‘It’s scary, in a good way’
4 reasons Simon Kydd is delighted to be on his third BMW M4
1 We just clicked
‘You know when you find a car that suits you and suits your personality? I bought a new 14-plate BMW M4 not long after it was launched, replaced it with a used 64-plate car a little later and I’ve since exchanged that for the M4 CS you see here [the lighter, quicker, more carbonfibrous version that was built from 2017 to 2019]. ’
2 It’s a perfect daily driver
‘I use it as my main car at the moment. It has four genuinely usable seats and a decent boot. I can putter down the A1 getting 30 to the gallon in comfort, then flick the M button and it feels almost like a race car. The Jekyll-andHyde character is a big part of the appeal. It’s an entirely practical car but it has that ability to scare you sometimes, in a good way.’
3 Slippery when wet – but fun too
‘You need to give it respect in the wet. Ford Focuses have driven around the outside of me on roundabouts. But on the right road it’s hugely engaging. Running costs are neither cheap nor scary, and service intervals not unusually frequent at 16,000 to 18,000 miles apart. I took it to the Italian GP and around the Nürburgring and it didn’t miss a beat.’
4 Tempting o ers abound right now
‘Some deals I’ve seen recently on new cars are quite something but if you’re buying used, the initial depreciation curve can be your friend. My CS would have cost nearly £90k new but I paid £55k. I’d taken my M4 for a service but ended up part-exchanging it for the CS a few days later… after fitting four new tyres. Still worth it, though.’