2019 BMW M4 Review

　　

zzdcar' Expert Review

byMark TakahashiCorrespondent

　　Mark Takahashi has worked in the automotive industry since 2001. He has written thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Mark has also contributed to Motor Trend, Auto Aficionado, Chevy High Performance and several motorcycle magazines in various roles. Mark is also a juror on the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards and can be seen regularly on the zzdcar YouTube channel and sometimes representing the company in media interviews.

　　

What's new

Apple CarPlay and parking sensors are now standard equipmentPart of the first M4 generation introduced for 2015

　　Comfort and high-performance are often on opposite ends of the automotive spectrum. A soft suspension is great at soaking up ruts in the road but not on a fun mountain road. A stiffer ride instills confidence in the curves but tends to be harsh for everyday commuting. Yet the 2019 BMW M4 finds an elusive balance between the two.

　　

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2019 BMW M4 2dr Coupe (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 6M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.78 per gallon for premium unleaded in North Dakota.

Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　$223/mo  for M4 Base

　　M4 Base

　　2dr Coupe (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 6M) (Most Popular) - $69,150 MSRP2dr Convertible (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 6M) - $77,650 MSRP

　　vs

　　$164/mo

　　Avg. Midsize Car

　　There are more seemingly improbable combinations inside. The seats are excellent for holding you in place, but they won't numb your backside, even on long road trips. Cargo space is admirable, and there's plenty of room in the front of the cabin for tall drivers. What's more, the interior quality is excellent thanks to high-end materials and a logically laid-out cabin.

　　On the performance end of the ledger, the M4 packs a turbocharged six-cylinder engine pumping out up to 444 horsepower. The M4 also tenaciously grips the tarmac and has more powerful brakes than the standard 4 Series on which it's based. We wouldn't mind a little more passion from this car, though. The engine doesn't sound all that great, and the steering lacks the road feel older BMW M division cars used to be known for.

　　

zzdcar' Expert Rating

7.3 / 10

　　

Trim tested

　　Each vehicle typically comes in multiple versions that are fundamentally similar. The ratings in this review are based on our full test of the BMW M4 Coupe (turbo 3.0L inline-6 | 6-speed manual | RWD) with the optional Competition package.

　　

Scorecard

Overall	7.3 / 10
Driving	8.0
Comfort	7.0
Interior	7.5
Utility	6.5

　　

Driving

8.0

　　The M4 has urgent acceleration, powerful brakes and a great manual transmission. Its confidence-inspiring handling means you can take turns at high speeds. It's a highly capable and satisfying car to drive.

　　

Acceleration

9.0

　　This engine rocks. Already powerful, the turbo 3.0-liter inline-six gets boosted to 444 horsepower with the Competition package. In our testing, the M4 ripped from 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds. The engine maintains excellent throttle response, while its midrange packs a wallop that lasts until redline.

　　

Braking

9.0

　　Carbon-ceramic brake rotors typically improve durability on the racetrack but groan and squeal at low speeds. Fortunately, this was not the case with the MR. They provided repeatable stopping power and a communicative pedal that was easy to modulate both at high speeds and in stop-and-go traffic. Our panic-stop test from 60 mph posted consistent results of about 109 feet.

　　

Steering

7.5

　　The wheel is precise and nicely weighted in Comfort mode, but the other two steering settings have dubious benefit. Each mode progressively reduces assistance to the point where turning the wheel requires an absurd amount of effort. High steering effort does not supplant steering feel.

　　

Handling

7.5

　　Sticky and large summer tires work with the car's manageable balance to return high cornering speeds. Though a joy on smooth roads, the M4 has trouble dealing with bumps and dips, which can trigger unnecessary stability control intervention. Three-mode adjustable dampers noticeably ramp up firmness.

　　

Drivability

8.5

　　A slick shifter and communicative clutch pedal make rowing gears effortless and enjoyable. The broad engine power means you don't have to downshift often. Automatic rev-matching on downshifts is a welcome feature that's only deactivated in the too-aggressive Sport Plus throttle response setting.

　　

Comfort

7.0

　　Even with a firm ride and thickly bolstered seats, the M4 is comfortable enough to drive every day. You'll just have to live with the drone from the exhaust, which can be a nuisance. Though less annoying, the climate controls need regular adjustment, too.

　　

Seat comfort

8.5

　　The bucket-style seats from the Competition package have large side bolsters that help keep you in place on winding roads but don't get in the way during the commute. The bolsters might be too large for wider occupants. The fabric seat material helps hold you in place.

　　

Ride comfort

7.5

　　The Competition package stiffens this already firm riding car. You have to prepare to absorb big bumps in the road, but that's what you should expect from a sports car. The damper's Comfort setting retains a livability that makes the M4 tolerable for daily driving.

　　

Noise & vibration

5.5

　　The M4 has the sports car level of volume but not the sweetness of the sound. The engine sounds terrific at high rpm but makes an annoying and ugly drone at lower engine speeds where you spend most of your time driving. You can adjust the intensity of the exhaust sound, but the drone is always there.

　　

Climate control

6.5

　　The climate control is powerful and quiet, though you have to make regular adjustments due to the granularity of the controls, such as the intensity of the auto setting and the temperature of the panel vents, which is set independently. You can't sync the two zones — a real head-scratcher. This could be simpler.

