Dave I think every reviewer agrees that the m4 feels a lot faster than the e92. I certainly found this. The fact the m4 comes underrated as standard helps, but I know the stats are close enough and was careful to proviso my post as a "feeling". But I think the average driver on the average road in average conditions will be a lot faster in a s55 engined car. I certainly am, because firstly I dont have to be revving the nuts off it all the time, and second I am a crap driver.

You cant stick 100bhp and 100 torque on the e92 with a stage one tune, and the 0-100kph are a little more than 0.1s different, I had a couple of runs against a manual e92 at the runway club event last year and totally monstered it, not even close (e60 m5 on the other hand got away above 200kph)....every generation of m3 has been a big improvement on the previous albeit that some aspect of the previous cars beloved character was lost in the new one.

Cars now have become so fast, powerful and so technical that its really only how they feels that differentiates them. One of the problems I have with fast Audi's (and possibly the new m5) it that is doesn't feel like anything at all. I am a bit nervous about the 2020 m4, as the m3/4 is becoming more like a m5, and the m2 has been introduced as a "sportier" car