So I went and bought a Jaaaag

[Lady Elanore]

As some of you know, I went out and spent my retirement fund on a pre-registered BMW M4. Yes I'm sure at this point lots of people want to make comments like 'thats coz BMW can't sell em', 'they are pants anyway' and 'the Civic Type R is faster'. This thread isn't for that, I'm aware that BMW is generally not liked on Brisky, but several of us ex owners have gone over to the dark side and we still like Skodas

 

Anyhoo, the car had 11 miles on the clock and £20K off list! 2 days of arguing and haggling on finance later, my M135 had been chopped in and I had put down a deposit at Williams Stockport. Great fun dealing with them and they were up for the challenge, I spent 2 days walking between the new car and the used car parts of the showroom to see if I could get a new one as cheaply on a PCP as the used one. Anyhoo the used car won and I ended up with a 'police car white' M4 - not my first choice colour  (or my second)

 

Anyhoo it's now run-in and I can be silly with it. The first thing I should say it is not without it's rattles! More than my previous 10 cars I would say, part of this is the rather firm suspension but it's a very common whinge about the M3 and M4. Mind you it's hard to hear the rattles (most door cards - I've had one replaced under warranty to try and stop the rattle!!) for the tyre noise. I have the smaller 19" wheels with 255s upfront and 275s at the back and you certainly know they are there aurally. Also the engine noise isn't up there with the latest Alfa or Jaguar F type 3.0 V6S but it does sound very purposeful and quite angry when pressing on  

 

The good stuff

It's quick, proper grown up quick. I've seen 0-100 times of around 8.5-8.7 seconds, times that would have been supercar quick 15 years ago. The engine pulls really hard from pretty low down, with over 400lb/ft at 1800- to over 5000 rpm, meaning the car has 'traction issues'. Wheel spin can be activated at any speed seemingly  wet or dry. actually in the wet I could beat the car from a set of lights to the other side of the crossing wearing a full diving suit and flippers. It has a button marked MDM which allows some slip so you can fool around with a bit of a safety net. BMW says that you can still spin the car with this mode activated  If you hold the button down you can pretend you are Chris Harris....as you crash your car backwards. It's actually great fun, driving, not crashing. The front end digs in like a mole with a jack hammer and the grip is really quite stupendous. The DCT gear change is a mixed bag though and in it's most aggressive setting can break traction as the next gear thumps in which helps explain why it can spin up at motorway speeds in the dry, it really is a car you have have your wits about you if you want to use the performance. In it's easiest mode the gear change is like a good automatic though and very livable with. Acceleration is like a scalded cat sat on a rocket hurtling into a black hole. a friend of mine drove it last week and reckoned his RS4 wouldn't have seen which way the M4 had gone in a rolling start race, mind you neither would the M4 driver if you turn everything off (it does have very nifty rear facing cameras and surround cameras int he door mirrors, so this might help). Also the economy is pretty good. I'm getting a little over 30 mpg on the motorways and up to 34mpg on longer trips with speed restrictions. Seats are the usual excellent M ones with adjustable side sinch and the car also has a head up display. Brilliant...except you can' wear polarised sunglasses if you want to see it. it's fully connected apparently and has nice things like wireless charging for you phone built in, but it's really dominated by the driving experience. It really does feel quite serious, in the way fast cars do. Everything feels mechanically tightly bolted together (apart from the door cars) and even the rear subframe is bolted straight to the body in white without rubber bushes. Probably goes to the extraordinary torsional stiffness of the body. Oh and it has a carbon fibre roof  Oh it also has voodoo lights. BMW call these Icon Adaptive and they are very clever indeed. I'm waiting for them to break as they are so smart and complicated in their operation. 

 

I initially thought the car would be like a grown up M135i, but it's a very different car in design and nature. BMW give the M3 and M4 a different number designation to the standard 3 and 4 series and i think I can feel why. So yes, so far I love it, but it's not quite as easy to live with as the M135 was and parking can be a pain as the car is several inches wider. So without further rambling, hear's some pictures (and yes I concede that it still wouldn't beat a Furby 2.0 petrol in any form of race)

 

 

7DAR7786 by Amanda, on Flickr

 

 

7DAR7790 by Amanda, on Flickr

 

7DAR7810-HDR by Amanda, on Flickr

 

7DAR7828 by Amanda, on Flickr

 

7DAR7764 by Amanda, on Flickr

 

7DAR7776 by Amanda, on Flickr

 

7DAR7780 by Amanda, on Flickr

 

7DAR7781 by Amanda, on Flickr

Edited 27 October, 2023 by Lady Elanore

[mac11irl]

I like the 4 series, seeing more of them in non M spec around.

