While the new BMW M4 has been significantly digitalized over its predecessor, and it’s lost the naturally aspirated V8 (plus the associated bark), it’s actually never been better.

Sure, it’s not as raw as before, but as a technical achievement, it beats the M3 Coupe in pretty much all areas.

With the amount of kit it has, CNET is actually the most suitable media outlet to try it out, really. Bar their lack of interest in track driving, their tech-focused reviews and Brian Cooley’s incisive style go with it perfectly – the M4 comes out the other side of this review unscathed and with a big recommended sticker on it.

The video does point out that if you’re not really into track driving, you can just go for a six-cylinder 4-Series, which is a fair comment, but those who want an M probably won’t settle for that. Besides, the conclusion is that this new M4 is currently “the Essence of M,” so it’s hard not to fantasize about owning one…

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