► Facelift M4 revealed
► New headlights, rear lights, steering wheel
► The grille remains untouched
BMW has refreshed the M4 and its drop-top counterpart, with small updates both cosmetic and internal.
Beneath the bonnet, the M4’s 3.0-litre, straight-six engine has been upgraded to produce 530hp – a 20hp boost over the previous model and good to launch the car from zero to 62mph in 3.5 seconds in coupé spec (3.7 if you want the one with the roof down).
Above the surface, BMW has re-energised the M4’s style with a new headlight design and taillights that feature laser diode technology to complement the cluster shape – a design akin to those found on the current M4 CSL. Sticking to the new car’s rear end, the surface on which the BMW logo sits has also been updated for an overall more elegant yet intense aesthetic.
The wheels have been refreshed, too: M forged light-alloy wheels are available as standard – 19 inches up front, 20 inches at the rear – and feature a new double-spoke design with a silver finish for the first time.
BMW M CEO Frank Van Meel has also confirmed that 2024 will see BMW M launching facelifted versions of the standard M3, in addition to the brand-new M5 and M5 Touring with hybrid V8 engines.
For more on the new M4, keep reading.
All about the facelifted BMW M4: tech specs and details
The previous BMW M4 coupe was unveiled in September 2020, amid much interest – and shock – around its new design treatment of the engorged BMW double-kidney grille (see below).
It’s the M3’s swoopier sibling, but now features enhanced powertrains. The facelifted M4 still uses the 4-series’ controversial front grille arrangement but still looks very much like an M car; wide stance, fat haunches and quad exhausts.
But there’s more to it than just looks. BMW has made some brave decisions as to what’s under the skin.
Both new M4s feature the same enhanced straight-six engines, producing 530hp, 650Nm of torque and with an electronically limited top speed of 155mph. The engine itself is supplemented by BMW’s M TwinPower Turbo Technology to work in conjunction with xDrive, the marque’s AWD system.
Has the interior been updated?
You bet. Starting with the wheel, BMW has flattened its lower edge while adorning the top with a red stripe for a breath of race car feel. Moreover, an M-style Alcantara finish is also available as an optional wheel finish for the first time, along with an optional heated version if you so wish.
The new M4 features electrically adjustable M sports seats as standard. The dashboard and control panel now come in Aluminium Rhombicle Anthracite M trim as standard – carbon fibre alternatives are available as an option – while the upholstery trim is available in four Merino leather configurations and four colours.
The new M4 can be all-wheel drive?!
BMW has learned a lot from the M5 and M8, with the M4’s (and the M3’s) all-wheel drive system borrowing heavily from those larger M Division models. M’s take on xDrive powers the rear axle alone until traction is compromised.
At that point an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch in the transfer box steps in to optimise the front/rear power split, with the Active M Differential juggling the power left/right on the rear axle. The default mode, 4WD, is fast, grippy and more neutral than Audi’s quattro, on the M5 Competition at least.
4WD Sport is more rear-biased and the pick of the bunch for real-world use, combining any-weather traction with a degree of playfulness, while 2WD opens the door to, as product management man Hagen Franke puts it, ‘a lot of fun and a lot of smoke’.
Production of the facelifted M4 will kick off in March later this year, with customer deliveries expected by April.