By: Mike Ginsca
BMW is a company that is not afraid of trying new designs for the vehicles. Remember the 6-series in the mid 2000’s? Or the newest 7-series? Now they have taken a risk with their most popular models; the M3 & M4.
The 2021 BMW M3 & M4 will launch in March of 2021 with a starting price of $84,300 CAD for the M3 and $85,100 CAD for the M4. But you will also have the option to get the M3 & M4 in Competition guises. The pricing for those are $88,300 CAD & $89,100 CAD respectively.
Underneath the hoods, the cars receive a 3.0L inline-6 engine that will produce 473 hp & 406 lb-ft of torque in base form. The Competition package will raise those numbers to 503 hp & 479 lb-ft of torque. In base form, the 2021 BMW M3 & M4 will accelerate to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 250 km/h or 290 km/h if opted with the M Driver Package. The Competition models will drop the 0-100 km/h time to 3.9 seconds but top speeds will remain the same.
The engines will be mated to two available transmissions. The Base models of the M3 and M4 will be available only with a 6-speed manual transmission. If you want an automatic though, you have to upgrade to the Competition models. Those will only be available with an 8-speed automatic. The last generation of M3 & M4 cars were available with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic but the new 8-speed is a traditional automatic.
Power will go to the rear wheels however, in the summer of 2021, the Competition models will be available with M xDrive. It is the same system that is found in the current BMW M5 and can be switched between 4WD, 4WD Sport, & 2WD for some sideways action. The wheelbase and front track are longer & wider than the old generation M cars. Coupled with standard adaptive suspension, the 2021 BMW M3 & M4 should offer even better control, agility & precision to drivers.
Inside the cabin, occupants will immediately feel at home if they are used to BMW products. The 2021 M3 & M4 have a similar layout to current BMW vehicles which include a 12.25-inch infotainment touchscreen, a 12.3-inch virtual cockpit display, a heads-up display, and Android Auto will finally be compatible with BMW’s iDrive 7 operating system.
As for the exterior design, well to each their own I guess. It is a very polarizing front fascia with the BMW kidney grilles extending from the hood to the lower splitter. It’s something that you either love or hate and I suspect a lot of people will probably hate it judging by the comments in other articles around the internet. In side profile, both cars retain their overall shapes from the previous generations but with slightly different fake side “vents” on the front fenders. In the back, both cars retain the look of the current generation 3-series with elongated L-shaped taillights. Large quad exhaust pipes with electronically controlled valves allow the engine to roar or remain quiet as to not attract unwanted attention.
Full Press release: BMW Canada
