BMW M4 DTM 2017 Review

Faced with accusations BMW's M division had lost its mojo with the M4, the GTS burst onto the performance car scene just in the nick of time. Stripped of anything superfluous to reduce weight and kitted with more power and trick suspension, M engineers finally unlocked the full potential of the M4's chassis.

Sadly, with just 700 made, only 25 were available for Australia and, even at $300K, there were more would-be buyers than cars available.

Now BMW is (partly) making amends by remastering the original GTS for one last time and selling it under the ‘DTM Champion Edition’ name. Created to commemorate works-BMW driver Marco Wittman clinching the 2016 German touring car championship, the celebratory M4 ditches the GTS' badges and colour and comes dressed in the M division's iconic tricolour.

Still, any excuse for a celebration isn't a bad mantra for living your life and BMW certainly knows how to celebrate. Instead of cracking open the Moet, the German giant has performed something of an automotive miracle – it's brought the M4 GTS back from the dead.

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In reality, a more cynical person could argue BMW management has seized on the chance to make more money out of the overnight success which was the M4 GTS. But we're willing to give BMW the benefit of the doubt as only 200 M4 DTMs will be produced, with just 10 coming to Australia.

While that’s great news for enthusiasts, those who have squirrelled away an M4 GTS for their retirement fund might not be fist-pumping.

Keen to avoid burning loyal buyers, BMW says it will allow any upset M4 GTS purchaser (who hasn't yet taken delivery) to switch their order to the even rarer DTM.

Sadly, for us mere mortals, it's unlikely the arrival of ten more stripped-out M4s will crash the market for the regular GTS and, by the time you read this, both the GTS and DTM will continue to be worth substantially more than their $295,000 sticker price.

Yep, you read correctly - the new ultra-rare BMW M4 DTM costs twice as much as an off-the-peg M4 Coupe.

There's no question the most hard-core, quickest ever M car is special. After all, we recently compared the M4 GTS with the 2003 E46 M3 CSL and, with rose-tinted specs firmly removed, the M4 easily outshone its lightweight ancestor. But can the DTM celebratory version really be worth two M4s?

On your behalf, motoring.com.au took-up the challenge at the M4 DTM's South African launch.

Handily, as well the DTM, BMW provided both a standard M4 coupe and a well-equipped M3 Competition sedan model for a direct comparo.

The only omission was the lack of the latest M4 CS which was being launched in Germany at exactly the same week as the commemorative coupe.

Arguments in favour of the M4 DTM get off to a strong start courtesy of its stunning looks. How can you not be won over by its pearlescent white paint job, retro BMW M stripes and big aero extras? And that's before you've even clocked the half cage and stripped-out interior with fixed buckets seats.

Unusually for BMW, there are some specific parts for the DTM. In fact, the M4 DTM has its own bespoke aero kit obviously inspired by the actual touring car racer. Tell-tale signs are the small front bumper winglets and non-adjustable front splitter and that large rear wing is also fixed.

Inside, the carbon-fibre seats, are also claimed to be closer to the lightweight buckets used by Marco Wittman and his DTM racer mates.

But, from there, the M4 DTM is a GTS in disguise, with the same 30kg carved from the kerb weight by using carbon fibre to fabricate the bonnet, roof, instrument panel and rear diffuser.

Under that featherweight hood, the DTM shares its 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder twin-turbo with the GTS. The headline news is it retains the neat water injection system which lowers the temperature of the combustion process – so more air and more fuel meet for a bigger bang.

The result is 368kW/600Nm - a useful +37kW/50Nm over the standard M4. This means the DTM accelerates to 100km/h in just 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 305km/h.

Our car rode on black painted forged 19- and 20-inch alloy wheels lifted straight from the GTS. Lighter carbon-fibre rims are also an option and carve 13kg per corner.

A significant drawback over the regular car is the DTM dispenses the rear seats in favour of a half roll-cage.

A titanium exhaust replaces the standard system to reduce weight and imbue proceedings with an angrier audio track.

Listening to the DTM fire up we're tempted to abandon its lesser siblings and hot lap the short tight winding circuit until the tyres wear-out…but we’re dutiful and initially climb behind the wheel of a regular M4.

There's never been anything wrong with the performance offered by a standard M4. After all, how can you complain about a car capable of zero to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds - just 0.2sec shy of the DTM?

