BMW has taken some very controversial decisions in recent times, but the one we are talking about today will definitely be liked by BMW enthusiasts. The latest M3 and M4 models come with a drift mode. Having at least 480 horsepower, the BMW M3 and M4 are certainly capable of kicking the back end out, which is why the good people of BMW have given us the M Drift Analyzer. The YouTube channel “BMWBLOG” gives us a demonstration of this function.

It’s a pretty neat feature and although it won’t turn you into Vaughn Gittin Jr. or Ken Block, it does let you make some adjustments and track your drift session. Actually, the adjustments you are allowed to make have mostly to do with the traction control’s interference. You get 10 levels of traction, 10 being the most intrusive and zero being all the way off.

Mike Renner – a BMW Driving instructor explains that the goal is to start from 10 (the highest TC setting) and work your way down the line, until you can eventually turn the traction control off, in which case maintaining the drift will depend solely on your skill. At the same time, you get various data on display, such as angle, duration, number of single drifts, understeer, and speed, to name a few. Mike also notes that for an inexperienced driver the “4” setting is perfect, as it simply intervenes right before the car is about to spin out, thus helping maintain the drift.

If you use the highest TC setting (10), the maximum rating is only three stars. From seven to four, you get up to four stars, and from three to zero (TC off), you can get the full five stars.

Of course, Mike is kind enough to show us how all this works, by doing a couple of long drifts on BMW’s skidpad. It looks effortless from the outside and even from the onboard footage, we see that the driving instructor doesn’t need to make too many steering adjustments. Nevertheless, if you want to get into some sideways action, BMW’s Drift Analyzer will give you that. As Mike mentions, the place for such exercises is the skidpad.