2025 BMW M4

"My God! What have I done?" David Byrne's immortal lyrics have haunted the hallways of BMW's design studio since 2020, when the winner of a competition to pen the world's ugliest car was given the production green light by a well-meaning executive who wasn't in on the joke. Say what you will about the BMW M4's Angry Beavers-inspired front end; at least it drives well and the interior is nice. Those last two points are important, as the impending refresh leans into both. The M4 is updated for 2025 — adding more power and tech — following enhancements that BMW made to the sport coupe and convertible for last year.

Changes to the exterior are headlined by revised headlight, daytime running light and taillight designs, with the latter featuring standard laser light technology. The classic BMC roundel badges have new surrounds, and new black or red graphics packages are available for the hood and trunklid.

Every M4 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, though outputs vary significantly based on the transmission and drive type. The standard M4 comes with a six-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels, and output continues to stand at a stout 473 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. Step up to the M4 Competition, and the manual is swapped for an eight-speed automatic and the engine is beefed up to produce 503 hp and 479 lb-ft.

The ultimate M4 is the xDrive Competition, which routes 523 horsepower — a 20-hp boost over last year's model — through an all-wheel-drive system. Thankfully, xDrive allows you to force all power to the rear wheels, in case AWD doesn't provide the smoky burnouts you expect from your German muscle car.

Changes to the M4's cabin start with a new flat-bottom sport steering wheel with a red marker at the top, so you can see where the wheels are pointed at a glance. For the first time, buyers can option the steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara faux suede for a sportier feel.

Last year, the M4 added the BMW Curved Display, which houses the 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and 14.9-inch touchscreen under a single pane of glass. The only downside to the revised display and larger touchscreen is that it necessitated the removal of the dedicated row of climate buttons on the center stack. If you want to turn on the heated seats or activate the windshield defroster, you'll have to hunt through the touchscreen's climate menu to do so. For 2025, the infotainment system is upgraded to iDrive 8.5, which includes an updated voice assistant.