If you follow automotive news, then you know that the new 2014 BMW M3 and M4 have broken cover in the past few days, after a long, drawn out build up that left few surprises. I’m not here to tell you all of the generic information that you can get anywhere else on the web. I’m here to offer my interpretation and opinion on the information that has been released. So, as educated, free-thinking car enthusiasts, let’s take a look between the lines at what the new BMW M3 and M4 are all about.

Obviously, the number that tends to stick out the most on the interweb is the horsepower figure. People are already complaining about BMW’s official claim of “430bhp” because “It is only like 20 more than the old one, booo!” Those of use who know how the German companies have been operating lately have to laugh at such comments, because we know that the horsepower figures of turbocharged BMWs have consistently been underrated by 10-20%. That means that the new M3 and M4 will actually be producing something in the range of 470-510hp, and that is a substantial increase.

The next number, and the only surprise for me, is the weight of the M3 and M4. BMW is saying that each will weigh in at around 3300lbs, which is quite a bit lighter than the 3700lb E90 generation M3…. which was quite a big girl by M3 standards. The new M3 and M4 are now back around the same weight as the E46 M3, and that is right where I feel these cars should realistically be.

So, to put the new M3 and M4 in relatable terms, imagine an E46 M3 with a twin turbo kit and an extra Fiat 500 Abarth’s worth of horsepower under the hood, yeah. While the new M3 and M4 will lose some comparative responsiveness due to turbo lag, they will make up for it with a boat-load more torque and a much wider, more accessible power band. The whole world seems to be moving to forced induction at this point, and I think it was an important step for the new 2014 BMW M3 and M4 to take at this juncture.

Many BMW M car purists will surely complain that the new M3 and M4 do not have a racing-derived engine, and will be quick to point out that such an engine was always the trademark of a true M car. Well, look around at the other current M cars. All have given up their racing-derived power plants in favor of turbocharged plebeian creations that usually make more horsepower than their naturally aspirated racing counter parts…. you can blame the regulatory institutions of motorsport for that.

The truth about M cars, and most other modern sports cars, is that they are no longer the street legal racing cars that they once were. They are really just sports cars with a lot of grand touring DNA in them. Keeping that in mind, 3300lbs is actually quite light weight for such a car. Those of you who are yearning for the days of the 2500lb E30 M3 should just go buy yourself an E30 M3.

The real competition for the new M3 and M4 will be the Porsche 911 (as always), Mercedes C63 AMG, Porsche Cayman, Chevrolet Corvette, and also now the Jaguar F-Type, among others. The option of a manual transmission will be a real selling point for these BMWs, especially against the likes of the F-Type V6, which starts around the same price that the M3 and M4 will be starting at. The Dual Clutch transmission is also nothing to scoff at either. I’ve tried it in the BMW M6, and it is up there with Porsche’s magnificent PDK.

So far it seems that the new BMW M3 and M4 are exactly the what they needed to be in my opinion. BMW have modernized the package with turbocharging and a solid dual clutch transmission, but have also stayed true enough to their roots for the purists out there with the lighter curb weight and the option of a clutch pedal. The 2014 BMW M3 and M4, together, have a massive appeal to them with the package they offer. You can have four doors in the M3 or two doors in the M4, and both will provide astonishing performance with their “430hp (again, really more like 500hp) pushing just 3300lbs.

There is no way to know if BMW has really hit this one out of the park until we actually drive one, however, things are looking great so far. Now lets just wait a few weeks to see what Chris Harris thinks as he inevitably drives one around sideways in some awesome location. Then hopefully, sometime this spring/summer, I will get the chance to have a go in the new BMW M3 or M4 myself. Till then, fingers are crossed.

-Nick Walker