The All new 2021 BMW M3 & M4 Competition Walkaround
6BMW Product Manager James Thompson met former racing driver Paul O’Neill at Brands Hatch racetrack with two very special cars earlier this month.
In the UK market, BMW enthusiasts will only be able to buy the Competition spec models of the BMW M3 and M4 at launch. Additionally, all UK M3s and M4s will have xDrive all-wheel drive equipped for the foreseeable future. While entry-level cars, with manual transmissions and rear-wheel drive, will eventually make their way to the UK, it’s big power, auto ‘boxes and all-wheel drive for now. Pricing for the UK market has also been released and they’re not going to be cheap.
The BMW M3 Competition will start at £74,755 and the M4 Competition will start at £76,055. That’s before the optional carbon fiber bucket seats, interesting paint colors and all of the other fun options we’ve seen in press photos.
Both cars will essentially be the same under the skin. Only minor chassis changes differentiate the two. So both cars get the same 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged inline-six engine (S58) with 503 bhp and 406 lb-ft of torque. In the UK market, the Competition spec-only cars will have automatic gearboxes with xDrive all-wheel drive, giving them the ability to nail 60 mph in under four seconds. So they’ll be seriously quick.
2021 bmw m3 competition race track 23 830x553
Though, they won’t be light. As BMW has already shown, even the lightest possible G82 BMW M4 is heavier than the heaviest possible F82 BMW M4. So when equipped with an automatic and all-wheel drive, the new BMW M3 and M4 tip the scales dangerously close to 1,800 kg (4,000-ish lbs).
As of right now, there’s no word on the standard, manual/rear-wheel drive cars being offered in the UK market. Hopefully they do make it there but there’s no official word on when. We know most enthusiasts are looking at those base-spec cars, simply due to their ability to keep the old-school BMW M tradition, of a straight-six engine, manual ‘box and rear-wheel drive, alive. So it’s a shame UK enthusiasts won’t be given that option, at least as of right now.
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