Final sprint on the way to the front row of the starting grid: the new BMW M3 Sedan and the new BMW M4 Coupé on the race track.
Driving dynamics tests on the new high-performance sports car in race track conditions provide a decisive insight into the ideal harmonization of transmission and transmission technology: focus on the “M-dynamic” combination of dynamics, agility and precision .
Munich. BMW M GmbH is currently preparing the generation change for iconic sports cars. With the driving dynamics tests carried out in track conditions, the series development process for the new BMW M3 Sedan and the new BMW M4 Coupé (combined fuel consumption: 10.9 – 10.5 l / 100 km [25.9 – 26.9 mpg imp]; Combined CO2 emissions: 249 – 239 g / km, preliminary data) is entering its crucial phase. With a significant increase in performance compared to previous models and an M-specific suspension setup, the newly developed straight six-cylinder engines once again set benchmarks in the high-performance sedans and coupes segment of the Premium mid-range class. Complete innovations in the areas of transmission, wheel suspension, springs, shock absorbers and braking technology require extensive testing on public roads at the BMW Group test centers in Miramas, southern France, in the Swedish city of Arjeplog, as well as on a number of different tracks. .
Traditionally, the Nürburgring Nordschleife sets the criteria for the perfect interaction between transmission and suspension technology in every situation. However, because the performance characteristics of a BMW M car have to convince not only there, but also in the most varied track profiles, test engineers always extend the test program to include more circuits, such as tests current driving with camouflaged prototypes of the new BMW M3 Sedan and new BMW M4 Coupé at the Sachsenring.
A few months before its world premiere in mid-September 2020, the dynamic potential of the new BMW M3 Sedan and the new BMW M4 Coupé is already clearly discernible. Inspiring agility, outstanding dynamics and precisely controllable handling even in extreme sporting situations characterize his driving behavior. The balance between superior performance and unrestricted daily fitness, so typical of an M, reaches a new level. “With every BMW M car, we put motorsport technology on the road,” says Markus Flasch, chairman of the board of directors of BMW M GmbH. “The new BMW M3 Sedan and the new BMW M4 Coupé embody this principle in a particularly intense way, because both models remain unmistakably in the tradition of the world’s most successful passenger car. And the results of the driving tests show us that the generation of the new model is significantly superior to that of its predecessors in terms of performance. “
Like all current high-performance cars from BMW M GmbH, the new BMW M3 Sedan and new BMW M4 Coupé are offered in two performance levels: plus a 353 kW / 480 bhp variant with 6-speed manual transmission. There’s also a choice of a competition model with 375 kW / 510 hp and an 8-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic. “For customers who prefer a purist performance experience and a particularly intense interaction with their vehicle, variants of the model with manual transmission constitute a unique offering in this segment,” explains Dirk Häcker, Head of Development M Automobiles and BMW Individual. “On the other hand, with the competing versions of the new BMW M3 Sedan and the new BMW M4 Coupé, we are addressing maximum dynamics when it comes to development and power transfer, initially with classic rear-wheel drive and later on, also in conjunction with the latest version of our M xDrive four-wheel drive system. “
Compared to previous models, the straight six-cylinder engines featured by the new high-performance sports cars offer a maximum power boost of 36 kW / 49 hp and 44 kW / 60 hp (competition models) and maximum torque of up to 650 New Mexico. In addition, thanks to the M TwinPower Turbo technology and high-revving concept, the power station impresses with the performance characteristics derived from motor racing. The power unit stands out for an extremely spontaneous response in each speed range and is also implemented in the BMW M4 GT3, which will become the new high-end model of BMW M GmbH in the customer sports segment from the season 2022.
With a meticulously operated test program, development and test engineers at BMW M GmbH are ensuring that M-specific suspension components are tuned to engine performance characteristics in such a way as to ensure the new BMW M3 Sedan and the new BMW M4 Coupé places it in the first row of the starting grid in its vehicle segment. The stretch of some 3,670 meters at the traditional Sachsenring, known as the long-standing location of the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) racing series, also offers the ideal prerequisites for this purpose. With its challenging profile comprising tight corners, long straights and the downhill passage before the Queckenberg curve, lap after lap is possible to achieve specific optimization of longitudinal and lateral driving dynamics of the new BMW M3 Sedan and the new BMW M4 Coupe.