　　

Interior

7.5

　　The M4 offers more space than most two-door sports cars, including two realistically usable rear seats. Though the long doors can make access difficult in cramped parking lots and you have to reach too far to grab the seatbelts, the visibility and driving position are excellent.

　　

Ease of use

7.0

　　The cabin's traditional layout and controls are immediately understandable. The abundance of drive settings (three modes each for steering, suspension, throttle sensitivity, and stability control) requires using preset buttons on the steering wheel to store your preferred settings. It's overkill.

　　

Getting in/getting out

6.5

　　The large door openings become problematic in tight parking lots where you don't have room to open them far enough. The thick side bolsters on the optional seats make wedging yourself in and getting out even more difficult. The releases on the front seatbacks make for simple rear-seat access.

　　

Driving position

9.0

　　The steering and seat adjustments ensure an excellent view and access to important instrumentation and controls. The steering wheel isn't too thick and is sculpted appropriately for your hands. The head-up display is easy to read and sports plenty of configuration options.

　　

Roominess

8.0

　　The M4 is based on a sedan, so its interior is larger than those of more focused sports cars. There's a bunch of head-, legroom and shoulder room up front. Remarkably, the same goes for the rear seats, where headroom is the only limitation. This is a bigger interior than you might suspect.

　　

Visibility

7.0

　　A relatively upright seating position combined with a tall roof and consequently big windshield make for an excellent forward view. There are no problems with the side view, and the mirrors look cool to boot. The rear view is a little scrunched but not enough to warrant concern.

　　

Quality

7.5

　　What's here is put together very well, with tight and uniform gaps and pleasingly tactile controls. The cloth and leather seat combination is unique and effective, too. Still, the interior doesn't relay the premium and high-class feel of newer German sport coupes that cost the same.

　　

Utility

6.5

　　The trunk and split-folding rear seats make for plenty of cargo space. Interior storage options are average at best, with a shallow center bin and somewhat compromised door pockets. Though the rear-seat space is large, you wouldn't want to install or remove a car seat with any kind of frequency.

　　

Small-item storage

6.5

　　The door pockets can hold a large sports bottle, but their angle means you need a lid. The front seats have two cupholders, a cubby and some storage under the center console. Rear passengers have a shallow tray in the center. We like the hideaway compartment to the left of the steering wheel.

　　

Cargo space

7.0

　　The sedan roots translate into a large trunk that offers excess storage space for two passengers. You can release the split-folding back seats from handles in the trunk, but you still have to fold them down manually. A catch holds the cargo floor up when you're going for the flat-tire repair kit.

　　

Child safety seat accommodation

6.0

　　Though the roomy rear seats have easily locatable lower LATCH anchors and top tether anchors, the opening between the front seatback and doorjamb falls on the tighter side. Installing a car seat is something you'd only want to do once.

　　

Which M4 does zzdcar recommend?

　　There aren't any typical trim levels offered with the 2019 BMW M4. That means your decision will be limited to options. The most significant choice is picking between the manual transmission or the dual-clutch automatic. You'll get better driver involvement with the manual, but the automatic gives the M4 better acceleration and fuel economy. Considering the M4's all-purpose role, the automatic might be the better call.

　　

2019 BMW M4 models

　　The 2019 BMW M4 is based on the company's 4 Series and offered as a coupe or a convertible. We're big fans of the M4's excellent balance of performance and comfort. And while we'd recommend buying a few optional extras, the M4 is going to be a joy to drive every day regardless of how you equip it.

　　As you'd probably expect with a high-end two-door such as the M4, there's plenty of standard equipment. For starters, you get a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine (425 horsepower, 406 pound-feet of torque) and either a six-speed manual transmission or an optional seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

　　Also included are launch control, automatic rev-matching on downshifts, 18-inch wheels with summer tires, power-folding and auto-dimming heated mirrors, parking sensors, an adaptive sport-tuned suspension, an electronically controlled rear differential, keyless ignition and entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery, power-adjustable front sport seats with heating, driver-seat memory settings and split-folding rear seats.

　　In addition to the performance and cabin basics, the M4 has a decent amount of standard tech equipment, including an 8.8-inch display screen with BMW's iDrive infotainment interface, Apple CarPlay (subscription-based), a rearview camera, a navigation system, a suite of smartphone and online applications under the BMW ConnectedDrive banner, and a 16-speaker Harman Kardon surround-sound system with satellite radio.

　　A few key optional packages are available for the M4 as well. The Competition package ups the M4's power rating to 444 hp and adds 20-inch wheels, revised settings for the adaptive suspension, an even sportier exhaust, and some interior trim upgrades such as M stripes on the seat belts. The Executive package offers adaptive LED headlights, automatic high beams, side- and top-view cameras, an automated parking system, a head-up display, and speed limit information.

　　Other options include 19-inch wheels, carbon-ceramic brakes, a heated steering wheel, blind-spot monitoring, a power rear sunshade, a head-up display, and wireless device charging. You also get your choice of either a roof made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic or a traditional steel roof with a sunroof.

　　

2019 M4 Highlights

Type: CoupeConvertibleCoupe

　　

Base MSRP	$69,150
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	20 MPG
Cost to Drive	$223/month
Seating	4 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	11.0 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	rear wheel drive
Warranty	4 years / 50,000 miles