the many 100s BMW I see everyday on the road. On the contrary, I may only see one or two Porsches a day, if lucky. Not for me. Also, the new BMW brand is nothing like the old days.

tough love on the Porsche board uh?




it's a nice car ... for your wife/gf so that when it's not so nice outside, you don't have to use the 4s :p

Hilarious. Tough love for sure.

Fortunately enough for Porsche, the Boxster/Cayman lineup have totally eluded this stigma.

Thanks for the thoughts on the M4. I will be test driving one hopefully soon, especially with all of the positive feedback I've read. I'd love to have a new car, configured exactly how I want, but I too think the M brand has been diluted a bit over the years and its driven more by the marketing power and how it helps BMW's brand overall. Having said that, I still think the M cars are amazing. I've owned the last M3 and it was a truly wonderful car but I still prefer my 997.2 C2 over it.

The 75k price tag for the new M4 is a huge bang for the buck, but it would be hard for me to leave Porsche. I'll think I'd be happier with a cayman gts or used 991 C2S if I could find one around that price point. A lot of nice cars out there these days...

At a recent track event at Buttonwillow my buddy's M3 (I think a 2012) went into some kind of limp mode during the 2nd session -- he had to be towed, since once he got to the paddock the engine wouldn't start anymore. Same happened to an M4 that day (not sure if he had to be towed). Temps got up to a 100 that day. Those cars don't handle heat very well.

Not impressed as far as tracking goes.

If that's the case, why bother with the M4? Just get a 991.

I have nothing against M cars, they're great. I've owned a number of BMWs and Ms in my time, would happily own one again. But not as a trade for my car, there's just something a little bit more special about driving a Porsche 911.

No love for BMW in this forum? LOL. Anyway, I've own an M6, the V10 engine is phenomenal, but SMG tranny really sucks. I hope the new M series with double clutch is better than SMG. I like the previous M3 mainly bc of the V8 NA engine, not a big fan of turbo anyway. But thinking about getting the new M4 sedan for the wife or CLA series, thanks for the analysis. Post some pix if you get it, but I wouldn't trade my 911 for M4.

What about Porsche's IMS/RMS issues? I'll take limp mode over catastrophic failure anyday! Bottom line....you can't look at one-off/random failures. Every car company has them...some worse than others.

Shouldn't this post be moved to the BMW forum ?