Bmw M4 

Power: 503bhp and 650Nm 

Into the wet roundabout we go. Just enough speed to push the front wheels wide; ease off the throttle and let the weight transfer; back on the gas, summoning as many of the many torques and 500 horses as you dare; feel the tail slide around, hold the angle with a deft dab of steering lock and just the right amount of power; keep the angle until you’ve had your fill of fun. Impressed? You shouldn’t be. It was all the work of a software engineer.

The 2021 M4 starts at £76,055 

Welcome to the new age of M car. One that is resolutely digital. Where software can make drivers appear as gifted as The Stig. And mean it is entirely possible for a four-seat, 500- horsepower coupé with the rear-wheels doing the driving, to behave in an entirely predictable fashion, whether ferrying the kids home from school on a wet and wild afternoon or firing the M4 from apex to rumble strip around your favourite race circuitAt least, that’s what BMW says as it attempts to rationalise the way the G80 looks. The styling is, shall we say, busy. A Chris Bangle-era BMW seems soothing on the eye by comparison. Draw your own conclusions.There are 16 standard colours for the range, but those wishing to express themselves further still can splash out on BMW’s Individual colours, with more than 90 to mull over. The M4 pictured here is the standard, non-metallic Sao Paulo Yellow – a highlighter-bright hue that is a nod to a tradition started with the E36’s Dakar Yellow and the E46’s Phoenix Yellow. It can be complemented by a choice of 19- or 20-inch forged alloy wheels providing a total of four different finishes, while the brake calipers can be had in blue, black, red or gold. If you think Sao Paulo Yellow requires sunglasses, wait until you open the door. The interior colour scheme of the M4 Competition we drove was like something from a FILA shell suit catalogue circa 1980. It’s a, er, strong look, with lilac and yellow leather contrasting with carbonfibre and piano-black inlays