Skip to main content

Welcome to the family: BMW ‘initiates’ 2015 M4 with drifting challenge

BMW M3 fans are a highly critical lot. Some are grumbling that the new 2015 M4 coupe is too big and too tech-adled to be a worthy successor. Plus, it’s got the wrong number on its trunk lid.

For its part, BMW has made a very convincing argument for the M4’s pedigree. One that involves a lot of trie smoke.

To “initiate” this newest member into the M-car family, the German carmaker set up a drifting course made up of 52 cars, and put the M4 to work in a short video.

Related: 2015 BMW M4 and M3 first drive

Thirty-seven of those cars belonged to BMW customers, and included examples of every previous generation of M3, and even an enthusiast-favorite 1 M Coupe. If the M4 didn’t measure up, vague electric steering wouldn’t be the only thing making current M3 owners angry.

However, as the carmaker was quick to note, no BMWs were harmed in the making of this film.

The M4 performed flawlessly, drifting around around the parked cars in one of the most precise displays of hooliganism ever recorded. Speaking of precision, the course was set up in the shape of the BMW M logo. These are Germans, after all.

While it is a very different car from previous generations, the M4 (and its M3 sedan sibling) is well on its way to establishing an impressive reputation of its own. It already beat its predecessor’s Nurburgring lap time, clocking a 7:52 lap in the hands of German automotive magazine Sport Auto.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
The upcoming BMW M8 is dripping with new performance-focused tech
BMW M8's adjustable braking system gives drivers a new dimension of control
BMW M8 coupe

Previous

Next

Read more
The Apple Car was reportedly dubbed ‘the Bread Loaf’
A man checks his phone in an Apple retail store in Grand Central Terminal.

A 2020 prototype of the so-called "Apple Car" was dubbed "the Bread Loaf" for its looks, according to a Bloomberg report on Wednesday.

In a deep dive into the costly project, which Apple canceled last month, the report described the vehicle as “a white minivan with rounded sides, an all-glass roof, sliding doors, and whitewall tires [that] was designed to comfortably seat four people and inspired by the classic flower-power Volkswagen microbus.”

Read more
The Rivian R2 SUV is up for preorder for only $45,000
Rivian R2

You can now get a Rivian without spending more than $70,000. After months of rumors and leaks, Rivian has finally taken the wraps off of the Rivian R2, its newest SUV, and the first to be built on the new Rivian R2 platform. The R2 is built to be Rivian's "Model 3 moment," or its attempt to build a car that's more accessible to the general public and thus could be sold at a much higher volume than the R1S or R1T ever were.

The R2 certainly cuts some corners to achieve the lower price point, but it actually still has a lot going for it -- especially as an electric SUV in this price range. It goes up against the likes of the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Mustang Mach-E, and Kia EV6, but it's much more of an SUV than a crossover-sized car and should appeal to those who want something larger and with Rivian's design sensibility.

Read more