More Exciting Details on the Future BMW M4
It’s been a long while since we last talked about the BMW 4 Series, a sporty coupe that’s still waiting for a complete redesign unlike the 3 Series sedan.
Last September at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the German automaker introduced the stunning Concept 4 (pictured above), giving us a good stylistic preview of the next generation featuring the massive, polarizing front grille that will grace future BMW models.
- Also: BMW Concept 4 Unveiled at Frankfurt Auto Show
- Also: 2020 BMW M3 and M4 are Going to be (Manually) Awesome
This week, we learned a bit more details about the car. It made sense that the 4 Series would bring back the coupe, convertible and four-door Gran Coupe variants, but British website Autocar has received confirmation from BMW that the high-performance M4 will also offer these three body styles.
In the case of the M4 Gran Coupe, it will be a first. What exactly motivated the company? First of all, the standard 4 Series Gran Coupe (pictured below) has proven to be more popular than anticipated so far. Second, it looks like BMW is no longer concerned about hurting M3 sales and more interested in fighting the new Audi RS 5 Sportback.
All M4 models will feature a new twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine, just like the X3 M and X4 M crossovers. They’re expected to deliver 473 horsepower in base trim, which would represent of bump of 48 horsepower from the previous generation, while the exotic-sounding Competition models will likely produce 503 horsepower.
We also know from BMW M Chief Executive Officer Markus Flasch that the six-speed manual gearbox will stay in the lineup along with the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Furthermore, an M5-derived all-wheel drive system will be available in addition to the standard rear-wheel drive setup. BMW expects most customers to choose an M4 equipped with xDrive and autobox.
Development for the new BMW 4 Series is almost complete and an official reveal will take place later this year. Look for the car to go on sale in North America sometime in 2021.
