BMW Debuts Screaming New M3 and M4s, World Will Never Be the Same

Then, as if that weren’t enough, more-powerful “Competition” models make them both one notch better

BMW pulled the wraps off its latest M3 and M4 performance machines, and the specs alone will have you salivating like Pavlov’s dog, if Pavlov’s dog had a driver’s license and track access.

The new Ms come 35 years after the E30 M3's launch in Germany and 33 years after we finally got that iconic model here in the States. This is the sixth-generation M3 and the second-generation M4, for those keeping track.

Both coupe and sedan come with your choice of 3.0-liter twin turbo straight sixes, making 473 hp in standard trim or 503 hp in the new Competition model line. Starting price is $70,895 for an M3 , while an M4 Competition Coupe stickers for $75,695.

There will be four models available when the cars launch in March: manual-transmission M3 sedan and M4 coupe in rear-wheel drive, and automatic -transmission M3 Competition Sedan and M4 Competition Coupe. Next summer the awd M xDrive Competition models arrive.

The 2021 BMW M4 in profile
BMW

Here are a whole bunch of specs:

Power and torque from the M S58 engines are boosted significantly compared to the previous models: the new M3 and M4 get 48 more horsepower while the Competition models get 59 more hp and a 73 lb ft increase in torque.

The 473 hp peaks at 6250 rpm while the 406 lb ft plateaus between 2650 and 6130 rpm. 0-60 in the M3 Coupe and M4 Sedan comes up in 4.1 seconds while top speed is either 155 mph or 180 with the M Driver’s Package.

In the Competition models peak power of 503 also comes at 6250 rpm while peak torque is there from 2750 to 5500 revs. 0-60 in the Competition models takes 3.8 seconds. Top speeds are the same: 155 or 180. Redline for all models is 7200 rpm.

the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six engines provide the muscle in both the M3 and M4
BMW

All engines are boosted by twin mono-scroll turbochargers with electronically controlled wastegates and air-to-water intercooling. The fast-acting wastegates help reduce turbo lag. The High-Precision Injection system operates at 5000 psi to make fuel atomization more efficient. And, of course, the engines get BMW Valvetronic variable valve lift and Double-Vanos variable valve timing.

To keep the engine cool during track use there are large front intakes and high-temperature radiators. There is a separate oil cooler and, in Competition models, a separate transmission oil cooler.

Exhausts have three modes from normal to Sport and Sport+. Luckily, if, say, you come around a corner to find a Highway Patrol Convention, an M Sound button allows you to reduce engine noise immediately no matter what mode you’re in.

This is the interior of the 2021 BMW M4 Competition Coupe.
BMW

We should all be grateful that there is the option of a manual transmission in these days when automatics shift faster and better than we could hope to. This manual transmission gets a Gear Shift Assistant that matches revs during downshifts, but you can turn that off if you want. The manual weighs 50 pounds less than the eight-speed Steptronic automatic, too, another advantage.

The M3 and M4 Competition models come in automatic-only because of their increased torque, BMW says. But you can shift the Steptronic manually if you prefer. There are three shifting modes for the Steptronic in manual mode and three in automatic mode.

Next summer’s M xDrive Competition awd system will be rear-wheel biased, distributing torque between front and rear axles via an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch. Normally torque goes to the rear wheels only, but when slip is detected the clutch engages and torque goes to the fronts as well. Rear-axle torque delivery is handled through an Active M differential to send torque to the wheel getting the most traction.

Of course you can drift the 2021 BMW M3
BMW

Suspension and braking are also improved in the Ms. The standard Adaptive M suspension with electronically controlled shocks offer precise control and agility, BMW says. You can adjust brake-pedal feel to one of two settings with M integrated braking. M Traction control allows you to choose between 10 different settings.

A strut tower brace helps stiffen the front of the car while other braces do the same throughout the chassis. There’s a new double ball joint front suspension and an improved five-link rear setup. The M Servotronic steering adjusts speed-sensitive assistance as well as the actual steering ratio as required for better directional control. Brakes are “newly developed,” with six-pistons grabbing 380-mm discs in front and single pistons and 370-mm discs rear. M carbon ceramic brakes are optional.

More details are coming but it sure looks like BMW has made a good thing better. Though that E30 M3 sure stands out in memory as being pretty fantastic, too.

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