BMW M, along with every performance subdivision around - the successful ones, at least - knows that it has to give the people what they want. If the people aren’t going to buy it, don’t make it. See what’s happened with the four-cylinder C63 for proof. Your fast car offering has to be desirable, relevant, engaging and everything else on top.
So when the M3’s automated manual just wouldn’t cut it anymore, in came a DCT. When the V8 wasn’t torquey (or clean) enough, a twin-turbo six arrived. That dual-clutch was so good (and so popular) that the manual could be dropped entirely (from some markets, at least). As buyers took to new technology in their droves, so the old ways could be left behind. The M3 and M4 continue to evolve and modernise, and their popularity appears unharmed. If the people want it and buy it, BMW builds it.
All of which means we now live in a world of auto-only, xDrive-only M3s and M4s. Still takes a bit of getting used to, given the latter badge is only a decade old and that was a pretty different car to this one, but it’s also a hard decision to argue. The M2 remains there with a manual and rear-drive for those that must, and the xDrive installation really is very hard to fault. Why wouldn’t BMW sell only the more expensive, more profitable variant that’s the one the majority are buying anyway? Worked for going auto-only, after all.
The car seen here is the LCI (Life Cycle Impulse) mid-life refresh of the M4. Having driven a convertible in Germany, an opportunity to try a coupe in the UK wasn’t one to pass up. (Albeit without time for snaps, hence the press images of an LCI'd German car in the manual, 480hp, non-Comp spec we don’t get.) The first eight-speed xDrive came in like a wrecking ball in 2021, confounding all notions of four-wheel drive in performance cars of this ilk. What was notable was just how seamless the installation was; this was just an M4 that boasted more traction when needed. It could be just as silly when required. More M4, more of the time.
This update looks like a case of more again. More power (now 530hp, from 510hp), more screenage, more tech (like the wonderful CSL-style OLED lights), more money. Our test car was very easily specced - thank you, Ultimate Pack - to £111,000. But no more weight, thank goodness: still just 1,850kg.
To most intents and purposes, this resembles the same old M4 xDrive. The new look is welcome (honest), with the fresh lighting front and rear usefully jazzing up each end and meaning that even the reasonably casual observer could identify it as an update. The G82 still looks large (the rear doors of the M3 help break up the bulk) and a Giulia will still take the beauty pageant wreath home, though it’s better.
The interior refresh is probably where the biggest improvements lie (and it wasn’t bad to start with). Combining both driver’s dials and infotainment display into one widescreen, as seen across the BMW range now, does feel a tad overwhelming initially, though looks a lot neater than the old setup when put side-by-side. The digital readouts have a nicer design now as well. Plus, this being a BMW, everything feels beautifully built (as well it might for the price) and works really nicely, whether using the touchscreen, iDrive dial, buttons or voice. As the tech becomes more prominent, so ease of use becomes more important with it. Retaining a sense of occasion almost seems like a bonus on top - this undoubtedly feels far more like a £85k car (as standard) everywhere that you look than a Giulia ever will.
That it’s taken this time to get to how the 2024 M4 xDrive actually goes down a road should say a lot about the experience. It’s as you were, basically. Where once an LCI revision might usher in some meaningful hardware and software changes, whatever’s happened this time around has had a less pronounced effect. Or, more likely because nothing has been mentioned, nothing has been changed. And why would it? The xDrive was a beast the first time around, so that’s exactly what BMW has offered up again. Another 20hp on top of the official 510hp of before isn’t even another shot in a bucket-sized punchbowl (the 0-62mph remains at 3.5 seconds), so that familiar feeling of epic, indefatigable, who-needs-an-M5-anyway shove is unchanged. Still addictive, strong from no revs and soaring to 7,200rpm.
Similarly, the way it drives makes a mockery of preconceived notions about weight and four-driven wheels - but that happened in 2021 also. As well as being savagely fast and an accomplished grand tourer, the M4 can be accurate, precise and rewarding on top. Perhaps nobody’s dream M car of this calibre was so heavy and so complex, yet the result remains pretty astonishing. The front axle is unfazed by any drive requirements, still pin sharp, and no axle is ever overburdened (unless you want the rear to be). The xDrive always ensures the right split feels exciting, safe, fast and engaging. With the powertrain in Sport (because Efficient seems inappropriate), the brake similarly configured for a bit more weight to go with the immense power (though just one better pedal would be preferable) and everything else in Comfort - the more aggressive damping will be better suited to track - it’s a ferociously fast car. With just about enough coming back to feel interesting.
If this car were something like a BMW M6 (which feels acceptable given the performance, luxury, tech and size), probably there’d be less controversy around price, xDrive, an auto that’s very good without being great and so on. Because the M4 badge has come so far in such a short space of time, it can be hard to keep up with what BMW expects the car to be. Patently it’s hard to recommend spending £111,000 on a regular production BMW 4 Series, particularly one that’s only modestly improved from before. Even if a lease on an original xDrive is winding up, it’ll feel a lot like the same again rather than a significant step forward.
That being said, the all-wheel drive M4 nailed the brief so emphatically the first time around that it’s perhaps churlish to expect very much more just three years later. Anyone without experience of the xDrive will likely be blown away by the interior and the devastating speed; anyone familiar will find the same old monster presented in ever so slightly nicer fashion. Don’t be surprised if, despite your laudably purist proclivities, you like it very much indeed.
SPECIFICATION | 2024 BMW M4 COMPETITION XDRIVE (G82)
Engine: 2,993cc, twin-turbo straight-six
Transmission: 8-speed auto, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 530@6,250rpm
Torque (lb ft): 479@2,750-5,730rpm
0-62mph: 3.5sec
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 1,775kg DIN, 1,850kg EU
MPG: 28-28.2
CO2: 226-229g/km
Price: £85,155 (price as standard; price as tested £111,104.99 (!), comprising Skyscraper Grey metallic for £875, M Race Track Package (Carbon ceramic brakes, M Carbon bucket seats, M Driver’s Pack) for £11,900, Ultimate Pack (Heated steering wheel, Electric bootlid, Comfort Access, BMW Individual Lights Shadow Line, Luxury Instrument Panel, Adaptive LED lights, High beam assist, Driving Assistant Pro, Parking Assistant Plus, M Carbon exterior styling) for £12,850, Kyalami Orange and Black bicolour extended Merino leather) for £325)
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