KNALLING into the new year with the BMW M4 COMPETITION | Drive test 2016 F84 BMW M4

Welcome to yet another new video from Shift Up! We'd like to get the year off to a banging start with a driving test of a high performance sports car from BMW, namely, the BMW M4

A true sports car that immediately stands out with its aggressive front bumper with large air intakes, sharp aerodynamic mirrors and, of course, the hump on the hood, the powerdome.

Looking at the side of the car, of course, the large 19" alloy wheels also stand out with behind them the ceramic braking system that allows you to brake much more and also much harder because they can dissipate heat much better than standard brakes.

At the rear of the car, of course, you immediately notice the large spoiler that I will come back to later, as it is completely standard here. What is standard is the integrated rear spoiler in the trunk, which is a bit more subtle. Beneath it, of course, we see 4 thick exhaust pipes that produce a beautiful sound. Also these are not completely standard, but very nice! Finally, the roof which is standard made of carbon fiber to save weight and also lower the center of gravity of the car. Under the hood of this BMW M4 is a 3 liter 6 in line engine, good for 450 HP, 550 NM of torque with which it does a sprint from 0 to 100 in just 4.0 seconds.

Before we start the car and drive it, let me show you the interior of the M4. As we are used to from BMW a dashboard that is focused on you as the driver. Because it is an M4 a not a standard 4 series we see a modified steering wheel with the M1 and M2 buttons on it, about which we will tell more later. It also has the M Sport seats and carbon interior moldings.

When we start the car a magnificent sound comes from the exhaust, the M-Performance exhaust. This is not standard but can be fitted as an accessory and provides even more of an experience than standard. It has a switchable valve that allows you to mute the sound a bit more or make it full.

What strikes me immediately about the M4 is the very direct throttle response. You can also adjust it with the knob to the left of the gearshift. You can also adjust how heavily it steers and how hard it is sprung. Finally, you can adjust how it changes gears. Of course, you can make all sorts of combinations with these to make it drive to your liking. Your two favorite settings can be stored under the M1 and M2 buttons on the steering wheel. For example, on M1 you can set the throttle response to the most efficient setting, let it steer lightly, set the dampers to soft and let it shift up quickly and quietly. On M2, for example, you can then set everything to the sportiest setting, making it a completely different and also dangerous car in terms of driving.

Fortunately, most of the sound you hear comes from the exhaust, but it is also amplified by the car's speakers.

Another thing that strikes me compared to its predecessor is of course that it has much more torque. What BMW has also done well with the M4 is that the body is 35% stiffer than a standard 4 Series and also that the hood and front side fenders are made an aluminum to save weight. Finally, the electronic power steering is very precise and gives you really good feedback.

This particular example is finished in Sapphire Schwarz Metallic combined with a black Merino leather interior. It also has a beautiful leather dashboard with carbon interior moldings, carbon shift lever and alcantara steering wheel. On the outside, the car is not quite standard either as you may have seen. For example, the car has a GTS spoiler, carbon front lip, carbon mirror caps and thick 20" M Performance rims.