The long wait for the arrival of the new M3 and M4 in showrooms is almost over, as today we have received the all-important pricing information. After exiting the market at the end of the 2011 model year, the M3 sedan returns for 2015 and sees its pricetag inflate to $62,925, which is about $6,650 higher than what you would have paid for the previous model when it was last on sale. Filling the role of the former M3 Coupe is the new 2015 M4, which is priced from $65,125, or about $4,130 more than you would have paid for an M3 Coupe in the car’s final year on the market.
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Apart from one being a sedan and the other a coupe, the 2015 M3 and M4 are much the same. Both come with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six engine delivering 425 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. That’s only a slight increase in power over the outgoing M3’s 414-horsepower naturally-aspirated 4.0-liter V-8, but it is a significant leap in torque considering the old V-8 was delivering only around 295 pound-feet.
The standard transmission is a six-speed manual but a seven-speed M-DCT dual-clutch ‘box is offered as an option. According to Car and Driver, adding this option will cost you $2,900. Other options include carbon ceramic brakes ($8,150); a Driver Assistance Plus package ($1,900) which adds blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, and active braking; and an Executive package ($4,300) which adds a head-up display, backup camera, parking sensors, heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel, satellite radio, keyless entry, and headlight washers. A sunroof is a no-cost option.
An M4 Convertible is still in the works and should arrive either later this year or early next. Expect its premium over the M4 coupe to be somewhere between $5k and $10k.
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