Today is a big day for performance enthusiasts and BMW fans everywhere. We get official images and information about the upcoming 2015 BMW M3 and M4. The classic M3 two-door sports coupe is now called the M4. It may take some of us a long time to get used to the name change, or perhaps not? No matter. The other ground shaking news is that these cars will be using turbo-charged power. The normally aspirated and high-revving M engines of yore are no more. Nonetheless, the new 3.0-liter turbo inline six revs to a high 7,600 rpm and produces plentiful 425 hp at 7,300 rpm and 406 lb-ft from 1,850-5,500 rpm. This is a little more horsepower than the outgoing V8, but a wonderful 111 pounds of torque above the old 4.0-liter.
The M4 weighs in at 3,300 lbs and is 176 lbs lighter than the M3 coupe. Less weight and more torque makes the new M something something. Actually, that translates to manufacturer claimed 4.1 second sprint to 60 mph for the 6-speed manual and 3.9 seconds for the dual-clutch transmission. This is more than half a second quicker than the outgoing model.
We did not forget about the more practical 2015 BMW M3. The new M3 is sedan only. It uses identical drive-train as the M4, and although BMW is not releasing the M3 curb weight – it says that the sedan matches coupe’s 0-60 mph times (4.1 and 3.9 seconds).
The new pair have many other improvement. The cooling systems for the turbo air circuit and the engine oil have been reworked in an effort to eliminate any heat-soak problems that plagued some recent BMW turbo 3-series. The new 6-speed manual has an automatic setting for downshift rev-matching. This should make any driver feel like a rock star. There is either a mechanical or electronically control limited slip diff, depending on your transmission choice. The dual-clutch gets launch control.
The suspension has been tuned further with use of ball joints and light weight components mades from forged aluminum or Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP). The wheels are in staggered width (255 front and 275 rear) and can be had in 18 or 19 inch of diameter.
Check out TFLcar playing with 2014 BMW M5 and M6:
