Life is all too often fraught with compromise. Flavor for fewer calories. Austerity for money saved. It’s just the nature of the beast. Sometimes, however, compromise doesn’t need to rear its ugly head. You want a sports car with a usable trunk, rear seats, and straight-up supercar speed? There’s a good chance the BMW M4 in its Competition xDrive trim will tick every box on your deceptively fast sports coupe wishlist.
Granted, the 2026 BMW M4 wears the oft-joked-about buck-tooth front fascia of the G82 and G22 4 Series cars. However, if the arguably challenging looks of the G82 BMW M4 don’t put you off, the 2026 model in Competition xDrive configuration is something of a brute in a tailored suit. There’s enough space to squeeze svelte passengers behind the front seats, and sufficient trunk space for a weekend away or loads of groceries. And when you want it, the 2026 BMW M4 Competition xDrive will accelerate with spaceship speed for much less than supercar pricing.
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2026 BMW M4 Competition xDrive: Four Seats, AWD, Serious Speed
BMW M cars once followed a formula. Specifically, the best M cars packed a sonorous six-cylinder up front, a manual transmission in the middle, corner-happy handling dynamics, and sent power to the rear wheels. Paired with a fighting curb weight and space for the whole family, cars like the original E28 BMW M5 established M cars as something of a force. Rigid adherence to that formula made BMW’s M cars the envy of the executive sports sedan segment. Things are a bit different now. Fast-forward to the second-generation G82 BMW M4, and the 2026 model is arguably nothing like the M cars of old. Break down the formula of the 2026 BMW M4 Competition xDrive, and you’ll find all-wheel drive, optional carbon ceramic brakes, and a curb weight of nearly 4,000 pounds. On the other hand, you’ll find supercar speed in a sports coupe with four seats and a usable trunk.
Superpowered Grocery Getter
The standard, base-model 2026 BMW M4 produces 473-horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque from its twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder engine. Opting for the M4 Competition bumps power output up to 503 horsepower. Opting for BMW’s rear-bias xDrive all-wheel drive system adds 20 more to the M4 Competition xDrive. Don’t think you’ll find the base M4’s six-speed manual transmission in the Competition xDrive, though. The sole transmission option for the top-of-the-line M4 is an eight-speed, shiftable M Steptronic Sport gearbox. As a result, the M4 Competition xDrive summons 523 horsepower and launches using grippy all-wheel drive.
Better yet, the latest range-topping G82 BMW M4 doesn’t sacrifice space for speed. The G82 BMW M4 offers up to around 15.5 cubic feet of trunk storage volume with all of its seats in place. That’s more cargo space than a comparable Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 or a Lexus RC F. Sure, that might not be enough to transport lumber or a hang glider. It is, however, enough trunk space for a trip to the grocery store or a short road trip. Folding the rear seats opens up the M4’s cabin for more accessible storage. Maybe take up a track day or two instead of hang gliding. And while the M4 doesn’t offer the same four-door usability as the M3 sedan, the sports coupe does have rear seats with enough space to accommodate two adults better than other segment rivals.
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Supercar Acceleration
The 2026 BMW M4 Competition xDrive might not have the same level of driver engagement as a manual-equipped, rear-wheel-drive base M4. What it does have, though, is a lightning-quick launch that places it in rarified air. In Car and Driver’s testing, the G82 M4 Competition xDrive managed to hit 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds. Nail the launch just right, and it’s a full second faster than the base M4 with the six-speed manual gearbox. It’s also as quick off the line as a mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette without compromising on everyday usability. If that wasn’t enough, the M4 Competition xDrive’s straight-line heroics put it in striking distance of the Ferrari Daytona SP3 and the Ferrari SF90. Not bad for a GT car with a starting price under $92,000. In fact, the front-engine Bimmer will outsprint the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS and its T-Hybrid, if just barely.
2026 BMW M4 Competition xDrive Specs
|
Engine |
Twin-Turbocharged 3.0-Liter I6 |
|
Transmission |
8-Speed M Steptronic Sport Automatic Transmission |
|
Drivetrain |
AWD |
|
Horsepower, Torque |
523 HP At 6,250 RPM, 479 LB-FT At 2,750 RPM |
|
0-60 MPH |
2.8 Seconds |
|
Quarter Mile |
11.0 Seconds At 124 MPH |
Polarizing Looks, Established Performance
Let’s address the 4,000-pound gorilla in the room. Well, maybe “beaver” is a better moniker. Put simply, not every critic, reviewer, or fan was crazy about the G82 BMW M4’s aesthetic. The most often reviled design feature? That would have to be the M4’s love-it-or-leave-it buck-tooth front grille. In typical BMW fashion, it’s made up of two individual openings set beside one another. However, for the G82 M4 and G80 M3, the grilles have expanded into dramatic – and polarizing – kidney-shaped openings. Interestingly enough, the controversial front end also lives with the G22 4 Series, but not the G20 3 Series. Still, after you’re done parrying the tired jokes about the looks of your 2026 BMW M4 Competition xDrive, you’ll drive away in something truly explosive. Likely quicker than they do, too.
A Pricey Drop Top
Like the Chevrolet Corvette, Mercedes-AMG CLE 53, and Ford Mustang, the BMW M4 is available in a drop-top. Unlike the previous M4 generation, the F83, the second-generation model opts for a traditional soft-top convertible application instead of a folding metal hardtop. Opting for the soft top not only lets the sky in, but it also affords rear-seat passengers that much more headroom with the top down. It does come at a price, though. Stretching from the M4 Competition xDrive to the M4 Competition xDrive Convertible adds $5,600, taking the starting price tag up to $97,100. Doing so also sacrifices some structural rigidity and adds 327 pounds to the M4 Competition xDrive’s curb weight, tipping the scales at 4,306 pounds with the rag top.
2026 BMW M4 Pricing
|
2026 BMW M4 |
$82,200 |
|
2026 BMW M4 Competition |
$86,400 |
|
2026 BMW M4 Competition xDrive |
$91,500 |
|
2026 BMW M4 Competition xDrive Convertible |
$97,100 |
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So, Should You Buy It?
If you’re looking for a GT car doing its best impression of Usain Bolt without using electric motor wizardry, the 2026 BMW M4 Competition xDrive is in a class of its own. The all-wheel drive M4 Competition’s acceleration figures speak for themselves. That said, the M4’s athletic chassis and rear-biased all-wheel drive system refuse to compromise on tire-roasting driving fun around corners, too. Still, that doesn’t mean it’s a drama-free purchase, especially for enthusiasts who would rather stop driving than allow their next car to shift for them.
Want a manual? It’s still a possibility in the M4. But that means sticking with the standard, non-Competition xDrive BMW M4. You won’t find a stick in the M4 Competition or M4 Competition xDrive. It also means opting for the 473-horsepower, 406 pound-feet of torque state of tune for the M4’s twin-turbo inline-six. Of course, the recipe of a notchy six-speed manual transmission, a third pedal, and rear-wheel drive stays true to the “Sheer Driving Pleasure” BMW promises its American buyers in the Chris Pine-narrated advertisements. Decisions, decisions.
Sources: BMW, Edmunds