I just cant justify the outlay, given what i use my car for work wise..

[Lady Elanore]

I've had to keep my little Suzy 4x4 for the snow. I can't imagine the M4 would be much fun acting as the local Zamboni machine

[Ryeman]

You bought it for the exhaust pipes........admit it!

[Gaz]

Oooh, that looks proper jubbly!  

 

Gaz

[mac11irl]

Soz,

 

I did forget to say...

Yours looks absolutely stunning

 

[Lady Elanore]

1 hour ago, Ryeman said:

You bought it for the exhaust pipes........admit it!

 

 

 

...and the illuminated M badge on the seats (proper tacky :D) 

[Ryeman]

10 minutes ago, Lady Elanore said:

 

 

 

...and the illuminated M badge on the seats (proper tacky :D) 

Priorities I guess.

 

 

ps....a harsh ride and rattles would tire me out quick time.

Edited 29 May, 2018 by Ryeman

[Lady Elanore]

I know what you mean but then I look at this in the morning and think 'nom nom'

 

M4 b&w by Amanda, on Flickr

[Aspman]

Sweeeet.  White not my favourite car colour but that works.

 

I know what you mean about rattly doors. Mine does it at extremes of temperature only thank goodness. Very hot or very cold and tappity tap in my ear. And I hate rattles in cars.

 

I love the engine in me beemer but the build in the rest of the car hasn't impressed me.

 

The car is only 30months old and my alloys are rotten and will need powder coated. The radio needs replaced again due to the paint on the buttons splitting (that would be the 3rd one). And BMW every time you point out an issue roll their eyes like they'd done you a favour to sell the car in the first place. They refused to fix the alloys under warranty because they had been fixed once before (this was an in house BMW company car sold approved used).

 

Some big bills coming up so I'm thinking about moving on..... then I press the loud pedal, and remember I've a 313hp diesel that will out accelerate a Ferrari 355 and gets me 42mpg. Damn you, you Bavarian beast.

[Lady Elanore]

My M135 didn't have any rattles of note, so I was a little disappointed about the M4 already having a few. Having read the M3/4 forums on the subject, I now realise that the rattles are a feature, not a fault. I'm using the M4 as a daily driver and I guess it's getting near to the point of what is a dual nature car. An Aston might be easily as quick, but probably a lot easier to live with in some ways, but then again it cost 2-4 times as much. So I guess BMW focused on making the car quick before they dealt with the mundane stuff, eg the car has no 'creep' in drive, so slow speed maneuvering, especially on an incline is a little tricky. The answer to this one though is to use the 'proper' handbrake and the throttle to inch the car about  It's also a surprisingly big car. around 2 inches wider than the B8 Audi RS4 Avant and only a couple of inches shorter.

 

But it comes back to why did I buy it and it succeeds in that department in spades. I've driven it over the North Yorkshire and Co Durham moors a couple of times (70 miles of unbroken happiness)  and I noticed I was traveling the same sort of speeds I did in my M135 but I thought I was just cruising, it certainly didn't feel like cruising in the M135. A lot of this, I feel, is down to the dampers which was a weak spot in the M135 and the latest M4s have the 'Competition' dampers now as standard. It's easily quicker than the Baby Beemer, the only real limiting factor (well apart from traction :D) is the width on some of the tighter twisty, but you can't have the nice wide track without it  

[Robshaw]

I'd love to have an M4. Out of interest, why don't you like the white? I think it's great for the car! What was your first/second choice for colour?

 

Congratulations indeed, what a lovely car!

[Lady Elanore]

It's always dirty :( If I had the choice I would have gone for Tanzinite Blue, but I also like Yaris Blue, Mineral grey and they do a Ferrari Red sort of colour which is stunning (but cost more than a small stately home to option :( ) 

[vrskeith]

Biggest BMW UK Fan boy, Joe Achilles reviews M4 Competition Pack 2018.

