Looking at the pictures will give you mixed feelings about these cars. 4-Series was created as a “casual brother” for the current 3-Series, taking from it coupé and convertible (and certainly the Gran Coupé, later) in order to leave it with family variations such as sedan and station wagon. This plan would be very interesting if each series had its own design elements, but since we’re talking about German automakers… Nevertheless, this paragraph’s first sentence is still right. Since BMW claims they’re different and most people claim they’re not, the only way of proving until what point each one is right is to look at them side-by-side. And what would be a more pleasant opportunity to do that than using their brand new Motorsport versions?
Most conclusions which you’re going to make about the design will converge into M3 honoring its family-sedan values, with more formal shapes, while M4 could be considered “casual”. Even so, BMW’s performance sector could use almost identical external accessories and achieve great results on both. The front bumper mixes black intakes with colored wings probably so it doesn’t look excessively aggressive. There are also 19” wheels, side spoilers and a new rear bumper, whose design resembles the front one’s. And when it comes to the interior, Motorsport features are basically one-piece sports seats, three-colored stitching and M-branded footrest, but these cars have much more to present.
There are more carbon-fiber parts than ever, including a 5-kg-lighter roof that helps to lower the gravity center. Others are made of aluminum, between mechanical and structural parts, and everything aids to shaving 80 kg off of both, compared to the outgoing M3’s coupé and sedan versions. Such sophistication is paired to exclusive M items, such as active differential, improved brakes with four-piston calipers in the front and two-piston ones in the back and track-spec cooling systems. Regarding the transmissions, the options are a six-speed manual or the very efficient seven-speed, dual-clutch M-DCT unit. If you take the latter one, you’ll also receive paddleshifters and two very interesting systems: launch control and the whole new “Smokey Burnout”.
Opening the hood reveals that BMW dropped the outgoing M3’s V8 for a six-cylinder unit once again, with the difference of being (twin) turbocharged for the first time. The 3.0L propeller equips both M3 and M4 and offers 425 hp and 406 lb-ft, represeting 11-hp and impressive 111-lb-ft improvements. The consumption numbers are 194 g/km of CO2 and a combined 34-kpl mileage, while the performance is expressed through going from 0 to 62 mph in 4s1 and to the top speed of 155 mph. This one can be raised to 174 mph if you take the available M Driver’s pack. BMW’s new sporty vehicles will hit the streets in 2014’s second trimester. In United Kingdom, M3 will start at £56,175 and M4 at £56,653.
Lançamento do M3 no Brasil (20/02/2015)
Outro destaque do Salão do Automóvel no ano passado, a versão esportiva do BMW Série 3 finalmente chega ao Brasil em sua mais nova geração. Custando R$ 399.950, o M3 começa a atrair com o pacote exclusivo de itens de estilo e performance, que inclui rodas de 19” e parachoques mais agressivos. Na cabine, aparecem acabamento em tons escuros e bancos esportivos. Quanto à performance, o antigo 4.0 V8 foi trocado por um 3.0 de seis cilindros, o que elevou a potência a 431 cv e o torque a 56,1 kgfm. Segundo a marca, o sedã utiliza um câmbio automatizado com dupla embreagem e sete marchas, e acelera de 0 a 100 km/h em 4,1 segundos.