CAR WARS! Has BMW Done The UNTHINKABLE And Created A 911 BEATER? M4 Squares Up Against The Mighty Porsche 911

CAR WARS! Has BMW Done The UNTHINKABLE And Created A 911 BEATER? M4 Squares Up Against The Mighty Porsche 911
The all-new BMW M3 and M4 are making waves across the automotive industry. Although the latest stream of tests have placed it against the likes of the currently existing Audi RS5, the reality is that the four rings does't stand a chance — at least in this writer's opinion.

It turns out that the M4 may be aiming for something a bit more juicy. That, my friends, would be the Porsche 911, which many folks think is the BEST car ever produced.

**Read Agent00R's review of the 2015 BMW M3/M4

It didn't take long for one of the buff books to put them both in the same ring and see who walked away the victor. In this scenario the 2015 M4 went up against a 911 (991) Carrera. It was NOT equipped with the S trim or the dual-clutch PDK gearbox. Considering how these books score cars, this is critical to point out.

At the end of the day, the M4 WON the test versus the Porsche. However, keen observers will also note that the 911 was downed a few points for "rear seat legroom." No kidding the 911's seats are useless but when you consider that the M4 scored five points and the 911 received one point and the total scores were only different by a three point margin, you have to start questioning the scoring methodology.

BUT, enough of the philosophical debate. See the results for yourself!


**To see the FULL review, click "Read Article" below to see the magazine scans. We reassure you, it's worth seeing ALL the numbers.

**Read Agent00R's review of the 2015 BMW M3/M4

Read Article

cidflekkencidflekken - 7/1/2014 2:55:42 AM
+1 Boost
Seriously? Basically, the M4 beat the Carrera primarily because of backseat space/comfort and features/amenities. Duh!

Look, I'm not saying the M4 isn't a great car. It is. But why compare two different cars are two different price points and score them as equals? Yes, there might be some cross-shopping the two cars, but it would be minimal at best.


JDMUSMuscleJDMUSMuscle - 7/1/2014 3:23:06 AM
-1 Boost
Corvette beats them both. That's what many Americans believe, too.


ScirosSciros - 7/1/2014 9:33:54 AM
-1 Boost
I'll take a Stingray Z51 over both of them personally (looks great, drives well, not nearly as expensive to buy or own) but they're cars that fill different needs. I think I could use an M4 as my "only" car. A Stingray, not so much. And I would LOVE Porsches if I found them more visually appealing and would consider a Porsche over most anything if they looked as nice as their competition. But I find most other sports cars in the 80k-200k price range more desirable due to looks. The high-end Caymans look pretty good nowadays, so maybe in a couple of generations...


freeagentfreeagent - 7/1/2014 4:27:30 AM
+1 Boost
So basically the M4 beats the 911 in features and rear seats, but the 911 trounces the M4 in Chassis and Fun to Drive. Performance is about a wash, especially if you had the PDK in there. In the end, the 911 is the better sports car, but it costs more, and the M4 is nearly as capable but is much more practical. What a news flash.


Phantom4Phantom4 - 7/1/2014 9:09:14 AM
+1 Boost
M4 kills the base 911 its 1.5 sec quicker 100mph, and 2.5 quicker to 130mph, and pulled the same lateral G's as the 400lb lighter 911. The M4 is also larger and has a usable rear seat which makes it more practical. The M4 is even quicker than the last 911 S C&D tested which was $148K!! Thats almost twice the M4's price. C&D only used the base 911 to keep the price down so they could keep the score close. While the 911 maybe the ultimate in precision, the M4 is well rounded and gives great bang for the buck.


lmariorodlmariorod - 7/1/2014 10:43:45 AM
+1 Boost
Right On!

Pound for Pound, Euro for Euro, Dollar for Dollar the M4 is the performance and value BEAST. They needed to add $8150 in ceramic brakes, $1200 Upgraded wheels and $2900 for the dual clutch AT, just to get it near $$ wise,and it still outperformed.

An M4 in black with MT and lightly optioned...where do I sign?



