BMW M3 and M4 official details revealed; 503bhp confirmed

- Standard guise will have 475bhp

- Might sport the massive new kidney grille

It’s no secret that BMW is developing its latest generation of M car based on the G20 3 Series. The replacement for the F80 M3 was teased last week undergoing final testing at the Nurburgring. Now, the Bavarian carmaker has given out the official details on the newest M sports sedan (and its two-door brethren as well).

Both the new M3 and M4 will be powered by the new 3.0-litre straight-six twin-turbocharged engine which will make close to 475bhp in the standard guise. It will be offered with a six-speed manual and will stick to rear-wheel drive. But all eyes are on the M3/M4 Competition which is boosted to punch out 503bhp and around 650Nm. It will get an eight-speed automatic and – for the first time in the M3 and M4 – an xDrive four-wheel-drive system. This is the same system which does duty in the M5.

Built on the stiffer chassis of the G20 3 Series, the new M3 and M4 have undergone significant changes under the skin. Developed ground-up, the pair is better in every possible manner compared to the outgoing model, claims the carmaker. The new chassis gets independent and wider axles. There are stiffer struts and wider tyres to make the sports car more stable – be it in a straight line or pacing through a corner. It’s definitely faster and claims to be more refined than the older model. But whether or not it will drift remains to be seen.

Lastly, the previous prototype gave us a hope that the new M3 won’t get the monstrous grille like the one seen on the new 4 Series Coupe. But that idea now seems to be floating away as the highly concealed prototypes seen here are trying to hide nose considerably. Which could mean that the new M3 and M4 might actually get the large, snorting kidney grille after all. How well BMW manages to integrate that grille in the performance models? We’ll have to wait and watch!