The regular versions of BMW‘s 3-Series are fine and dandy and will get the job done for most people, but ever since the Bavarian carmaker plastered the M logo on the E30 back in the mid-1980s, if you really wanted to experience the best that BMW has to offer in this segment, the M3 was the way to go.
With the new F30 3-Series, though, there’s been a change of plans as BMW split the range in two, naming the sportier bodied models (Coupe, Convertible and the upcoming Gran Coupe), 4-Series.
So while the M3 will continue as a four-door sedan, the far more popular coupe and convertible models will be known as the M4s.
Our spies snooped out the new M4 Coupe undergoing cold weather tests and from these shots, we get a better look at some of the bespoke styling features that will set it apart from the standard models.
Up front, the M4 gets a bespoke bumper, a double kidney grille with black slats, and a power dome on the bonnet, while at the back, there is a different bumper sporting a diffuser and quad exhaust pipes, and an integrated (?) spoiler on the boot lid.
The car also features blistered wheel arches to accommodate the wider tracks and the chunkier 19-inch wheels, along with a new set of side sills and different mirrors that look rather large on this test car. The carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) roof is wrapped in camouflage, but the material will be visible on the production car.
BMW will also make sure that you won’t mistake the interior for a lesser model with the usual M goods, such as a pair of adjustable sport seats up front, bespoke instrument panel and gauges, an Alcantara headliner, sport steering and gearbox lever, and trim appliques.
The new M4 will be lighter than the M3 Coupe it replaces, not only because of the newer platform and the materials used on the car, but also because it ditches the current model’s naturally aspirated 414hp (420PS) 4.0-liter V8 for a brand-new 3.0-liter inline-six with two or according to some other accounts, three turbochargers.
The straight-six engine was recently confirmed through a VIN check of an M4 Coupe test car, in which BMW noted that it produced 416hp (422PS), but this figure may change on the final production car that will be introduced next year.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoopS
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