BMW M4 (F82, 2014-2020) – interior and tech
The M4's age comes through in the interior, but quality and tech have stood up well
The M4 gets several touches that separate it out from the 4-series of the time. That is, gloss carbonfibre across the dash and along the centre console, with the Competition Package adding different seats with flying side-bolsters and light up M badges. Not only do they look spectacular, they’re very supportive and comfortable.
The M4's steering wheel also looks great, avoiding the now ubiquitous flat bottom wheels found in most cars with any sporting pedigree. However the rim is far too thick and spongy.
In period, BMW’s iDrive system was one of the best on the market, and it’s aged well since then. Controlled via a clickwheel positioned on the transmission tunnel, it's easy to use and the widescreen high-resolution display is crisp and clear. In fact, you might find it more intuitive than the dual-screen system BMW fits to its latest models.
Some M4s came with an optional Harman Kardon sound system. It's not the best audio package on the market, but definitely gives a boost to the sound setup in the car. Other tech includes an internet connection, web-based music browsing and a head-up display. The latter was fitted to an F82 M4 that we ran for a year on our long-term test fleet, and is definitely worth considering. The rest add little to the user experience and probably won't do much for residual values when you come to sell the car.
The M4 also came with M Power app functionality, which can log GPS position, speed, acceleration and lateral acceleration data. It's a simple and cleverly integrated solution for recording lap times.
