You Can Buy A BMW M4 For The Price Of A Well-Specced Fiesta ST

BMW seems to have decided that its cars, for some reason, need to have absurd, vulgar grilles. It started with the BMW X7, which is so large that you can’t miss it, however hard you try. Then BMW turned the 7 Series from classy into looking like one of those pigs from Angry Birds. And now, the 4-series and M4 are set to follow suit, and we brought you these camouflaged spy shots a couple of days ago.

The new M4 is set to go on sale in 2021, with a new twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight-six kicking out up to 503bhp in top-spec Competition guise, and a little less in the one that we’re most interested in, the Pure - which is rumoured to have a manual gearbox of all things. Thinking about the next-gen car led us to have a browse of the classifieds, where we came across several M4 coupes for a similar price to the Ford Fiesta ST pocket rocket with a few options added. Now, decisions decisions…

Sure, you won’t have the 503bhp promised in the upcoming Competition model, and you’ll have to pay a little more if you want the pleasure of changing gear yourself. But 425bhp is more than sufficient - it’s more than double what you’d get in a Fiesta ST - and means the M4 hits 0-62mph in just a smidge over four seconds. Top speed is a limited 155mph, as per BMW’s gentleman’s agreement with its main rivals. Obviously the M4 can’t match the fuel economy of the Fiesta, but that’s hardly the point of a car that outguns some supercars. You should be able to achieve the heady heights of 30mpg on the rare times you’re gentle with the throttle, while £300 tax and high insurance are going to be side-effects owners will have to put up with.

But you could easily argue that you’re getting double the car for the money. The M4 is equal parts track-day blitzer and relaxed motorway cruiser, with twice the cylinders and displacement of the ST. You’ll also enjoy an interior stuffed with leather and high-tech gadgetry, while being based on the regular 4-series means the boot is a decent size too.

The advert we’ve picked out isn’t even the cheapest on the market, but we didn’t fancy an 89k-miler (even if it was in Austin Yellow). Instead, we’ve picked a 2015 car with a slightly more palatable 74,000 miles on the clock, with full service history from BMW dealers and specialists. At £23,995, it’s exactly the same price as a three-door Fiesta ST-3 with no options and the standard Race Red paint. This M4 comes in Yas Marina blue, which was one of the standard colours but at least it’s metallic.

The black grilles, black wheels and carbon-fibre spoiler caught our eye on this car, as the latter was an expensive optional extra. The spoiler isn’t even standard on a brand new M4 Competition. Just as eye-catching are the other M4 hallmarks - the carbon roof, pointed wing mirrors, aggressive body kit and bulging bonnet.

It seems that the first owner of this car added plenty more from the brochure, too, as it features a head-up display, high-beam assist, a ‘driving assistant’, cream leather and a Harman Kardon sound system. As you’d expect from a car that originally cost more than £60,000, the M4 also comes with sat nav, electrically adjustable heated front seats, DAB radio and parking sensors front and rear.

Which would you choose - a used M4 or a new ST? Tell us in the comments!