Considering M4, is it "safe" for me?

[austinm4x]

Hello everyone, new to the forums. Been spending a lot of time here browsing and decided it was time to get down to business. I thank you all for your time.

I'm a 33 year old male, not impulsive, never been in an accident. I'm not a professional/semi-professional driver whatsoever, and I don't plan to become one. I don't care about the track either.

I've been saving a while for "dream car", and I would probably just get a 440 xdrive, but I love the way the M4 looks. And I certainly won't be spending 60,000$ for a car that doesn't meet every requirement I am looking for (fast and good looking).

Basically what I am wondering is, if I keep DSC fully on, all the safety features on, etc. do I have to worry about spinning out from a red light "race" and crashing into the car next to me or a tree, etc? I put race in quotes because it's typically just the take off to 40-60mph then I slow down. It's far from any type of real aggressive street race, I do these little take offs in my old G35 everyday and never had an issue.

So yeah, that's my question, is the M4 okay as a daily driver or will I always have to fear that if I give it some gas, I might spin out of control.

Also, I am looking at a 2017 M4 ZCP (DCT) if that matters. (I read here that there was a change in low end torque from earlier years).

Thank you all for your time.

[Sassicaia]

You will be fine.

For a piece of mind id suggest taking one of the many BMW defensive driving courses to boost confidence.

[JTK24]

Was in a similar boat as you and got my F80 almost a year ago. Yes - you will definitely be fine. I had read all the horror stories, saw the videos (m4 crashing out of cars & coffee), etc. Even read posts where people were saying they would spin tires coming out of parking lots.
With DSC on and in the default start up mode, I've never felt remotely close to feeling like I was going to lose control or anything similar.
In some of the sport modes, the car really comes alive and I could see how if you get reckless you could put yourself in some bad situations. But I think you'd have to push it pretty hard to get into that situation.
I will say the only negative consequence I've had so far is that I want to push any car I drive in the same way I have grown accustomed to driving the M3. It doesn't work the same way I'm our minivan

[Salespunk]

You will be just fine, take a performance driving class somewhere if you are really nervous. BTW I drove my M4 with DSC off all the time and didn't die. Just don't be an idiot and floor the gas from a stop.

[Agamemnon]

You won’t have any problems as long as you keep the electronic nannies on. I have an M3 and a Subaru Forester XT for the daily driver. Problem comes when driving the Forester, it doesn’t feel like it has any braking power after the massive grip of the M3’s brakes. I seem to constantly overcook my braking distances and have to really slam on the brakes. So the M3 has massive reserves. It just gets to them quicker. A driver like yourself who respects the car will make a perfect owner which is one who enjoys his ride safely and uses the performance when appropriate.

[Teeone]

Agree with all above. You will have no worries with dsc on. If you want to flirt with dsc off, a driving school would be worth considering.

[RickFLM4]

Just don’t switch from sport plus to efficient.

[Prossx]

Several recent entertaining threads on driving in MDM, full DSC off etc. worth sifting thru the forums.

[CigarPundit]

I agree with the above. With DSC fully on, the car is fast but it won’t catch you by surprise and go sideways off the line. If you have the time and money, an M class is well worth it to get to know the car at the limits and hone your driving skills. You’ll probably be fine in MDM mode too. It will give you a little tire spin and let the rear step out a bit, but it reigns the car in before things go really wrong. IMO, the car is at its best with DSC off, but you need to be ready, willing and able for wheel spin and oversteer.

[stormlv]

Originally Posted by austinm4x

Hello everyone, new to the forums. Been spending a lot of time here browsing and decided it was time to get down to business. I thank you all for your time.

I'm a 33 year old male, not impulsive, never been in an accident. I'm not a professional/semi-professional driver whatsoever, and I don't plan to become one. I don't care about the track either.

I've been saving a while for "dream car", and I would probably just get a 440 xdrive, but I love the way the M4 looks. And I certainly won't be spending 60,000$ for a car that doesn't meet every requirement I am looking for (fast and good looking).

