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BMW’s M division changes its philosophy

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Author: | Updated: 11 Jun 2014 15:07

BMW’s M division has gained itself something of a cult following over the years, taking standard saloons and fitting them with high-output powerplants in place of the sensible diesels. It’s a formula that’s served BMW well, and the M3 has long been the yardstick by which all performance cars are measured, but those at the top of the M tree think it’s time for a change in philosophy.

BMW M4 Coupe

After years of adding power, BMW has now decided to focus on reducing weight to provide the same results.

“We want to be in a different league for power-to-weight,” said Carsten Pries, the head of M product management, “but we prefer to have a car that weighs 1,000kg rather than one with 1,000 horsepower.”

Evidence of this new philosophy is already evident in the sleek shapes of the new M3 and M4, which are both 3% more powerful than their forebears, up from 416bhp to 427bhp, but also much lighter, with weight falling by 80kg, or 6%.

The reduced weight is thanks mainly to improved construction, which now sees the whole front end of both models made from strong yet lightweight aluminium and further use of magnesium and carbon fibre in the rest of the structure.

What it means is the M3 has a power-to-weight ratio of 268bhp per tonne, compared to the old car’s 248bhp per tonne. As a result, 0-62mph is dispatched in a mere 4.1 seconds, about half a second faster than the old M3.

BMW M3 2014

The crash diet has also helped to bring about a marked improvement in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, with the new cars squeezing as much as 100 miles more from a single tank of fuel than their respective predecessors.

Other contributing factors include the new twin-turbo six-cylinder engine, which has replaced the traditional V8, and the availability of a double-clutch automatic gearbox.

This new-found passion for reducing weight is part of the reason for the M-cars obstinately sticking with rear-wheel drive, rather than using BMW’s xDrive four-wheel drive system.

“What is the point of taking out 80kg if you are going to put 75kg back through xDrive?” said Pries. “It does not mean that we will not have xDrive in an M model in future, but many M3 customers like to take part in track days and they prefer the feeling of rear drive.”

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