BMW M cars have to embody a certain duality. In addition to being great road cars, they also have to be competent on track. The very best M cars can soak up hundreds of highway miles, hop right on to a racetrack, perform brilliantly without so much as a tire pressure check, then hop back on that highway for a relaxed drive home. The M3 and M4, BMW’s newest entries into the M car legacy, certainly seem up to the task, with tons of chassis improvements and a 503-hp twin-turbo straight-six under the hood. But being quick on track doesn’t make a car, as the Road & Track staff found out during a recent outing to Lime Rock Park.
Writers and editors who took some laps in the M3 Competition and M4 walked away with mixed feelings. Some echoed the internet’s disdain for the strange double-coffin front grille. Others praised the cars’ deeply impressive front-end grip and twin-turbo straight-six engine. But no one truly fell in love.
Unsurprisingly, looks dominated the conversation. BMW’s newest kidney-grille variation, which made its on-road debut with the 2021 4-Series, is a love-it-or-hate-it affair. Associate editor Mack Hogan falls in the latter camp.
“While I’d have no trouble recommending one as a do-it-all car,” he said, “I can’t personally get over how heinously ugly they are.” For the full story, check out this article from Road & Track.
