BMW M4 (2014-2020) review

As a six-year-old car, the interior isn’t full of big flashy screens. Which is quite refreshing in 2020, where a pair of round analogue dials feel rarer, cooler and more satisfying than ever. Especially given M Division’s deeply pleasing illuminated rev limit, that moves upward as the engine warms up.

It also means buttons for all the major controls, and thus no averting your eyes from the windscreen if you need to adjust the air con or volume on the move. Which in an M4 is very welcome indeed.

The wing-back seats hug tightly but accommodate most sizes, there’s plenty of natural visibility (and a plethora of sensors and cameras to lend a hand) and everything is laid out with the ergonomic sense we know and love from BMW, but with flashes of carbon, Alcantara and M tricolours to liven it all up.

Tech addicts might feel like they’re missing out – especially with such poor smartphone connectivity – but everyone else will likely sit and savour a car interior that’s angled towards its driver and not the numerous phones and tablets they might want to plug in. And iDrive is probably at its most intuitive in here anyway.

Perhaps the best example of the M4's interior usability is how easily you juggle between the Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus modes of its engine, suspension and steering. Each one has its own physical button, so mishmashing your favourite settings is as simple as toggling through each one as you see fit. Even on the move if you wish, as pockmarked urban street makes way for delightful open road and you want the car to quickly tense up. We can only hope the next M3 and M4 keep such important controls so simple too.