 

 

 

[DaveI]

Very nice car Amanda, if I see you coming the other way i'll make sure to pull right over due to your extra few inches

 

My 3 series doesn't rattle but it did squeak!

 

BMW fixed it during it's first service and the lady on the service desk remarked they all do that after a while!

 

Adjusted the doors and added some sort of tape to the door rubbers, all done with no complaining.

[Lady Elanore]

My extra few inches are mostly the width of the car! honest  

 

It's nearly always the door cards that peeps complain about it seems. Hopefully I'll be coming up through Co Durham to my parents next week. I drive up through Kirkby Stephen and on through to Middleton in Teesdale, before whizzing up to Stanhope or Wolsingham  Some great roads 

[penguin17]

Now that is very pretty indeed.  Nice work 

 

Ordinarily my philosophy on white cars is that only two cars should ever been spec'd in white, a Golf GTI or any flavour of 911.  I must say however that the M4 looks lovely in white and really suits the lines and proportions of the car.  I've never actually liked any BMW I've seen in white but that just looks epic.   I also have exhaust envy.  

 

What a fabulous way to spend your retirement fund too.  I've never understood the mindset of working hard all your life and saving, investing, etc and then never actually enjoying the fruits of your labour.  Life is too short and that 'rainy day' could be your funeral. 

 

What other cars did you consider/try before 'settling' for the M4.  Did you not fancy the F type or maybe a Cayman?

 

Enjoy the car, anytime you wish to have me drive it around the NY Moors for the day then just let me know 

Edited 1 June, 2018 by penguin17

[Lady Elanore]

Funnily enough I love the F Type and the Cayman - both on my fantasy shopping list, but simply couldn't get the deals I wanted (they were miles out financially from the BMW deal). The F type makes up for it's lack of performance and a bit too much time at the pudding section of life with fabulous exhaust sounds (V6S) and it looks stunning. The Cayman is simply too expensive if I wanted delivery miles, or new, on one and a decent spec. But the M4 looks good (still prefer the chunky M3 though) sounds OK (not as good as F type or screaming flat six) but makes up for this with performance that makes the other two cars look like they are pulling a static caravan behind them. It does feel a very serious car though. I can't put my finger on why, but I suspect it's the micro sensations of the drivetrain, suspension, road surface etc  making themselves known. I've driven many faster cars than the M4, but they rarely felt quite as raw (not including really daft things like Intergrowlers, Viper, Megabusa Westfield  etc)

[VWD]

WOW- saw this post and like the other one about Hamburgers, though it might be about a certain Motorway. Anyway- enjoy your choice of car. Hopefully you won't have many of the mods mentioned on Sniff Petrol added.

[Lady Elanore]

If I could have afforded to buy the M4 I think this thread might contain pictures of a Lancia Stratos and a Dino 246  

[Lady Elanore]

I've just been offered the MPE zorst off a BMW Demo car as the new owner didn't want it on!!??                          

[Lady Elanore]

Whoot whoot. Going in on Thursday to have it fitted. apparently in great condition and with carbon tips. a saving of around £3,500 on RRP  

[KenONeill]

Nowt as queer as folks aye?

[Lady Elanore]

I must admit both myself and the dealership are a bit baffled. Still, perhaps the new owner of the Demo car has an aftermarket zorst lined up? You would assume so, surely 

[Lady Elanore]

So to follow on from this Zorst stuff above, it recently came to my attention that you can't actually buy an MPE exhaust any more (current stock excepted) for your M3/4. Turns out that once the M4 resurfaces in a month or two with it's OPF exhaust filter jobbie, it won't be able to use the flappy valve exhaust thingy. So I got in just before the lock so to speak

 

But more worrying is, I've have just read Shmee150's review of the new M2 Competition (linky) and the 'M2 Comp' seems to be the first incarnation of the S55 (M3/4 engine) with this new Euro filter. You no longer get the 'weird farting' (His words and I'm not sure if Shmee is referring to the car or himself?) between gear shifts and in order to protect the new filter all sorts of compromises have been made to the engines performance. Reading between the lines it looks like this may in general be a backward step for performance fans in general as this new rule comes into force. I am guessing any current production engines will now suffer a little to accommodate the mod :(