For true petrolheads, nothing beats a manual gearbox, and BMW is one of the few automakers to have realized this. As a result, the new-gen M4 (and the M3) is one of the few sports models that can still be had with a good old stick shift.
And it’s one of these that was set loose against the clock at the Hockenheim GP recently for a timed lap. When it crossed the finish line, the clock showed a 1:55.60, which, according to SportAuto, who organized the test, places it one tenth of a second in front of the Mercedes-AMG A45 S mega hatch. It also beat the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 and Audi RS7 Sportback, which posted 1:56.90 and 1:57.30 respectively.
Our Review: The 2021 BMW M4 Competition Is Great, But Here’s How It Could Be Better
Despite being at a significant power disadvantage, the M4 Coupe came very close to beating the 602 HP Audi R8 V10 Spyder Performance. The German supercar lapped the track in 1:55.20, and it was beaten by the insanely powerful Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, which did a 1:54.60. The BMW M5 Competition and Porsche Taycan Turbo completed the course in 1:54.20 and 1:54.10 respectively, and the 718 Cayman GT4 in 1:53.90. The first three places are still occupied by the McLaren Senna, Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series and Manthey Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR, with 1:40.80, 1:43.30 and 1:43.50 respectively.
The M4 Coupe uses the same twin-turbo 3.0-liter straight-six as the Competition model. However, while this engine pushes out 503 HP and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque in the Competition, it makes ‘only’ 473 HP and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) in the base M4, for a 0 to 60 mph (0-96 km/h) of 4.1 seconds.