The BMW M line's goal was to bring race inspired vehicles to the street. At a recent event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), it was their goal to bring that all-new M roster to the race track for an eventful racing day.

BMW had five different vehicles to drive, the all-new fifth-generation 2015 M3 and M4 Coupe, along with the M5, M6 and M6 Gran Coupe. The event is called the BMW M Power Tour and its been running for several years, but it was made much more special this year, as it was inline with a marketing blitz and advertising campaign for the release of the M3 and M4. BMW has been successful in this campaign through the use of a Canadian-produced video for the M4 called, “Ultimate Racetrack” that has already received over four million hits.

Since I spent most of my time in the M3 and M4, this article will focus solely on those two vehicles. For those not in the know, BMW has changed their nomenclature slightly for the M3. The M3 used to have both the sedan and coupe under its name, but now the sedan remains with the M3 name and the coupe version is now called the M4.

The biggest change for the M3 and M4 comes under the hood. No longer is BMW using a V8, but has brought in a 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-six cylinder engine that produces 425 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. It comes in rear-wheel drive and is mated to either a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission or a standard six-speed manual. To give a sense of how fast they can go, they've been clocked at doing 0-100 km/h in under four seconds.

For this exercise on track, BMW only brought out the seven-speed automatic, but at least it has the sequential manual paddle shifters that were solely used throughout. We would start the day with some baby steps, learning certain corners of the track in bunches of three to execute the proper speeds, gear and racing lines when we go off for our full laps. All that was needed was to put the vehicle in M2 mode (Sport plus) and I was ready to burn some rubber.

While practising turns 8-10, it was hard to notice the weight loss in the M3 (it shed close to 200 lbs. from its predecessor thanks in large part to the use of carbon fibre). However, one thing that was most noticeable was its agility. The other major change was in throttle response, as it still had a lot to give, even in the higher rpms and reacted quickly to any acceleration.

Turns 4 to 5C were the trickiest of the bunch and it took a while to figure out where to place the M3. Whatever challenge I had, came from my own doing in not finding the right turning point and nothing to do with the car. The M3 stayed balanced throughout without much need for correction, which is a true testament to how well-tuned this sporty car is.

Once we got the ball rolling and started whipping some good lap times around CTMP, the M3 let loose, allowing me to tackle each corner with exquisite precision. It quickly went off the line with a blast of power without ever getting out of control at any point of the day. Braking was effortless and didn't have hardly any lag, even when short shifting into certain corners.
 
The day was a lot of fun and effortless. The M3 and M4 gave me an adrenaline rush, but not a crazy pounding one, which speaks volumes for how controlled the inner beast feels. BMW has done a splendid job in switching to the inline-six from the V8, creating much more flexibility and a balanced drive.