2022 BMW M4 Competition Review
2022 BMW M4 Competition
MSRP: $74,900
3.0 Liter Twin Turbo Inline 6
503 HP / 479 TQ
0-60: 3.4 seconds
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Guy who did stuff: Yousef Alvi and Manufacturer
Here it is…the infamous new generation M4. Now, every review you read will talk about it’s front end. I’m not.
Because it’s not worth it. Some people will like it…while most people people will just laugh at it. Do I wish it looked different?
“In the name of everything that is holy..yes I do”
Mainly because this new generation M3/4 is so bleeding good, that it’s looks should be secondary and not all encompassing. What is all encompassing though…is the driving experience.
“It’s animalistic, raw, direct and unfiltered…yet civilized. ”
It’s so surprising behind the wheel that it melted this jaded auto journalist heart within the first 20 feet of driving.
Let’s go ahead and break it down:
The Great
The Engine
The Handling
The Transmission
The Brakes
Engine
The twin turbo inline 6 that is blessed in this M4 Competition is divine. Combining animalistic power delivery with civilized road manners so perfectly that it will leave you flabbergasted. It is, hand to heart, in my opinion…one of the best engines ever made.
Handling
The M4 Competition devours corners with such ferocity it’s jaw dropping. Pair that with a front end that is light, precise and honestly ‘911 like’ gives one such a sense of confidence you feel like God has giving you his blessing to tackle any and all corners in your midsts.
“...you feel like God has giving you his blessing to tackle any and all corners in your midsts. ”
Transmission
Yes, the Competition has chucked aside the old DCT in favor of the ZF 8 Speed Auto, much to the aghast of everyone who hasn’t driven a proper car with the ZF unit. In other words, there is a reason everyone from Aston Martin to Lamborghini to Rolls Royce uses it, it is one of the best automatics ever built.
If you need further convincing…jump in a M3/4 Competition, dial up the transmission’s aggressiveness to max and you will immediately forget about the old DCT unit.
Brakes
Place the brakes in ‘Sports Plus’ setting and just breathe on the pedal…the M4 will sheer the sunglasses off your face in an instant!
Yet, even in Sport Plus setting, they are easy to modulate around town to point that you can just leave it in that setting and have that reassurance on your school runs or to the grocery store.
The Good
The Seats
The Seats
One look at the seats and your inner 15 year old screams ‘SAWEET!’ while the inner 70 year old in you screams ‘The PAIN”. Well…for once the inner 15 year old wins out!
These seats are supportive, comfortable AND good looking! The complete opposite of AMG’s sport seats who can be best described as a mild torture device.
The Bad
The Gauges
The Gauges
Illegible, unintelligible, frustrating and just a complete waste of space.
The saving grace for the car is the excellent HUD. If not for that…just use ‘The Force’ to figure out your RPM and speed.
The Ugly
The Setup
Setup
It’s so bad that it will question your sanity, mental capabilities and your reality. Nothing is where it should be and nothing makes sense on where it is.
Click on the video at the end for further illustration of the horror.
The Overall
Even with it’s foibles, this new generation M3/M4 is one of best sports cars I have ever driven. It’s combination of raw power, pinpoint accuracy and civilized road manners is almost without equal. If you can live with the front end and the insane setup…you will never, ever be disappointed behind the wheel.
