M4 Likely To Be The Last Ever BMW Available With A Manual

BMW's development boss reckons the M4 should be a "fortress of manual" while the brand increases its focus on automatic transmissions
M4 Likely To Be The Last Ever BMW Available With A Manual

Despite being an extremely niche option in many markets, BMW will indeed be offering a manual transmission with the next M4. Praise be.

When asked by Road and Track if the replacement for the F82 M4 will be available with stick, BMW development board boss Klaus Frohlich confirmed the good news. “I think it should survive in the next generation of M4…so my promise is, yes, there will be a manual in the successor to M4,” he said.

M4 Likely To Be The Last Ever BMW Available With A Manual

What’s more, it’s likely a future M4 will be the last BMW to have a manual ‘box. “I think, in the overall portfolio, manuals will disappear. But I think M4 should be the fortress of manual. So the last manual transmission which will die, it should die in an M4, as late as possible,” he said.

Low demand is the biggest hurdle facing powerful BMW manuals. Munich isn’t able to invest in developing a new manual to take the kind of high torque outputs associated with its pokier models, and “No transmission partner will do that [develop a manual] with us,” Frohlich notes.

Comments

GTRTURTLE 🔰 🐢(Oo \ S K Y L I N E / oO) (Koen

As much fun as it is to row gears, flappy paddles will always be faster.

11/30/2018 - 14:51 |
38 | 14

I guess if you’re a hardcore trackday guy, then yeah. But nothing beats rev matching a car around a twisty country road.

11/30/2018 - 14:55 |
70 | 2

As much fun as it is to set lap records? Manual shifters will always be more fun.

11/30/2018 - 15:58 |
18 | 0

faster is not always better. Ask a very frustrated woman
hahahaha

11/30/2018 - 17:54 |
20 | 0

Im happy to sacrifice the potential 5-10 seconds gain on a long commute to be able to shift myself.

11/30/2018 - 20:27 |
6 | 0
Raptor867

Sad

11/30/2018 - 14:52 |
0 | 0
Elliot.J99
11/30/2018 - 14:55 |
182 | 0
Anonymous

I don’t care tbh

11/30/2018 - 15:03 |
6 | 12
Metrickzcz (Prelude Squad)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Same, paddles are better anyways

12/01/2018 - 08:26 |
0 | 0
dmackster1124

Fast and Furious is especially sad about this

11/30/2018 - 15:44 |
12 | 2

Why? They probably don’t feature cars anymore unless it comes to crashing them

12/01/2018 - 09:34 |
2 | 0
GutlessZulu🔰

They should at least do a special edition that is manual in all of their M cars. Especially the M2,M3, and M4

11/30/2018 - 16:41 |
2 | 0
5:19.55

They should get nascar blueprints to develop those manuals at a lower cost, perhaps

11/30/2018 - 16:54 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

I do love BMW’s silly smooth 8-speed auto, but this is a bit of a shame.

11/30/2018 - 17:20 |
0 | 0
Noah Hammerstad

Noooooooo. Come on. everyone knows cars are a hella lot more fun with a stick

11/30/2018 - 17:22 |
10 | 0
Anonymous

I sense a lot of heel-toe and rev matching downshifts alongside of a epic engine’s exhaust note :)

11/30/2018 - 17:30 |
0 | 0
Jia the Supra Fanboy

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

the current m4 sounds horrible though

11/30/2018 - 20:27 |
0 | 0

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