Basically what I am wondering is, if I keep DSC fully on, all the safety features on, etc. do I have to worry about spinning out from a red light "race" and crashing into the car next to me or a tree, etc? I put race in quotes because it's typically just the take off to 40-60mph then I slow down. It's far from any type of real aggressive street race, I do these little take offs in my old G35 everyday and never had an issue.

So yeah, that's my question, is the M4 okay as a daily driver or will I always have to fear that if I give it some gas, I might spin out of control.

Also, I am looking at a 2017 M4 ZCP (DCT) if that matters. (I read here that there was a change in low end torque from earlier years).

Thank you all for your time.

The car is only a handful with DSC OFF and aggressive driving, as others have said.

That said, I do ask myself if a 440 xDrive isn't a better alternative for you. By how you described yourself, it should be plenty fast for spirited driving, for the occasional (safe) launch and for a nice comfy daily. You'd get the benefit of AWD and knowing that you can more easily use the car to its full potential.

One thing to note, I feel that the M4 doesn't really shine when it comes to 0-40-60mph runs. It's very tricky to get consistent (or even close to) manufacturer 0-60 times. You'll get much more consistent 0-60 times with the 440xi.

Slap the 440 with a tune and you get it to 400 hp easy if you need more power.

[BluM4]

If you are keeping the car stock with DSC on, even in Sports Plus, the car is relatively tamed. Don't worry too much about it.

[austinm4x]

Originally Posted by stormlv

The car is only a handful with DSC OFF and aggressive driving, as others have said.

That said, I do ask myself if a 440 xDrive isn't a better alternative for you. By how you described yourself, it should be plenty fast for spirited driving, for the occasional (safe) launch and for a nice comfy daily. You'd get the benefit of AWD and knowing that you can more easily use the car to its full potential.

One thing to note, I feel that the M4 doesn't really shine when it comes to 0-40-60mph runs. It's very tricky to get consistent (or even close to) manufacturer 0-60 times. You'll get much more consistent 0-60 times with the 440xi.

Slap the 440 with a tune and you get it to 400 hp easy if you need more power.

Thank you everyone for your replies.

Storm, I don't like the way the 440i looks. Too "soft" so to say and don't like the single exhausts either. If they made the body change to the M4 available, I'd most likely go with it. But that's not the case. And I prefer the ZCP rims as well. Want performance, but want looks as well, very important to me. And the M4 just looks much better than the 440 imo, the wider body, how the spoiler is, etc.

[Germanauto]

Really solid question. I feel the same.

My current cars are AWD so I have zero qualms about hooning them around because they always remain planted and glued to the road. I understand the RWD is the holy grail of performance but don't view myself as a good enough driver to handle it.

The way I take some corners would surely cause the tail of the ///M4 to spin out. AWD gives a ton of piece of mind.

[doug_999]

as other have posted, it is really really hard to get into trouble with this car with all the nannies (I mean safety features) on.

Turn that chit off and you are on your own and good luck.

However, I should add, that it looks like you are in PA - AND that means you need snows or all-seasons with this car or you are in a heap of trouble. It will not go in snow with the summer tires on and people that drive like that are just waiting for their chance to get their Darwin award.

[jailonacs99]

The car is perfect as a daily driver (maybe suspension is a little harsh if you're someplace with bad roads).

If you floor it in Sports+, the car accelerates to the point that you'll feel the rush, but as long as DSC is on and you're not accelerating anywhere unsafe then it wouldn't be any harder to handle than any RWD sports car. Taking the DSC off and paddle or manual shifting would change the dynamic completely and I wouldn't recommend it until you've actually built up more performance driving experience.

Speaking of which, I'd recommend a High Performance Driving course over a defensive or anything. M schools do them and I took one at Bob Bondurant I enjoyed and learned a lot from if you're in Arizona or nearby.

