The design of the 2014 BMW M3 Coupe (or M4 for that matter) will build atop the upcoming 4 Series, due out in 2013. The M version of the popular coupe will incorporate the typical M design cues, both on the inside and outside, with the typical wide track, an M front bumper, full LED headlights, and the signature four exhaust pipes at the rear.
The biggest dilemma comes from under the hood. BMW announced in the past that the current generation M3 is the last one to be offered with the award-winning V8 naturally aspirated engine. Therefore, a new engine will now power the iconic M. What we do know for sure is that the powerplant will now use six cylinders, but will it be an inline-six turbo or a newly designed V6? The rumor mill is cranking overtime and different opinions surface almost every month with most of them favoring the turbocharged sixer as the final choice. The runner-up V6 was said to be a 3.3 liter BiTurbo engine with around 450 horsepower.
An interesting piece of information comes from Road and Track, quoting Albert Biermann, head of product development at M, who states that the new M3 or M4 will not have torque vectoring; instead, look for an electronically controlled differential as found in the M5.
The engine is expected to be mated to a dual-clutch transmission, but we won’t be surprised if a manual box will be offered for the U.S. customers.
