New BMW M4 India review, test drive

What is it like to drive?

While we got to drive the M4 only at the Buddh International Circuit, we weren’t necessarily complaining. That’s got to do with how much fun the M4 is to drive. The M4’s 425bhp engine may develop slightly more power than the older M3’s naturally aspirated V8, but it’s the bump up in torque (courtesy the turbos) to 56kgm that is most evident. There’s a strong push from very low in the rev range which is something that comes handy when blasting out of slow corners such as Turn 3 at the BIC. On the straights, the M4 will impress with the way it picks up speed. It’s undoubtedly fast but you’d also wish the engine revved a bit more. Sure, the M4’s 7600rpm rev limit is high for a turbo car but given that M3s are known for their highly strung engines, it’s a bit of a downer. Also, the exhaust note, though bassy and rich, lacks a bit in drama. Another point to note here is that the transition from one ratio to the next on the sportiest setting of the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is not particularly smooth. Fast? Yes. Imperceptible? No.

All said, these are things you’d happily live with once you experience how the M4 drives around a race track. With the dampers and steering set to their most aggressive settings, the M4 will win you over for how decisively it changes direction. The car does exactly what you want it to do – there’s no roll, no inertia and no delay between orders at the steering being executed by the front wheels. On a sequence of bends, the M4 will simply keep you hooked. Pity we didn’t have an opportunity to test the leniency of the active rear differential. Because with so much torque channeled to the rear wheels, the M4 seems like a car that would be happy to break traction at your command.