Like a good dessert which gets you salivating before you even pick up your fork, the BMW M4 Coupé excites most senses even before you get in. How well does it go down?
Story: Jim Gorde
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
It’s a bit like watching Peter Gilmore walk towards you with one of his ultimate desserts under a cloche. You just know it’s going to be special before you even see it, let alone sample it. Knowing Peter, you imagine the effort that goes into the dessert, the technique and precision involved in its creation and how the depth of flavour is so well hidden under a rather simple but exciting exterior.
It’s all-new, yet there’s an element of odd familiarity to it. The all-new 4 Series line is the 3 Series dedicated to sporting just two doors with or without a roof; gone is the 3 Series Coupé. What we have here then is the F82 M4 Coupé, and with it the company has gone back to its roots in more ways than one. Of course, that means the old E92’s ‘V’ and ‘8’ are both long gone, and a straight-six returns under the bonnet; very BMW then. It’s downsized, lighter, sharper and promises to be very quick and agile indeed. And that, clearly, is accentuated in its design.
Take a close look and you see sharp lines, creases, bulges and rakish cues which make the M4 as aerodynamic as it is a treat to take in visually. The wide F30-esque kidney-grille extends to the headlamp clusters and the bulge on the bonnet is joined by a pair of lines which extend over the carbon-fibre roof and even on to the boot-lid; the latter of which isn’t on the M3. Even the mirrors exhibit sharp, protruding details which are hard to ignore. The long doors and side windows sweep across to make for an exciting side profile, even in its Austin Yellow Metallic exterior paint scheme.
Inside, it’s the same familiar BMW surroundings about the cabin. An interplay of leather, aluminium and carbon-fibre trim greets you the moment you get in. The M seats up front and the compact rear seats make it a credible 2+2 tourer, but it does make more sense if the +2 are not plus-size. The simple, minimalistic dials in black and white are accompanied by the iDrive system and even a head-up display (HUD) – something we all enjoy. The M4 is offered with a six-speed manual transmission overseas, but in India we get the seven-speed M-tuned dual-clutch automatic transmission (M-DCT) driving the rear wheels. Like the M5, the M4 also gets its engine sound played into the cabin, to let the driver know the rev-band he or she is in. Of course, if you prefer an Italian tune to the German soundtrack, you could enjoy the Harmon-Kardon premium audio system.
