[VIDEO] BMW M4 Manual vs Competition: Which is better?

Manual transmissions remain the best option for some car owners even if automatics have started to overwhelm the market. As with the BMW M3 and M4, many enthusiasts still opt for the manual gearbox despite its poor performance. However, other enthusiasts would still risk automatic variants. Below, we see what Joe Achilles would do with the M3 Competition spec.

The automatic transmission is the only transmission option available for the base BMW M4 Coupe. Its 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged i6 engine produces 473 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. Thus is less than the previous generation i6 engine. Compared to the M4 Competition’s eight-speed automatic with 503 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, the M4 is significantly more expensive.

Achilles drives an M3 Competition, which is very similar to the M4 Competition. However, it has two extra entry doors. As far as he knows, the regular M3 with manual transmission is not available in the UK. When he was in Germany, he was keen to test drive the M4 with manual transmission. He tested the M4 with manual transmission himself on the Autobahn, on nice back roads and at the Nürburgring itself.

After all the testing, he was convinced that the manual transmission car was the best choice, because he had a lot of fun driving it. Despite its flaws, he found that the BMW M4 with manual transmission had a better connection to the road than his M3 Competition. Many journalists have criticised the manual transmissions of the M3 and M4 as imprecise and rubbery, but they are still manual transmissions, and Achilles even prefers them to his own automatic car.