[KevinM]

I agree with stormlv. With DSC on or even MDM, you won't get into trouble. However, the car will bog during hard 1-2 shifts and 2-3 shifts even with DSC on and even when in MDM. Thus the "real life" 0-60 times are not that impressive (although obviously the car is quick), and that is really not the reason to purchase this car. I'm not sure about launch control since I have a MT, but I've heard iffy things about that as well. It seems to get the best 0-60 time you need to turn all the nannies off, but then you really have to know what you are doing.

Since you don't want/need a MT (which is why I have this car) and 0-60 (or 0 to the speed limit) is important to you, consider (as above) the 440 xDrive, or an Audi RS3.

GL!

[SaMaster14]

My first car was an Infiniti G37s sedan... while the F8x has A LOT more power/twin turbo/a lot of torque, the traction/handling of the G was abysmal in comparison. Unless you have DSC completely turned off, you're probably safer in the M than the G (especially with grip/on any kind of turns)

[uniqueMR]

You will do just fine. Don't over think...

[itrocks4u]

Its slower than 440 when in efficient.

[Hachima]

Originally Posted by austinm4x

Thank you everyone for your replies.

Storm, I don't like the way the 440i looks. Too "soft" so to say and don't like the single exhausts either. If they made the body change to the M4 available, I'd most likely go with it. But that's not the case. And I prefer the ZCP rims as well. Want performance, but want looks as well, very important to me. And the M4 just looks much better than the 440 imo, the wider body, how the spoiler is, etc.

While you mention the differences in looks I'd say they still look pretty similar in many aspects. Regardless of which base build is chosen I'd say its more of the after market changes that are going to give it a more sportier look.



vs



With your driving skill I suspect the 440 is going to be faster for your 0-60s at least initially. Mash the pedal into kickdown and you don't have to worry about a thing. M4 is going to require gaining some new skill in control in order to match the experience but no where near needing semi pro driving skills to become competent. Driving School (not M School) would also be a huge boost in getting a good feel for staying in control with DSC off (DSC off means still 20% or so DSC is still enabled). BMW uses the term DSC inactive for absolutely no DSC. You spend a lot of time with DSC off at the driving school.

[Prossx]

I've had consistently good launches in Sports+ throttle & MDM on; even allows upshift chirps which is really cool.

[Poiseuille]

Happy to say that I have no disagreement with anything that's been said so far, that these cars are perfectly safe as long as you keep the nannies on. I would only add that while you're getting used to the car always pay attention to the almost imperceptible accumulation of groundspeed. From the wording of your OP I'd guess that you're not going to be terribly surprised with the car's capability from 0 to 80, thrilled yes, surprised probably not. It's the torque that will be a surprise: it doesn't stop. The transition from 80 to 130 is like magic, so pay attention. From your OP, I understand that you have no desire to be a race driver, and that you won't routinely be sliding onto freeways with a 30° yaw and lots of reverse lock (only Jeremy Clarkson does that anyway). You would be missing out on large quantities of fun though. Regarding whether and when to turn the nannies off: I predict that you may change your mind on that. If you do, first get well used to the car before you do that. Second make sure you understand the different phases of "nannies off", some of which have already been alluded to. Study this subject carefully. You'll find some very thoughtful threads and posts about that on this forum, but unfortunately some rubbish as well. You'll figure that out. As we know, torque is our friend, and that is especially true of these cars with the nannies turned off to one degree or another. The only sane way to learn these cars in those conditions is at a track day. This does not mean that you have to flog the thing around like Paul Tracy, you do a track day to avoid things like distraction, innocent bystanders and law-enforcement, so you can pay attention to what you're doing. Track day opportunities are ubiquitous, and I'd recommend joining the BMWCCA if you haven't already to get the most frequent and the best opportunities. Do an M-school if that's in your budget. A few parting thoughts: take your time, don't mod the car until you really understand it, read everything you can and most importantly stay out of the Politics & Religion subforum.