BMW boosts M3 and M4

BMW fans who missed out on the strictly limited M4 GTS are being offered a taste of the vicious tuned-up coupe with a new Competition Pack, that brings sharpened dynamics and more power for the M4 coupe, convertible and M3 sedan.

The package will be available to European customers from the second quarter of 2016 and while the package has not yet been chalked for Australia, BMW's history of offering the feistiest hardware in its portfolio makes it a likely candidate Down Under.

BMW Group Australia corporate communications general manager Lenore Fletcher told GoAuto the car-maker was keen to add the Competition Pack to the list of M4 and M3 options.

“Of course we'd love to see it here but no confirmation as yet,” she said.

Pricing is also yet to be confirmed in Europe, but with a significant dose of extra kit, upgraded versions will certainly carry a premium over less exclusive M3 and M4 variants, which kick off in Australia for $139,900 before on-road costs for the M3.

Headlining the Competition Package is a power boost, which takes the 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six engine up by 14kW to 331kW and cuts the zero to 100km/h dash by 0.1 seconds across the board.

With the extra power, the M3 and M4 get to 100km/h in 4.0 seconds dead, while the slightly heavier M4 convertible takes a little longer at 4.3 seconds.

Despite the extra output, fuel consumption has actually fallen from 8.8 litres per 100km to 8.3L/100km in the case of M3 and M4, while the M4 convertible efficiency improves from 9.1L/100km to 8.7L/100km.

The power upgrade is complemented by a chassis revision that starts with a new set of forged wheels identical in design to the exclusive M4 GTS, but where the more exclusive GTS wheels measure 19-inches at the front and 20-inch at the rear, the performance pack wheels are 20 inches all round and lack the orange embellishments.

Underneath, the Adaptive M Suspension has been fettled with three reconfigured Comfort, Sport and Sport+ modes, while the springs, anti-roll bars and dampers have all been uprated along with a reprogram of the DSC and Active M Differential.

BMW has also modified the M sports exhaust for a “potent sound” and “added emotional resonance” and differs from the standard equipment with black chrome tail-pipe trims.

A new set of lightweight and deeply bucketed M Sport seats continue the Competition Pack modifications inside the M3 and M4 and are matched by seatbelts that have the classic light blue, dark blue and red M colours woven through them.

The upgrades are completed on the outside of Competition cars with BMW Individual gloss black Shadow Line trims applied to window edges, door mirrors, kidney grille side sills and boot model badge.

BMW gave its larger M sedan a similar upgrade in 2013, with the M5 Competition Package which was available Down Under.