The new BMW M3 and M4 models now come with all-wheel drive on the Competition versions as standard and that’s certainly something unique for the two popular sportscars. And certainly, this is a smart move from BMW. It may not be necessary, but if the experience they had with the F90 M5 is anything to go by, it’s a smart move. Therefore, the new M cars now get M xDrive, the same system as the one from the M5.
This new system has a couple of advantages. A lot of people have been complaining that with the introduction of all-wheel drive, these cars will lose their character. But the M xDrive system is extremely clever and can still send all the power to the rear axle alone. If you want to. Sure, there are still a couple of problems, such as the added weight, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
Among those pros you’ll find the better grip when launching. The old F80 M3 and F82 M4 used to lose to their main rivals in the past, when it came to drag racing, because even though they had the power needed to get ahead, they couldn’t actually put it down through the rear axle alone. Now that’s not the case anymore and the new M3 and M4 models will be able to slingshot from a standstill whenever needed.
For now, the M3 and M4 Competition are available solely in RWD guises but, starting this July, all-wheel drive models will come out. In the meantime though, you can check out this video from BMW explaining how the system works.
