Torque of the town with Mclaren F1 power

BMW M4 OUTGUNS ALL COUPE RIVALS

When BMW launched the current 3-Series in 2018 I suggested it looked so aggressively sporty in standard form that the firm would struggle to make the hotter M3 saloon and M4 coupe look any more virile.

How wrong I was. The M4 looks unbelievably muscular – a bit like a European Ford Mustang but on steroids.

The M3 saloon and the M4 coupe are essentially the same car so our test sort of covers both. The only difference between the four and two-door is the M4 is 16mm narrower than the saloon, is 40mm lower and weighs 5kg less.

The boot is smaller, and naturally there’s a bit less headroom in the rear.

As for the powertrain, the engine is exactly the same but the eight-speed automatic gearbox has slightly different ratios to aid acceleration.

And what an engine. Other countries get a watered down version of the M3/4 unit, but in the UK we’re only getting the Competition version of the car, with the 3.0-litre straightsix twin-turbo engine giving 503bhp.

The engine also generates 479lb/ft of torque which is exactly the same output as the legendary Mclaren F1.

Even though the new M4 weighs a hefty 1,725kg it has savage acceleration.

It’ll do 0-60mph in 3.8sec and has a top speed of 180mph (if you opt for the M Driver’s pack).

These numbers don’t tell the whole

story. Included in the BMW’S arsenal of driving modes and settings is something called M Drift Analyser. This bundle of software will give you a rating out of five as to how well you’ve done a slide – taking into account the angle of drift and how far you’ve travelled. Clearly this is a nonsense on the public road.

And it won’t be much use even on a track day where you’ll be black-flagged for any excessive skidding or drifting.

A pointless gimmick maybe, but it does indicate that if you switch off the traction control and stability you’ll discover you have your hands full.

And, as I discovered, particularly so if it happens to be raining. Then, a foolhardy or over-confident driver is likely to be examining the drift score from the middle of a farmer’s field; possibly hanging upside down in the seatbelts.

For the less courageous among us, BMW will for the first time offer the M3 and M4 with the option of four-wheel drive in models coming this summer.

I’d not expected to fall in love with this car because I thought it would be too heavy, too big and unnecessarily powerful.

It is all of those things but the new M4 is so exciting, so full of character that it’s intoxicating.

I’ve even got used to that grille that had everyone talking when it was first shown.

The car gets even better once inside.

Our M4 test vehicle has had its price jacked up from a basic £73,300 on the road to £87,496 by a suite of optional extras that includes Kyalami orange and full Merino black leather trim and the M Carbon Pack.

The latter includes bucket seats which feature a carbon fibre tray in the crotch area, the purpose of which is beyond me.

The steering wheel is the usual overly chubby-rimmed piece that BMW insists on fitting, but the gearshift paddles are works of art and the two anodised red M1 and M2 buttons are very sexy.

You can program each of these with bespoke settings such as a combination of comfortable ride/ louder exhaust/quicker steering and even a combo that includes no traction control.

Once you’ve configured these buttons with the combo of your choice you just press to select.

For a high performance car developed on smooth German roads, the M4 is pretty stiff and doesn’t deal particularly well with our underfunded road infrastructure even with the suspension at its softest setting.

But you can live with it because this car serves up such an exciting experience. The engine sounds wonderful and is so responsive and powerful.

While driving it I had the thought that probably this was the last M4 I’d test that either wasn’t fully electric or at least a plug-in hybrid.

I suspect there will be a lot of performance car fans who will swallow the price of this motor in the knowledge that it’s a last hurrah – and that it will be kept for a long time.

If you switch off stability and traction control you’ll have your hands full