BMW M4 GTS v BMW S 1000 RR 2017 Comparison

Fatal attraction
For what it’s worth, I didn’t bother telling my significant-other the finer details of this comparison test.

I didn’t disclose the fact I was driving a brutal road car internally referred to as ‘the widow maker’, or that the two-machine comparison test involved a superbike that accelerates to 200km/h in less than six seconds.

If I wasn’t going to divulge either of those details, then surely it made sense to gloss over the fact this horsepower party was being held at Sydney Motorsport Park?

Nothing to see here, I figured, helmet under the arm, walking out the door after a quick peck on the beloved’s cheek. Just another comparo between two BMWs on a closed road, darl’. Another day, another dollar.

Of course, wifey secretly knew. She can sniff out a cunning plan in the same way Australian rugby bad boy James O’Connor manages to sniff out… trouble.

So let's be honest: we’re here to test outright cornering ability, acceleration performance and overall dynamic nous of the M4 GTS and S 1000 RR -- each of which represents pinnacle performance when it comes to BMW's production car and bike range.

But in reality, these machines have the same brief: they are unashamedly made for the track. Like it or not, they're big, intimidating and powerful -- and they take no prisoners. To suggest otherwise would be, ah, underselling it.

The new M4 GTS is brutal by nature. Folklore says it was referred to as the ‘widow maker’ by some BMW boffins during development, and rightly so – it is the most hard-core BMW road car ever produced.

By comparison, the 2017 BMW S 1000 RR is equally up to hurling you off this mortal coil. Thanks to its absurd combination of a 1:1 horsepower-to-kilogram ratio and optional features including a pit lane limiter and launch control, this is also a machine that doesn’t suffer fools. Or does it?

To find out, we carefully collated notes from a full-day track test, including acceleration comparisons, corner speeds and, once the serious stuff was out of the way, a casual expression session. But let’s not put too fine a point on it, eh?

Closer look: BMW M4 GTS
The GTS is a bonafide BMW M (Motorsport) car.

It started life clad in sirens and reflective stickers, leading the world’s fastest motorcycle riders around the track as the official MotoGP safety car in 2014 and 2015.

Much like your correspondent’s attempted ruse for this test, the GTS tried to fly under the radar as something innocuous. And it did so in plain sight, travelling from circuit to circuit while BMW finessed the underbody tech. Speculation was rampant from the outset that this was a preview to something more.

Buy the road-going version and the world will know you’re in a special M4. Gold wings, an adjustable rear wing and monstrous brakes give some hint at the GTS’ track-ready stature.

The GTS shares the same basic underpinnings and 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine as the F82 M4 Coupe. But that’s about where a lot of the comparisons stop.

Distinguishing the GTS is a revolutionary water-injection system that, in the first application of this type in a production car, sprays a fine mist of distilled water into the intake manifold plenum chamber.

The benefits are two-fold: the evaporation significantly reduces the temperature of the intake air, benefitting combustion and also reducing the risk of engine knock and unburnt fuel, all of which allows a higher turbo boost pressure and earlier spark timing.

The resulting uplift in power and torque, from 317kW to 368kW and from 550Nm to 600Nm, hardly does the M4’s impressive power delivery justice. Ditto the 0-100km/h time, which drops from 4.1 seconds to 3.8 seconds in GTS guise, making it BMW's quickest production car.

In addition, BMW stripped out the regular M4’s rear seat, front speakers and spare wheel, inserting a five-litre tank of distilled water in place of the latter’s recess (for the water-injection system). There’s also a roll-cage and the front seats are fixed-back lightweight carbon-fibre buckets with approved racing harnesses.

Further contributing to GTS’ 60kg weight loss over the donor car is a full titanium exhaust system, carbon-fibre bonnet and front splitter, and carbon-ceramic brakes.

From the cockpit, the GTS features individual tuning for the engine, steering and gearbox. But unlike the road-car, its motorsport-spec coil-over suspension cannot be electrically softened – though you can adjust the rebound and compression settings and ride height for precise track tuning.

Moreover, there are lightweight aluminium control arms, wheel carriers and axle sub-frames, cutting weight on the front axles alone by 5kg over their steel counterparts.

Only 700 GTS models were built globally at the car’s introduction last year, 25 of which made it to Australia. And despite a sticker price of $295,000 (plus on-road costs), the GTS was virtually sold out before even being confirmed.

Closer look: BMW S 1000 RR
Where to start? This is one of the fastest, most bad-ass motorcycles on the planet. And while it doesn't form the basis for a MotoGP bike specifically, the S 1000 RR is a front-runner in the World Superbike Championship.

But, equally impressive, it is also one of the most user-friendly machines going.
Lightly updated for 2017, the S 1000 RR production bike boasts blinding speed courtesy of a 999cc liquid-cooled four-cylinder engine that makes 146kW and 113Nm.

That’s 199 horsepower in the old money and, better still, it weighs 175.5kg dry – helping create a better-than-optimum 1:1 horsepower-to-weight ratio.

The acceleration times are incredible. Zero to 100km/h in a claimed 2.7 seconds, 100km/h-200km/h in even less time. Slowing down is an equally impressive feat courtesy of the standard four-piston Brembo front stoppers.

But for the everyday man, the S 1000 RR is also an incredibly accessible machine. It has adjustable dampers which soften or firm the ride, dynamic traction control and ABS as standard functions.

The various electric parameters are available across three riding modes – Rain, Sport and Race. These can be further tailored when you option Pro Riding Modes, which brings into play 'Slick' and 'User mode' functions, along with an inclined position sensor (wheelie control).

