Comparison: 2021 BMW M3 vs BMW M4 Competition, or the Manual v Automatic Debate
Comparison: 2021 BMW M3 vs BMW M4 Competition, or the Manual v Automatic DebateBowmanville, ON – The atmosphere was definitely on the friendly side on this day at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park track outside of Toronto, organized by the good folks at BMW Canada. The Bavarian manufacturer's Canuck division invited a few members of the Canadian automotive press to visit, on the very first day the Quebec-Ontario border reopened for non-essential travel. Awaiting us at the closed-circuit track was a nice selection of M vehicles... as well as a freshly redesigned Mini Cooper JCW!
And yet, even if this kind of activity would satisfy any car performance enthusiast - I include myself in the group - there was a slightly gloomy vibe palpable in the background. No, it wasn’t the weather – which was perfect on this summer day in mid-June –, it wasn’t the welcome given us by BMW Canada, which was warm and celebratory, and it wasn’t the quality of the cars on hand, which was exceptional.
No, this melancholy feeling we felt of an era ending was best articulated by BMW itself, more specifically by the Director of Corporate Communications for BMW Canada. Marc Belcourt reminded us that this type of day on which only gasoline-engine cars are featured will not happen as often in the future.
That's one reason why friend and fellow Auto123 contributor Benoit Charette joined me in a friendly match in which we matched head-to-head two variants of the performance car that’s been around in one form another for over a century.
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