I have to say that in recent years I've been wondering if BMW's M program still had what it takes to be an all-out performance brand under the BMW umbrella. The reason for the doubt is quite simple: The blue and white's more hardcore vehicles just seem a bit soft as of late. This is good as it provides drivers the flexibility they need for daily driving, but as a purist yearning for the old-school way of doing things, it had me slightly concerned.
Well, I think this settles that.
The all-new BMW M4 GTS debuted this year to much fan fare but when you looked at the numbers on paper it seemed a bit underwhelming. Just how much faster could it possibly be over the standard car. We've got the answer now and it's pretty straightforward. Much, much faster.
As the Nürburgring is the benchmark test site for just about every manufacturer trying to put a seal of approval on an all-new, high performance machine, it only makes sense that M GmbH took the M4 GTS there to puff out its chest. The results are astonishing.
7:27:88.
This puts the all-new M4 GTS above the likes of the Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 (997) GT2.
While I know Nürburgring lap times are a fiercely debated topic, there's no question this all-new BMW is an impressive high-performance vehicle. Watch the official lap, below.
An outstanding 7min 28s lap on the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife (North Loop) in a BMW M4 GTS. Driver and commentator: BMW M engineer Joerg Weidinger. Video also available with commentary in German https://vimeo.com/bmwm/m4gtsschneller... and without commentary https://vimeo.com/bmwm/m4gtsfastlap. More at: http://M-Power.com