Furthermore, an optional Pro Shift Assistant (quick-shifter) allows the rider to change gears up or down without actuating the clutch or changing throttle position – in effect allowing you to flat shift with the twist-grip wide open. The aforementioned launch control function and pit lane limiter are similarly straight from the track catalogue.

A high-clarity digital instrument panel projects all of this information clearly and concisely, while optional heated grips bring some semblance of long-journey comfort.

At $21,990 (plus on-road costs), the S 1000 RR costs less than a 10th of the M4 GTS’ sticker price and, unlike its four-wheeled cousin, is readily accessible in Australian showrooms.

The drag race
First things first; a comparison wouldn’t be complete without a drag race.

In this case, the only dragging that went on was the M4 dragging the chain. On the front straight of the Sydney Motorsport Park, the GTS is completely hosed by the S1000RR within the first 50 metres.

By the end of the traditional quarter-mile marker, the superbike is about 150 metres ahead when its pilot decides to screw off ahead of the dauntingly fast turn one.

Opening stoush to the motorcycle, then.

Hot laps
Going fast in a straight line is one thing, but it’s not everything. So we took both machines out for hot laps of the Sydney racetrack’s Gardner Circuit – ironically, a former stop on the 500cc Grand Prix world circuit.

The S 1000 RR goes first for a full-tilt blast.

The incredible thing about the BMW is its ease of use. Granted, I’m a slug on a motorcycle, however, the S 1000 RR offsets this with its incredible turn of speed and easy-to-gauge parameters.

This is a machine that lends itself to going fast even with a novice on board, thanks to incredible stability under braking, excellent turn-in response and a poised, unflappable demeanour through corners.

Front-end feel is excellent, allowing you to quickly cultivate trust in the Metzeler Racetec RR rubber.

Eventually, my riding strategy becomes one of turn and burn. Shooting onto the main straight in second gear, the front wheel dances off the deck as I twist the throttle on. By the start-finish line, I’m travelling at 265km/h when my mere mortal brain instinctively tells me to button off.

There’s no doubting the S 1000 RR could match the 299km/h top speed of a Yamaha R1 on the straight around this place with a decent rider on board, as seen at the recent global launch. Nonetheless, the RR is incisively fast; scary – almost -- that it’s possible to purchase this sort of metal for the road.

Next up, the M4 GTS.

First impression? These two machines are almost like chalk and cheese. Perhaps it’s a reflection of where my skills/bravery/stupidity ranks on a motorcycle versus a car. Where the S1000RR is fun as a six-tenths machine, the M4 GTS is unashamedly enjoyable on the limiter.

This much is evident after a couple of laps in. With the car’s myriad electric nannies making benign but considered applications, I soon loosen the reins to enjoy its full complement of power.

If the regular M4 is light switch-like in its driving behaviour, the GTS is like holding a dimmer switch in both hands.

Thicker anti-roll bars, improved steering feel and a rigid connection between the rear axle subframe and body (no rubber bushings) help garner a comprehensively better feel and confidence, particularly in the rear-end.

The GTS telegraphs its movements on the road almost instinctively to the driver. Alas, it’s a car that bobs and fidgets through the corners (and we didn’t even touch public roads), but one that helps cultivate incredible feel and feedback at the same time.

Similarly, the steering feel is much more organic than its donor car's, with perfect weighting and accuracy.

By far the biggest improvement in the M4 is top-end power. With 5500rpm on the rev counter, it pulls almost maniacally towards its 7600rpm limiter. The scintillating rush to redline almost feels as though you're much higher on the tacho, such is the rush and aural drama of the entire process.

The titanium exhaust brings a pleasant change to the regular M4’s synthetic, droney note. There’s a shrieking, metallic base underlining the dash to redline, but unlike earlier M models, there’s no howling suck of induction to serenade you.

The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres similarly afford unprecedented levels of grip on this chassis. But with the reins loosened, it soon becomes possible for power to overcome traction. In this sense, the GTS is extremely playful, yet it retains its manners at the same time, especially with the 1472kg tare weight in consideration.

It isn’t long before I began taking big chunks of mileage out of the rear tyre tread via lurid, smokey drifts. These kinds of boisterous, school-boy antics at the wheel of the GTS are just insatiable.

Splitting hairs
Ultimately, I went away from this test completely beguiled by the speed and precision of both machines, but equally impressed at how fun/useable these top-flight weapons are for the everyday punter.

In the case of the S 1000 RR, this is owed to its myriad electric rider assistance software. For the M4 GTS, it comes back to good ol’ fashioned feel and feedback.

Taking into consideration the sticker price and accessibility of either machine, splitting them is almost impossible. To remedy this, I'd take both. Plain and simple. Best of both worlds.

The only difficultly here would be convincing the beloved, but somehow I’d find a way to sneak it under the radar. And if not, you only live once right?

2017 BMW M4 GTS pricing and specifications:
Price: $294,715 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder
Output: 368kW/600Nm
Transmission:  Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 8.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 199g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: N/A

What we liked:
>> Top-end fireworks
>> Improved rear-end tractability
>> Superb steering, lateral grip

Not so much:
>> Price
>> Harsh ride quality
>> Sold out

2017 BMW S 1000 RR pricing and specifications:
Price: $21,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 999cc inline four-cylinder
Output: 146kW/113Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: N/A
CO2: N/A
Safety Rating: N/A

What we liked:
>> Ease of use
>> Explosive top-end
>> Electric rider assistance

Not so much:
>> Optional extras
>> Better suited to shorter riders