New BMW M3 and M4: What to expect?

A lot has been said about the upcoming sixth-gen M3 and its two-door brethren, the M4. We have seen them in numerous spied images, some test prototypes dropped by BMW, and a few teaser images of the pair ahead of the full reveal. So as BMW will be dropping the covers off the M3 and M4 tomorrow, let us take a look at everything we know so far about the go-fast sedan (and its coupe version).

Codename –

The successor to the outgoing F80 M3, the new-gen model is codenamed as G80. Based on the G20 3 Series sedan and the G22 4 Series coupe, the pair will soon be joined by a four-door Gran Coupe and a drop-top convertible model as well.

What's more, there will also be a Touring version for the first time in the history of M3. And of course, there are the race car version for the DTM racing amongst others.  

Engine –

Differentiating an M3 from the standard 3 Series is what resides under its bulging hood. Although the capacity is retained at 3.0-litre from the straight-six, the new turbocharged engine will now put out close to 475bhp in the standard guise. BMW will also offer a six-speed manual and will also stick to the characteristic rear-wheel drive.

However, the M3/M4 Competition version of the duo – for the first time – will breach the 500bhp mark. With an output of 503bhp and around 650Nm, it will get an eight-speed automatic and – another first for the M3 and M4 – an xDrive four-wheel-drive system. This is the same system which does duty in the M5.

Hardware –

BMW claims that the new M3 (and M4) is built on the stiffer chassis of the G20. They have undergone significant changes under the skin as they are developed ground-up sharing very little with the standard or the outgoing model. 

So, the new chassis gets independent and wider axles. There are stiffer struts and wider tyres to make them more stable on a straight line. And we hope it would still leave clouds of burnt rubber in its wake when you show it some corner!

Styling –

Lastly, BMW has confirmed in its teaser series that both the M3 and M4 will adorn that massive, vertical, snorting kidney grille we first saw on the i4 Concept last year. Move past that – we know we want to, as quickly as possible – and you’d have the typical M3 traits we have seen in the last four decades. 

Here are all the upgrades we expect to see – larger air-dams upfront (apart from the ridiculous grille), lowered ride height, flared wheel arches, quad exhaust at the back, muscular sheet metal work, aerodynamic wing mirrors, lip spoiler, and a whole lot of carbon-fibre elements like the bonnet and roof.

Sale –

After the global premiere, we expect the new-gen M3 and M4 to go on sale in international markets sometime in 2021. The other body styles - Estate, Gran Coupe and Convertible - will soon follow. We also expect it to reach our shore, but we’ll have to wait a bit longer for that, perhaps till 2022.