BMW designed its new 2016 M4 GTS to be one thing: fast. Like a recorded Nurburgring lap time of 7 minutes 28 seconds fast. What's its secret sauce? That twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six has a 16 percent output increase over the standard M4, now rated at 493 horsepower. Peak torque has also been boosted by 10 percent to 442 lb-ft. It'll hit 60 mph from a standstill in just 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 189.5 mph.
But what's also really special about this engine is the fact that it's the first production road car to be fitted with a water injection system. Thank BMW M engineers for that. This is how it works: taking into account the fact that water absorbs heat from the surrounding air when it changes phases, water is injected as a fine spray into the intake manifold chamber where it evaporates, thus lowering the intake air temperature. That action reduces the final compression temperature in the combustion chamber and allows the turbo engine to operate with higher boost pressure and advanced spark timing. There's your extra power.
Aside from being a street legal track weapon, the M4 GTS is designed to be a "technological showpiece" and we wouldn't be surprised to see this tech in future M and non-M models. Aesthetically, you'll also note the addition of an aggressive aerodynamic body kit featuring an adjustable front splitter and a new hood. That massive new carbon-fiber rear wing is also adjustable and is attached to the trunk lid with two CNC-milled aluminum supports. There's also a carbon fiber diffuser, titanium exhaust system and exclusive M light-alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber. There are LEDs up front and – another first for a production car – OLED taillights.
Step inside and you're treated to an Alcantara-wrapped sport steering wheel, carbon-fiber front bucket seats (M sport seats for the US), three-point seat belts, lightweight center console, and revised door trim with pull loops in place of heavier handles.
The rear seat? Gone. A glass-fiber-reinforced plastic shelf and rear panel, both covered in Alcantara, take its place. Carbon ceramic brakes and an adjustable M coilover suspension are standard. The only option is a Clubsport Package that adds an Acid Orange roll bar, six-point harness, and a fire extinguisher. Just 700 examples are planned with 300 arriving in the US. Pricing has yet to be announced.
