What You Learn Driving The BMW M3 And M4 At A Great Race Track

The 2015 BMW M3 and M4 have a new, turbocharged inline six that’s more powerful and torquey than the high-revving V8 of the previous M3. But that’s not the whole story. They’re also lighter, tighter and just as much fun. Here are a few things I learned from driving the two Mers at a spectacular American race course.P

(Full disclosure: BMW wanted me to drive the new M3 and M4 so bad, they flew me to Wisconsin for a dinner comprising strategically placed local cheese and a day of scaring myself giddy at one of America’s most appealing, most fun racetracks, Road America.) 1P

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The Optional Carbon Ceramic Brakes Are FantasticP

“Come and drive the BMW M3 and M4 at Road America,” they said. P

Road America is a long, fast, gorgeous circuit cut into the rolling hills between Milwaukee and Green Bay. A car with 425 horsepower and the proper gearing can top 150 mph three times per lap here. There’s a steep, downhill 150-to-60 mph braking zone and similar gravity-fighting dives at several other corners. The force a car’s rotors generate at Road America could power a Milwaukee sports bar on Packers-Vikings day. P

A BMW M car on a fast, heavy braking course, all day long? Cue the dramatic strings.P

“No, no, no. Wait,” they said. “These have CARBON CERAMIC BRAKES. COME LOOK!” P

I did, and yes, CCBs are the difference between driving the potatoes off a fleet of M3s and M4s at Road America for a whole Tuesday, and having to stop for a shrimp-cocktail break every third lap. P

With the carbons, you get the six-piston calipers in the front (four in the rear). Massive stopping power and endurance. Although pedal feel turned a bit inconsistent as the hard laps piled up, there was always plenty of force when needed. And force was needed.P

With the standard-issue four-piston (front) compounds, it’s likely we’d have had a blast on the track for about an hour or two, and then gone off to see a puppet show or something while the cars rested. P

Clever choice of venue, BMW. Very clever. Not that I’m complaining. P

Granted, the CCBs cost an $8,150 extra and require one of the $1,200 uprated 19″ wheel packages (18″ wheels are standard). It’s a heavy expense, but an absolutely essential factory option for buyers who track their cars and would rather not deal with the aftermarket. And it’s heartening to see the downward cost slope CCBs have been on for the past five years. At this rate, they should be affordable for mortals by 2019.2P

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“That” Engine Is Really, Really GoodP

It’s true. The engine’s character no longer defines the car — at least to degree it once did. I don’t have to tell you the days of high-revving, naturally aspirated engines bred of motorsports development are ending. The M3/4’s new turbocharged I6 — sorry, I mean S55B30 — may not have drivers joyfully chasing the back of the tach, as the V8 did, but with acres of torque and flexibility and responsiveness and (yes) fuel economy when needed, there is remarkably little to complain about. P

It may not have the same racing pedigree as previous lumps like the E60 M5’s V10 or E92 M3’s V8. But from where I’m sitting, the turbo six is a fine and competent engine, owing in part to major reductions in rotating mass, compared to the standard N55 version. P

Everyday usability comes at the expense of sensory responses, but the turbo six is also going to blow minds. So it’s okay to let the argument rest, unless you’re in the middle of a fan-forum flame war, then knock yourself out. P

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It Doesn’t Feel FastP

Casual motorsports, thy name is M3/M4. It was always a shock to glance at the head-up display and see 148, 149, 150 ticking by, when nothing else in your body is saying “half way to 300.”4P

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It Is FASTP

Coming out of a corner, the extra coccyx clobber at low revs gives the M3/4 a whole new, fun thing for M drivers to enjoy. BMW says 0-60 in 3.9 seconds with launch control and the M-DCT. It’s probably quicker than that. We’ll see. P

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Ok, There’s The Engine Noise P

Imagine Dinty Moore beef stew, but as a sound. Oh forget it. It’s fine. And maybe it’ll get better when BMW turns out a new performance-package exhaust. For now, drive on, and just pretend the electronic comb-and-wax-paper synthesizer, which feeds faux-gine noise into the cabin, also provides vital anti-aging antioxidants. It’s not intrusive, and at least it sounds reasonable.6P