Terry989Terry989 - 7/1/2014 11:38:48 AM
+1 Boost
Even after spending $8,150 in ceramic brakes, the carbon steel brakes on the 911 significantly out braked the M4 and with a better pedal feel.


MercedesSLMercedesSL - 7/1/2014 1:14:22 PM
+1 Boost
"Even after spending $8,150 in ceramic brakes, the carbon steel brakes on the 911 significantly out braked the M4 and with a better pedal feel."

Carbon ceramics don't make the car stop shorter...they just last longer. This 911 also stopped shorter than the last Carrera S C&D tested.


lmariorodlmariorod - 7/1/2014 1:18:26 PM
+1 Boost
Remove the ceramic brakes, upgraded wheels and DC. And now you have a lighter MT M4 that will still outperform and be $20K less.


TauronB2GTauronB2G - 7/3/2014 12:51:09 AM
+1 Boost
When was the last time you took your car to 130???
T


GermanNutGermanNut - 7/1/2014 10:57:02 AM
+1 Boost
This is a dumb comparison for two reasons:

1) The Porsche 911 lost because of REAR SEAT LEGROOM. No kidding! No one buys a Porsche 911 because of its rear seat legroom. If you want rear seat legroom get a Porsche Panamera.

2) The cross-shopping between a more affordable BMW M4 Coupe and a stripped down Porsche 911 is minimal at best. Anyone who has bought a Porsche knows all the luxury features are optional.

The key difference is the BMW M4 is BMW's purest expression of sporting performance. The Porsche 911 (991) IS NOT Porsche's purest expression of sporting performance. If you want Porsche's purest handling get a 911 Carrera 4S. If you want extreme performance get a 911 Turbo S. Sorry, but no BMW will hold a candle to the 911 Turbo S in any performance category.

That is why Porsche's 911 is an icon.


lmariorodlmariorod - 7/1/2014 1:12:32 PM
+1 Boost
I'm an Audi FanBoy. And currently own a '13 S5 SC V6. But this M4 put a similar hurt on the RS5. An S5, whether pre-facelift V8 4.2 or RS5 with that nose heavy/torque pig 4.2 will never outperform an M3-V8 or this TTI6 M4.


freeagentfreeagent - 7/1/2014 11:09:00 AM
+1 Boost
A better compare would be the M4 against a Cayman GTS with the PDK.


quizzquizz - 7/1/2014 7:40:23 PM
+1 Boost
No, not really fair either. Cayman is a mid-engined 2 seater.


thstonethstone - 7/1/2014 4:04:21 PM
0 Boost
This test was set up to create a headline that is hoped to sell magazines. Nothing more, nothing less.


quizzquizz - 7/1/2014 7:39:24 PM
+1 Boost
And the M4 will lose to the cheaper still M2 out next year; this lighter version of the M4 will handle better, and also have a usable backseat, and have similar HP/Weight ratio. The M2 will be a rock star and cannibalize M4 sales.

The 911 does not appeal to the same market as the M4. If you are ready to spend $90,000+ on a car, the M4 is not even under consideration. Why don't they just throw in a WRX STi for good measure?? Ridiculous. These 2 cars are NOT being cross-shopped. It's like cross shopping a $200,000 Porsche Turbo S with a GT-R at half the price. The guy buying the Turbo S is not looking at "value". Ok, maybe value as it compares to the $400,000 Ferrari F12.


mini22mini22 - 7/1/2014 9:32:09 PM
+1 Boost
They compared a dual clutch M4 with a manual 911 Carrera. If the Carrera had PDK it would have erased the 3/10s of a second gap to 60 MPH and would have been closer in the quarter mile. In terms of the driving segment that is the "only" area the M 4 beats the base 911. In all other areas in regard to driving the 911 is superior. The 911 only lost out in this comparison because of it's price and lack of rear seat room. I'm in no way belittling the M4. For the price it is a good deal. So is the Corvette. Also for about 8 grand more is the Jaguar F Type R.
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