As an addendum to my remarks on M4 test drive the other day. I've been in the car for 3 days now and the shifter and clutch are growing on me. I guess it was the stark contrast in feel from the GT3 that made them feel so lame. Now I could live with them.

That is all.

 

A few updated notes on my F82 M4 after nearly a month:

- Throttle sensitivity in Sport+ has the transient response of most all-motor sports cars so you won't miss response, but you'll miss a linear climb of power like an NA motor. Those turbo's spin to 120k in a fraction of a second and since the motor produces truck-torque so low, Sport+ is almost too sensitive for normal driving. On a track it is exactly what you need for mid-corner slip adjustments but I normally just leave it on Sport. Efficient is nice at parking lot speeds and not much else.

- Steering is good in Comfort for my taste. Sport+ is way too heavy. Sport is probably the sweet spot for spirited driving

- Gearbox is wonderful. Zero problems and extremely well calibrated for normal daily driving. Hard driving is easy and the harshest setting, like Sport+ throttle, is very responsive and almost too much for a public road. I switch to mid-harsh on the gearbox, at most.

- Leather is Merino and it is very, very comfortable. Softer than nappa and could turn out to be a durability problem if one selects the lighter colors like Silverstone. I have Black Extended leather. The full leather option is probably worth it to take it to the P-car level of quality.

- I counted something like 70 buttons on the interior. M1 and M2 buttons must be programmed otherwise you'll crash trying to adjust to your driving style. Even with that, though, there is an overabundance of buttons but at least they're intuitive and placed well.

- The brakes scrub off speed at a surprising rate. I have a video of me braking from 118MPH down to about 60MPH very quickly and the tail lights didn't even indicate hard brakeforce. I have steel brakes. The feel is fantastic and I have no clue what the bottom half of the pedal even feels like. I have had no need to use it yet, even with a few passes at a drag strip (yes, I violated my break-in. not proud of it but I could not resist). Michelin Pilot Super Sports probably ought to receive some credit for this, though.

- Adaptive LED lights are a $1900 option and while it's a bit steep, it's worth it. Driving at night with them on is a joy to me. Just absurd how well they simulate daylight ahead and quickly respond to conditions.

Does it sound nice? Meh... I'm not enamored with the sound like I am with that of an E92, C6Z or 991. It sounds good, but nothing to write home about, IMO.

All in all, the car is a rocket and will trap 118MPH in the 1/4 mile without launching it. She is quiet and comfortable, yet very easily changes to an aggressive character that I'm sure any petrol head would enjoy. At its price and for what it provides on road and on track, I recommended it for sure.

A quick snap from the other day.

 

thanks for the review 118 1/4 mile trap is very impressive

 

I've had one for a month as well and think it's a blast. No argument with above assessment.

Lot of car for the money, perfect daily driver.

 

Manual or DCT? I'm guessing the latter based on comments but just wanted to confirm.

 

and amazingly... you didn't have get special blessing from the pope, or pay $5500 for that color.

 

That really hurts because I am one of those guys who has been on the 991 GT3 list waiting to hand over that kind of money and praying for such blessings! BMW sure does make it relatively easy to get such a pastel color.

M-DCT. I haven't driven the three-pedal but I doubt it'd be too interesting. Cayman GTS, however, I'd almost certainly do in an h-pattern based on the feedback from reviewers. BMW is giving you the option to work your left leg out if you so desire, but not too much incentive. Saving $2.9k is nice but I just think the DCT is so good its worth it and with the post above, $2.9k for a really great gearbox is nothing compared to $5.5k simply for paint on a car with the highest profit margin in the industry.

Not that I wouldn't pay for PTS. Mexico Blue 991 GT3's won't stop haunting me so I will have to fork out the cash.

 

Fully agreed on almost throttle, steering and gearbox settings. I have them in the same settings (Sport / Comfort / middle), most of the time when driving normally. You're also spot-on regarding brakes and the LEDs. And your color choice, haha!

We've done about 3k km now. What I do like is that the car becomes a lot nicer to drive (as if it settles in its preferred manners) when driven hard. That proves to me that it's still a sports car at heart!

I don't like the fact that the MDM allows virtually no play from the rear. My 1M gives you a lot more freedom in that mode. So the M3 is now set at TC OFF in my M-mode. With the longer wheelbase and epic differential, the tail is very easy to control anyway. A lot easier than the 1M, that's for sure.

I can't wait to take it up to our mountain roads (below) when the temperature starts dropping. Three lanes wide, plenty of hairpins and no other traffic. Note to self: order new rear tires before departure!

 

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-revi...sons-bmw-m3-m4

 

TomTom77- Oh my!!! - are those roads in pretty good shape?? How much fun would that be??

 

Would love to hear from someone who has spent substantial time tracking this car hard.

And if the Super Sports are tailored to the car, I wonder how the handling of the car would be affected by using different tires, including R comps.

 

I wonder how much these "BMW spec" tires will last and cost?


"Michelin played with the architecture and the compound of the Pilot Super Sport tires to fit the M car's needs. That's typical among manufactures. What isn't so typical is that the M3 wears different front and rear tires—both tread pattern and contact-patch shape are different. When viewed in section, the front tire meets the road as an oval, which allows for more progressive tire slip while turning. The rear tires create a rectangular contact patch, allowing better bite into the road. "

 

This is normal for the M3 and a number of high end cars with handling designed around the tires. On the E9X the PS2 had a different compound, shallower tread depth especially in the rear, and was tuned for turn-in. The 265 PS2s from the M3 were actually gripper overall than the 285 PS2s from the M5. Swapping tires on that car does alter the character of the car somewhat, ie turn-in was not as quick...

 

Carlos seems to approve. 118 trap speed is pretty good and IIRC its faster than a 991S.