It’s hard to satisfy everyone these days. To some it would seem like at the end of the 20th century, car manufacturers had it a lot easier. It does feel these days that no matter what BMW does, it just can’t seem to provide enough thrills for some reviewers. With the BMW M4 Competition Package, a lot of people have said that this is how the M4 should’ve been from the get go and that it does fill in the holes of the standard model. But the guys from Car Advice have a different view.
They took one such model out for a spin and their review does point out some rather interesting points but first, we need to list the changes done to the car, in order to understand what’s different. Under the hood, the engine is still the same 3-liter straight six twin-turbo S55 mill, but it’s not making a more rounded off 450 PS (444 hp) and the same 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque. The 19 PS increase is noticeable as, combined with the other upgrades, it will allow the M4 to sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4 seconds flat when fitted with the 7-speed DCT gearbox.
Under the sheet metal you’ll also find a new exhaust system that sounds considerably better as well as new dampers, new coilovers and anti-sway bars that are keeping the car in check even better than before. When it’s all said and done, to put it shortly, BMW enhanced the agility of the car, focusing more on the driving experience than anything else. And that’s what M cars are all about.
However, the review posted below finds things lukewarm. One complaint that seems to repeat itself quite often in the 11-minute long video revolves around the day to day issues you’d have to deal with. The Comfort mode isn’t all that comfortable apparently while at the other end of the spectrum, the Sport+ setting also falls short. Of course, all of this is up for discussion as every one of us has a different taste when it comes to deciding what’s comfortable and what’s not.
Another complaint mentioned refers to the DCT gearbox and while we agree that it may take some time to get used to its controls, most customers get used to it after just a couple of days, thus making this a non-issue. Sure, there are more apparent issues pointed out here, such as the lack of ‘proper’ feedback through the steering wheel but then again, no car is perfect. We liked the Competition Package when we tested it but as it is always the case, we were bound to find some people that disagree. What’s your take on the matter?