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That Carbon Fiber Boomerang Brace Looks Freaking Cool7P

What? It does.8P

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The Steering Is WAY Better Than I Expected 9P

This isn’t just a mildly tuned version of the standard EPAS now in use on the 3-Series. Albert Biermann, engineering head of M, says the betterment of this system comes down to four elements: the tightness of the front-end bits, overall tighter tolerances and a larger, lower-inertia electric motor to minimize the filtering effect that makes most EPAS systems feel numb. There’s a closer connection between the torque sensor and the EPS boost controller. What’s more, the system cuts out assist strategically, like when returning to center after a corner, making the unwinding a entirely mechanical proposition.P

It’s beautifully accurate and a vast improvement in feel over some other EPAS setups (fingers crossed that a future M2 gets this gear). It’s obvious M’s spent time and money getting this part right, and I suspect it matches or exceeds Porsche’s EPAS right now. That would be a good comparo to do. Apparently competition does improve the breed.P

Others have said the weighting in Sport and Sport Plus modes feels artificial. I actually thought the Comfort setting was too light, but that Sport loads up more naturally in hard cornering than Sport Plus. I’d love to see how the M engineers would set the parameters if there could only beone setting.P

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It’s Really About The ChassisP

Tremendous chassis balance. Great combination of poise and capability. A lot’s been done to tighten the whole package. The rear axle subframe is bolted straight to the body, without the use of typical rubber bushings. The extra rigidity shows every time it changes direction. This is where the Ms find the magic that more than makes up for having a less “special” engine. Good work.10P

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The Diff Makes A Difference11P

The rear diff — an electronically activated multi plate clutch pack — introduced in the most recent M5 and M6, is remarkably quick to react, especially on the lighter M3. The accuracy with which it puts power down to maximize cornering traction makes it one of the best out there now. P

Come in to a corner too hot, crank the wheel and it lends a hand. Come in too slow, add power and it responds with the right amount of engagement, all the way to full lockup. Able to adjust lines mid-corner and generally get an instant re-take most corner-entry mistakes. It’s like a bottle of Wite-Out for track days.P

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MDM Seemed To Be Happier With Dampers in “Comfort”P

I found the stability control, in the most aggressive setting, was slightly confounded when the adaptive dampers were set at their stiffest (Sport Plus). Setting the dampers to “Comfort,” and everything else to “Sport Plus” (except the steering, in Sport) seemed to be the best setup for Road America. The extra play apparently kept all the other systems more stable. More testing needed. Please.P

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The M3 and M4 Feel Slightly DifferentP

A few of us at the launch – Mike Musto, Tim Stevens, Alex Lloyd — went back and forth a few times during the day, trying to figure out whether or not we were experiencing some sort of psychosomatic response, or if the M3 really did feel different than the M4. P

But yes, the M3 feels just a touch more waggly during heavy braking at high speeds, and is just a bit less responsive in changing direction than the M4. We’re not sure how much higher the center of gravity is on the sedan, but it is higher. It’s in no way a knock on the car’s performance — I prefer the M3’s extra utility — just an answer to a bar quarrel.12P

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The M4 Has A Really Nice Looking ProfileP

Just look at it.1415P

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Hell, The M3 Looks Amazing TooP

I happen to be partial to the M3. With a narrower body than the M4, but the same track width, the aggressive fender flares give the sedan a sinister comportment. Either way, this generation of both coupe and sedan, to my eye, are the best looking M cars in years. P

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See Your GoPro’s POV On The Dash MonitorP

No more “slap it on and wing it.” BMW has allowed GoPro to hack into its in-car apps platform. Now, with the GoPro smartphone app acting as a go-between, a driver can control any WiFi-equipped GoPro camera from iDrive and see a preview of the camera’s POV on the console monitor. The system makes recording hot laps (or insane hijinks on Russian highways) as easy as using navigation. 16P

Sticker Shock, Perhaps

With everything you need for an M3 or M4 that can take serious track duty – the carbon stoppers and 19″ wheels (required), the adaptive dampers, the M-DCT — expect to pay around $76,000. (Base prices with destination are $62,950 for the M3, $65,150 for the M4.) You can of course cut the price by $2,900 and get a six-speed manual. You’d be happy with either one. Nav comes standard, but if you want the head-up display, you have to go for the $4,300 executive package.P

Why more and more Americans are renting cars instead of buying them

Large chunks of the American public are now choosing to rent their cars, instead of buying them.

