South Africa is well known for its amazing landscape, so it comes as no surprise that the local BMW branch takes advantage of that to feature some of their latest products. The new BMW M3 and M4 make no exception and are featured in the new photoshoot. As expected, the M4 is painted in the Sao Paulo Yellow, the launch color of the sports coupe. The beautiful yellow is one of the many paintworks available for the new M brothers, and certainly one of the most polarizing one.
From non-metallic to metallic and matte options, there is likely a color for every M owner out there.
- Non-metallic: Alpine White, Sao Paulo Yellow (new addition)
- Metallic: Isle of Man Green (new), Toronto Red (new), Sapphire Black, Skyscraper Grey, Portimao Blue, Brooklyn Grey
The BMW Individual program also plays an important role in the marketing effort of the new M cars. A customer could order paint jobs like the Frozen White, Frozen Brilliant White, Frozen Black, Frozen Dark Grey, Frozen Orange, Frozen Portimao, Dravit Grey, Oxide Grey, Tanzanite Blue II, and much more. Some of those are part of the standard color palette, while others can be ordered from the BMW Individual catalog.
Things are equally exciting in the interior of this M4 Competition. The carbon fiber Competition bucket seats are wrapped in a two-tone leather combination – black and white – which work extremely well with the carbon fiber inserts. The new BMW M3 Sedan and M4 Coupe also come with a standard BMW Individual Anthracite headliner and dashboard trims in high-gloss black material. Further optional appointments include the Aluminum Tetragon ornaments and the Carbon Fibre high-gloss package which carbon fibre trims and carbon inlays for the steering wheel and shift paddles.
The running heart of the recently revealed M3 Sedan and M4 Coupe is the S58 engine, which specifically enhanced by the BMW M division using the B58 unit as starting point. The straight-six petrol engine is offered in two output stages. The entry-level M3 and M4 models receive the 353 kW / 480 PS (473 hp) iteration of the powertrain, whereas the range-topping Competition versions are powered by the 375 kW / 510 PS (503 hp) version of the S58 unit.
Power delivery is performed either via six-speed manual gearbox or an 8-speed M Steptronic transmission with M Drivelogic management unit. The output essentially reaches the rear-axle wheels for both the 480 PS and the 510 PS Competition variants.
Compared to the preceding Competition models, the new high-end M3 and M4 variants now boast a power increase by up to 44 kW / 60 PS and a boost in peak torque achieved of up to 100 Nm (74 lb-ft). While the standard models promise 550 Nm (405 lb-ft) available over a wide rev range between 2,650 rpm and 6,130 rpm, the Competition iterations are good for no less than 650 Nm (479 lb-ft) that are continuously delivered between 2,750 rpm and 5,500 rpm. The peak output of both engine declinations are fully achievable at 6,250 rpm, whereas the red line commences at 7,200 rpm.
Click below for an extensive photo gallery: