BMW app improves lap times

When the new generation BMW M4 arrives in Australia in July, it will be changing the legendary M3 sports car's naturally-aspirated recipe to one of turbocharging, which will leave some die-hard fans disappointed.

But as BMW continues to grapple with its desire for higher performance and lower CO2 emissions, it's embracing more than just new engine technology, with a dedicated performance monitoring program for smart phones.

Dubbed the M Lap Timer, the iPhone app allows owners to record a wide variety of data from their cars. The end result is that drivers can later disseminate the details and minutiae so as to improve lap times. Or stare wide-eyed at the data that confirms a moment often replicated with rapid, sweeping hand gestures.

Although the app is not yet available to Australian customers via the local iTunes store, BMW Group Australia advised motoring.com.au that it will be offered here after BMW's ConnectedDrive communications system is rolled out locally in the "next few weeks".

The M Lap Timer works with several BMW sports cars but as British racing driver Andy Priaulx demonstrates in the video below, it's particularly useful with the M4 coupe on a damp Brands Hatch circuit in the UK.

Powered by a storming 317kW/550Nm twin turbo 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine, the M4 accelerates to 100km/h in just 4.1 seconds, but as the video and app reveal, fast drivers don't always use full throttle.

The app records exactly how much throttle is used, G-forces generated, and can record how drivers are faring at various points on the track and more besides.

It's not unlike Renault's RS Monitor available with the Clio RS 200 EDC, although Renault's doodad requires a USB stick and a computer to decipher the information.

The M Lap Timer can be downloaded from the iTunes store for European BMW owners