Roughly a quarter of the new cars purchased in the US during the first quarter of 2014 were leased, the highest since 2000.

It’s not just the proportions; the kinds of cars being leased are also changing. Leasing has long played a large role in the US market for luxury vehicles, but in recent years it’s gained traction for cheaper cars.

For instance, back in 2002, the share of new Ford, GM, Hyundai and Kia cars that were leased rather than bought was negligible. Now it’s 20% or more, according to J.D. Power & Associates data, and other manufacturers of mass-market cars have seen increases in leasing too:

What’s going on? Well, a few factors are likely in play here.

 

The first and most obvious is that in the last few years, leasing has become quite a bit cheaper than buying, at least in terms of the monthly payments.

And why is that? Basically because of used car prices, which have been historically strong in recent years, thanks to a dearth of supply. That dearth stems from a sharp decline in car sales during the Great Recession. The market’s lack of used cars is an echo effect of that sales slump between 2008 and 2010.

The reason this makes leasing cheaper is that when you lease a car, your monthly payments are basically paying for the depreciation—the decline in value—of the vehicle between the moment you lease it and then moment when you return it. If used car prices are high, vehicle values aren’t falling as fast, so the leasing company will be able to sell the car for more when it’s done with it. That translates into lower lease payments.

And those lower payments are a big deal, to Americans who are increasingly price-conscious in the wake of the Great Recession. “Monthly payment is really the be-all, end-all for consumers,” said Eric Lyman, vice president of industry insights at ALG, an auto leasing research company.

The rental society?

Some argue that the American swing toward auto leasing is part of a much bigger societal shift away from the traditional concept of ownership. For instance, in the aftermath of the US housing bust, home ownership rates have plummeted. Just 64.8% of American families owned houses at the end of 2013, the lowest level since 1995.

 

In housing, the story is pretty clear. Excessive borrowing pushed US homeownership to an unsustainable peak. The housing bust—and the Great Recession that followed—left the US economy in tatters and millions unemployed. Many homeowners lost their homes, many prospective homeowners found it harder to get credit, and people just became more cautious about buying.

Caution and lack of credit may play a part in the shift towards leasing cars too. But there’s also a generational reason.

The impact of the Great Recession arguably fell hardest on young Americans—the tech-savvy cohort commonly called “millennials.” This generation came of age on the internet, so they’re also the ones most likely to use services only the internet makes possible: services like Spotify, Netflix, Zipcar, or Airbnb, which give customers more flexibility and access to a wider range of goods (music, movies, cars, apartments) by selling access to the goods for a period of time, instead of outright ownership.

This approach has a lot of different names: Non-ownership consumption. Collaborative consumption. Access-based consumption. “Instead of buying and owning things, consumers want access to goods and prefer to pay for the experience of temporarily accessing them,” wrote academics who studied the issue for a 2012 paper that appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research. And some argue that this is part of a permanent cultural shift away from the idea of ownership and towards a more sharing- and leasing-based economy.

That may be true, at least for things like music. But over the next few years, a lot of the people who’ve leased cars for the first time will be bringing them back to dealerships. And that’s when they’ll discover the downside of leasing, as dealers attempt to ding them for excessive mileage and wear-and-tear—some of the reasons why experts say owning is still the better financial bet over the long term. Moreover, as the post-recession slump in car sales works its way out of the market, monthly payments for buying and leasing will probably converge again, making the latter look less attractive.

In other words, it’s a bit premature to call the death of American car ownership.

Quartz