Competition editions only for NZ market.

SOMEWHAT large grille you say?

Well, we hadn’t really noticed.

Okay, so the second of those sentences isn’t true.

But so much has been said so often already about the controversial new vertical twin kidney grille that seems set to hit all future BMW cars from now on that it’s highly questionable anything fresh can be added to the discussion.

So, yeah, basically, you’ll like it enough to live with it. Or you won’t.

In respect to that, however, it’s interesting that BMW New Zealand has used today’s global unveiling of the next M3 and M4 as an opportunity to remind how Kiwis hold a special place in their hearts – and driveways – for Munich’s performance models.

When measured by per capita, the take-up is impressively strong. At the moment we rate at No.2 in the world, according to the Auckland-domiciled national distributor.

Is that a swipe at Mercedes-AMG and Audi’s RS, which have in the past claimed similar representations based on per-head-of-population calculation?

If so, it’s worth raising one point. When it makes this claim, BMW here is basing its sums on marrying M and M Performance sales.

Fair to do? Well, while the first is rather more serious than the second, it’s also true the latter is less ‘sort-of’ sporty than it once was. Then again, it’s not how certain other German makes care to do it.

But, anyway, when they are counted as one, then it allows BMW New Zealand to claim one in four BMWs sold in the country carry high-performance badges and credentials.

Beyond that, the new M models are of deep interest because the distributor is only taking them in their sharpest and strongest form, badged as the Competition. That derivative is also the most expensive option but, hey, price has never seemed to be a burden in the past.

Today’s international reveal while doubtless whet the appetites of those looking forward to signing up for the variants arriving in the first quarter of next year.

The M3 – which is the sedan, of course – and the M4 both run the same powerplant, a twin-turbo six-cylinder in-line petrol, creating 375kW of power and 650Nm of torque, against 353kW/550Nm in the standard format that Aussies can also take.

Fans of manual gearboxes are out of luck. For NZ the mill is paired solely to an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission. But that hardly hurts acceleration. BMW cites a 0-100kmh sprint time of 3.9 seconds, which is 0.3s faster than the standard versions, with 0-200kmh completed in 12.5s – 1.2s faster than the non-Competition cars.

They’ll be offered in rear-wheel-drive initially, but M xDrive system – a first for BMW in this segment - becomes available later in the year.

BMW claims the newcomers will deliver significant dynamic advances made over their predecessors, these arriving as result of a rigorous M development and tuning processes conducted in part alongside testing for the new BMW M4 GT3 race car.

They ride on adaptive M suspension with electronically controlled shock absorbers and M-specific kinematics and elastokinematics for the front and rear axles and have variable ratio M Servotronic steering and an M-specific version of the integrated braking system not only helping to boost stopping power, but also allowing the driver to customise the brake feel between two different settings.

Speaking of fine-tuning. BMW has followed Audi’s lead in provisioning two steering wheel-mounted buttons providing direct access to the driver’s preferred driver set-ups which they can configure themselves and save.

Like the 3 and 4 Series models they are based on, the new M3/M4 have grown considerably compared to their predecessors, mainly in length – where there’s a 108mm gain – but also a touch more in width (up 26mm) and height, by 8mm. The coupe meanwhile shares its overall length with the sedan but measures is slightly narrower and lower. They both put on weight, too, by 83kg for the sedan and 140kg in two-door form.

Both models come as standard with Park Distance Control with sensors at the front and rear, Front Collision Warning and Lane Departure Warning, plus the Speed Limit Info road sign detection system.

Options include the Driving Assistant Professional, complete with the Steering and Lane Control Assistant, Active Navigation function, Emergency Lane Assistant, BMW Drive Recorder and the latest generation of the BMW Head-Up Display with M-specific content.

The optional Parking Assistant comprises functions such as the Reversing Assistant.

Standard equipment including three-zone automatic climate control, LED interior lighting including ambient lighting and a hi-fi speaker system.

BMW Live Cockpit Professional – with its fully digital display grouping, cloud-based navigation system BMW Maps and the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant – is standard.

Additionally, updated smartphone integration enables the use of both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto via the car’s operating system.

A steel roof with integral glass tilt/sliding sunroof is available as a no-cost option for both models as an alternative to the standard carbon-fibre version.

A new M Race Track Package, meanwhile, brings about a targeted reduction in vehicle weight.

This package includes M Carbon ceramic brakes, weight-minimised M light-alloy wheels (available as an option with semi-slick tyres) and the M Carbon bucket seats.