...as my primary car.
I just placed an order for a 2016 M4! My wife and I will be doing Euro Delivery on May 13.
My build:
- M4 Coupe
- Sakhir Orange Metallic
- Black Full Merino Leather
- Carbon Fiber Interior Trim
- Executive Package
- Lighting Package
- Driver Assistance Plus Package
- DCT
- 19" Black Alloy Wheels Style 437 M
- Adaptive M Suspension
- Power Rear Sunshade
We'll be doing a full three week European Tour which will include six days in Munich with general sightseeing and lots of BMW-related activities, three nights in the Italian Dolomites/Alps, two nights in the Swiss Alps, the Porsche Museum and Mercedes Classic Museum in Stuttgart, a day at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, and track days at both Circuit Park Zandvoort and Spa Francorchamps. This will all be detailed in the M3/M4 forums here on Bimmerpost and in the European Delivery forum on Bimmerfest.
The current plan is to keep the M Roadster. I think that this car is the last true example of a pure BMW sports car: Classic roadster, long hood, and a big, powerful, naturally aspirated, inline-6. They're never going to make them like this again and I truly never want to let go of this car.
That said, I've driven the M4 extensively, and this is the new breed of sports car. The first time was a test drive on windy, twisty back roads, with two M4s, one manual, and one with the DCT. We drove them back-to-back, manual first, then the DCT. I loved it with the manual transmission. Except for the first used car I bought, every car since then has been a manual. I love driving a manual, but the DCT blew me away.
I also had the opportunity to drive the M4 on a track a couple of times. The first time was a one-day experience at the BMW Performance Center West at Thermal, CA They invited the San Diego Chapter of the BMW CCA out for a day to check out their new facility. One hundred of us got to drive M3s, M4s, M5s, and M6s in several different exercises, including skidpad, autocross, drag strip, relay race, and lead/follow on the track. After that came ride-alongs with the instructors. (This event sold out in 2 days so another event was added a week later with another 100 people and also sold out.)
A couple of weeks later, my wife and I attended the M Driving School at the Performance Center East in South Carolina. Two days of track/classroom sessions with M3, M4s, and M5s, all with the DCT. This was a spectacular experience, and if I thought the M4 with DCT was great on the street, it's phenomenal on the track! (I had top lap time for the timed track session and the autocross, my wife came in second in both!) The M4 was designed for the DCT and this is why I'm going with the DCT.
I love my Z4 M Roadster, but I'm really excited about the M4! All of my track time in the last five years has been in my wife's 335is Coupe, which we share at the track. Now I'll be able to track my own car! A few weeks after we take re-delivery of the car, I'll be headed up to the BMW CCA Oktoerfest in Monterey where I'll have 2-3 track days at Laguna Seca. Can't wait for all of it!