Thursday 10th December 2015

BMW M4: PH Fleet

After the encouragement of Brands Hatch the M4 reveals its wild side in the winter gloom

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So there I was saying how unexpectedly brilliant and easy to balance the M4 was on a greasy track. And then I took a detour across rural Bedfordshire in typically wintry conditions. And things got a bit lairy.

Charm yet to wear off despite a winter scare

Good news? I didn't actually end up in a field. Mainly because I think the BMW couldn't quite decide between leaving the road via snap oversteer or just bouncing off it through a combination of overly fierce springs and insufficient damping. When we stopped my brother, following in his MX-5, looked ashen. "That was scary just watching it!" he said.

A sensible man would have just driven a little slower but it's fair to say - as others have reported - a greasy, bumpy B-road and the M4 are not happy bedfellows. Or at least this M4. But it seems there may be a solution and, after a stirring recommendation from PHer Wills2 following my last report, I'm off to drive an M4 with a few important tweaks. "I've just come back from AC Schnitzer UK having driven their modified M4 today, OMG what a machine!" he said in his post. "It has their full RS passive damper and spring set up, 510hp, exhaust and lashings of carbon. I've driven the standard M3 but this is on another level the traction and turn-in leave you astounded, the way it handles directional changes whilst dealing with road camber and soaking up the worst of Norfolk's B-roads is a marvel."

'FKU' seems an apt plate for this Schnitzer M4

Recommendation indeed and, having read that, I was quickly on the phone to Schnitzer's UK operation in Norfolk to arrange a go. More power from a Schnitzer piggyback ECU and less sidewall via 20-inch wheels sound like just what the car doesn't need. But our man Wills2 was clearly impressed and I'm keen to see if it lives up to the hype. Plus the demo car is the same colour as 'mine' so it'll make a proper like-for-like comparison. Watch this space for more.

In other news I've mainly just been enjoying what'll probably be my last few journeys in the M4 before it goes back and I fully swap into the Range Rover. I am determined to get another track session in before that, if only because the confines of Brands merely hinted at what's there with a little more room to play with. And, white-knuckle ride on the bumpy B-road or not, the upward trajectory of my affections for the M4 continue.

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FACT SHEET
Car: BMW M4
Run by: Dan
On fleet since: June 2015
Mileage: 12,339
List price new: £73,870 (Basic list of £57,055 plus £1,330 for Black Merino leather, £545 for advanced parking package, £2,645 for 7-speed M DCT transmission, £6,250 for carbon ceramic brakes, £175 for 19" M Double-spoke style 437M alloy wheels/Black with mixed tyres, £265 for sun protection glass, £155 for extended storage, £140 for sliding front armrest, £440 for lane change warning system, £395 for Carbon Fibre interior trim, £1,600 for Adaptive LED headlights, £370 for driving assistant, £500 surround view, £825 Head-up display, £675 Harman/Kardon Loudspeaker system, £95 internet and £190 for online entertainment)
Last month at a glance: Good and bad in the winter gloom

Previous reports
Dan wanted an M3, gets an M4 instead - what to do?!
It started so well... and now the M4 is in the bodyshop
Finally back from the bodyshop; time to drive!
Tyres were harmed in the making of this film
Just read the ruddy manual!
So, is it better than the C63 AMG?

[sh33n]

I have to agree that the M4 feels most at home on sweeping A roads than Bs. I went out for a spirited drive a few nights back and found myself sticking to As and those which included changing to two lanes so I could appreciate the sheer acceleration rather than outright cornering speeds.

Be good to hear the review, but the AC Schnitzer stuff does come at a massive premium. The remap is the same box that appears every tuner has and can be had for ~£600.