Whatever this new car is, it's going to be as good as it gets and here it is! A Gran Turismo 6-exclusive feature, the all new 2015 BMW M4 Coupe!
Things to know about the BMW M4:
- This is just a pre-production final prototype model featured in GT6
- The M4 is a high-performance version of the 4-Series, a coupe derivative of the latest 3-Series
- This performance model sees the return of BMW's straight-six engine, which in this version develops more than the outgoing M3's V8 engine thanks to the added turbos.
- It will debut at the 2014 NAIAS this January in Detroit, Michigan.
This new model came here quite a surprise ever since Yamauchi-sensei and the gang took a test prototype in Spain while in a middle of a GT6 launch party at Ronda and at the Ascari Race Resort. While many considered to be more of a twist, some would call it a hidden gem and minutes after BMW fully revealed the new models, Gran Turismo has exclusive rights to feature the M4 in the game, giving players a first drive with the latest Bimmer which sees the revival of the carmaker's straight-six engine. Although this is more of a 4-Series with the added chest hairs and some manliness only a puny boy with no muscles, smells like baby wipes, and listening to some girly Euro pop music would want. Don't tell me, I was just investigating this latest Bimmer, you know.
Well, yes, it's just a 4-Series coupe I demand GT6 to feature it but since this is the mother of all 4-Series which follows the footsteps of its M3 Coupe predecessors, it's no surprise that I now had to drive the latest Bimmer first-handed in GT6 so...how about showing this off at Ascari, shall we?
Unlike any other M Power Bimmers I have tried out over the course of this franchise, the M4 tries to be a different kind of beast or Brainiac judging by its color that matches the shirts most Brainiacs wear. If its Science Abuse you're after, the new M4 tries to be as lairy as Vic Reeves putting rockets on household items and sending them to the sky in the name of science but not for fooling everyone.
The new M4 may be mild at first but even more dynamic when you mess this Bimmer like a hooligan because this is more than just a rear-wheel drive, four-seater, two-door saloon, it's a Brainiac waiting to blow things up in the name of science.
What's bizarre about the new M4 Coupe is, like its 4-door M3 newbie, got electric power steering, for the first time implemented on the BMW M Power cars, which in theory makes it more planted. You can start reveling on the M4's new grit but when things starting to get even more personal, hold on to your hats!
While power steering isn't the only problem I'm facing with, the M4 is armed with...wait for it...well if you saw the number 7 in the gear then well done. It is a 7-speed double clutch gearbox. The 6-speed manual was a standard but the folks of GT6 went for the M4 with the 7-speed DCT on it because of its quicker shifting feel. Well, you get that idea.
So, the M4 is more of a witchcraft thanks to the added power steering which I find it to be very challenging to handle even with the best tires equipped and the 7-speed DCT which is as sharp as the Vicar of Dibley but when it comes to being an all-rounder, the BMW M4 strives to behave like any other high-performance cars do in their spare time. It really is a wolf in sheep's clothing...no wait! BAD WOLF! in sheep's clothing! It maybe messier to start but even messier all the time thanks to its dynamic and challenging nature, probably because of the M Dynamic Mode on the M4. Will it drift? Yes but plenty of smoke, no cider. You can make the car go sideways, which in the case, why would we want to drift the M4 in a mindless kind of way?
Since downsizing is all part of the BMW M regime, the new M4's straight-six turbo engine produces 11HP more power and 110.9ft-lb more torque than the old M3's V8 engine. What's more, thanks to extensive use carbon fiber plastics, it s almost 200kg less than the old M3 Coupe as well and I wonder how does the new M4 stack up against my previous favorite. Safe to say, M3 drivers had no friends since the dawn of time.
Ah, here it is, the old and deceased M3 Coupe, arrived at Ascari to prove who's the boss. Wow, no wonder the M3's V8 engine sounds more like a baritone unlike the M4's straight-six engine which is less than a soprano, more of a leaf blower. Disappointing...
On the straight part of the Ascari track, I try to figure if the added power and the 200kg diet on the M4 would really stack up against the old E93 M3 coupe. It's the moment of truth, folks. When I send these two in the straight...
The BMW M4, with its turbocharged straight six engine and the 7-speed gearbox, does 0-60mph in a theoretical 4.1 seconds, and even though they're both limited to 250kph, the new M4 not only eats the old E93 M3 for breakfast, it feels like the old M3 was just the fly on a rear view mirror!
I was very pleased about the new M4's grit, although I'm starting to think I'm going to hate this car even more than my most hated car of the year, now that it's a Gran Turismo exclusive. If other games coming to get the M4, the M4 has a way of saying "Don't get me! They'll sue you!" because the M4 is a Gran Turismo exclusive, the M4 is a Gran Turismo exclusive, and the most important thing of all, THE M4 IS A GRAN TURISMO EXCLUSIVE. Any questions?
Anyway, no time for bashing, time for a quick back in time about what I do on the BMW M4 on my maiden encounter...
To celebrate the unveiling of the 2015 BMW M4 Coupe, there's a special Seasonal Event where you'll be race against the clock with your BMW M4 round the Nurburgring GP Circuit. Don't worry though, for this seasonal event, the BMW M4 served as the courtesy car and whoever achieved the target time not only receive some cash but also the car itself, if you haven't got one already.
The Nurburgring GP Circuit served as the basis for the F1 German GP and this was made in light of the fiery crash between James Hunt and Niki Lauda at the Nordschleife a few years ago. It was built in 1984 and renovated in 2002. Michael Schumacher holds the lap record at the Nurburgring GP Circuit with a 1min 29.468s lap in 2004. It maybe less than the dreaded Nordschleife but it's still a technical track, making this more challenging for the M4 and trust me, it took me an hour to snag the gold target.
As the progress intensifies, the BMW M4 gets even more aggressive and when times get tough in a track like this, this new and improved sportier model is not giving up without a good fight, unless if you're a girl stabbing your guts with an umbrella. Ohhh...my gu-uts...my guts...
An hour later, I have finally beaten the Gold target time and my lap time on a seasonal event like this is 2:17.745. Not the quickest as you know it but hey, it's the best I can do for my first impression.
So, after all the talk and the drive with the new M4, what can I say? Well, I may find it more of a disappointed about its power steering that makes my handling as catastrophic as a rat rod as well as the 7-speed DCT that keeps me questioning but because of its fun factor and its Brainiac-like behavior that loves to throw caution to the wind, this new model will keep me occupied for hours but not at all. I'm very glad I get my first try on the high-performance version of the car I demand GT6 to feature it. After all, it's just a 4-Series with the added firepower on it but this car made me proud. The M4 made me proud and I made the M4 proud. That is...Freude am Fahren.