The issue was, in the twisty stuff, the M4 could be a bit of a handful when pushed. We hadn’t completed our first lap when the familiar handling foibles reared their ugly head.

Attempt to use all the power available and there's simply not enough traction to deploy all 550Nm of torque. You are also often reminded the M4 is turbocharged and its spikey delivery leads to edgy handling which can snap quickly into oversteer.

It's not a confidence-inspiring experience, although the car we drove in South Africa felt more resolved than the early M4s.

Pulling into the pit lane it was tempting to recall the linear power delivery of both the old non-turbo six cylinder E46 M3 and the V8 E90.

BMW made significant improvements with the M3 Competition. Despite adding even more power over the already super quick M4 (power rises from 317kW to 331kW) the sedan instantly felt like it's more on your side.

Thanks to revised springs, dampers and anti-roll bar, plus reconfigured M differential and stability systems the M3 provided significantly more traction and, as a result, was less prone to break away.

Not that we're anti oversteer. In fact, with balance restored in the M3, it's far easier to begin to enjoy small, indulgent drifts which were reigned-in by the stability control.

The DTM had a lot to live up to.

It took all of five metres to realise how different the commemorative M4 is beside its siblings.

Flatten the throttle and, initially at least, the DTM didn’t feel appreciably quicker than the base car, but the speed you carry through the very first corner was enlightening to say the least.

Clumsily pick up the throttle early and there was mighty traction even from a set of Michelin Cup 2 rubber shagged by earlier drivers.

Counting down to my time behind the wheel I did worry the M4 DTM would be too race car-like. Wrong. Actually the DTM even had a playful side and was both confidence-inspiring and near fool-proof to drive quickly, instantly…up until around 8/10ths.

The final last piece of the dynamic puzzle was slightly tricky to unearth, due to the chewed-up tyres which, when you really started to lean on then, unearthed understeer which both the M4 and earlier M3 resisted - but be crystal clear - the DTM felt leagues ahead of its siblings.

Weighing in at 1480kg, the DTM is still a heavy sports car - but somehow its 30kg diet felt transformational. Behind the wheel it exuded lightness, the coupe quicker to change direction, with sharper steering response, better feel and improved accuracy.

In comparison, within moments behind the alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, the DTM made the base M4 feel like an AU Falcon taxi in a set of corners.

Bolting you in place were those bucket seats which help you deal with G-forces not felt in the other cars.

And, despite all the substantial track abuse, the carbon ceramic brakes remained untroubled.

The fact is, like the best performance cars, the BMW M4 DTM felt better and better the faster you drove and we were soon trail-braking deep into corners, taking more liberties than both the M4 and M3 Comp before it, relishing the extra involvement served up by the DTM.

Of course, it's not perfect.

The titanium exhaust adds plenty of extra drama by increasing the volume of noise but, ultimately, it fails to add a soundtrack worthy of the experience.

And the suspension, with adjustment for ride height and both high- and low-speed compression damping – in all, 16 settings for rebound damping - is unlikely to ever have a 'comfort' setting and felt rock hard on a smooth track. That said, we’re certain most M4 DTM owners will happily trade ride quality for on-track abilities.

Personally, I would prefer to at least have the option of a manual transmission, but it's hard to argue how brutally effective the seven-speed dual-clutch 'box is both flat out and at lower speeds like town in the suburbs.

Which brings us to the question: can the latest DTM really be worth two M4s? In a word 'yes' because if you love driving as well as track days, the fastest ever M car can cope admirably not with hot laps and hot days at the shopping mall. Sure, the rear-mounted scaffolding hinders practicality, but the large boot more than makes up for it. If you're addicted to track days and only have space for one car, the M4 DTM really can do it all.

Even beside Porsche's mighty 911 GT3 (only thirty grand more expensive), the BMW makes a strong case for itself, in part, because of its more conventional handling thanks to the front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout.

Now only the C4 CS stands in its way, but since that car could be greedily priced at around $200,000, we think it'll still might worth forking out the extra for the ultra-limited M4 celebration – it really is that good - if it's not too late already.

2017 BMW M4 DTM Champion Edition pricing and specifications:
Price: $295,000
On sale: June
Engine: 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 368kW/600Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed M DCT automatic
Fuel: 8.3L/100km (EU Combined)
CO2: 199g/km (EU Combined)
Safety rating: N/A