Road Test: BMW M3 Saloon
The BMW M3 is a staple of the performance car world and as per usual, it has a point to prove.
WORDS: Mark Rose | PHOTOS: Dom Ginn
Few cars come with more hype and expectation than an all-new BMW M3, and in the case of the G80, even fewer had been shrouded in as much controversy – something about vertical kidney grilles. Like many when they first saw the press images, I held my head in my hands and wondered what on earth BMW were thinking, but I’m delighted to report that I was wrong to jump the gun before actually seeing it in the metal. Let’s be straight. It is not a pretty car, but then it clearly wasn’t designed to be. What it is, is striking, aggressive and thought provoking. In its entirety it is quite a thing to behold with its hunkered down stance, thick tyres and quad tailpipes, but the face is the talking point. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I spent a considerable amount of my time with the M3 asking people what they thought of the appearance, and the reactions were overwhelmingly positive. It would appear then, BMW has pulled a blinder, but then they have a habit of doing that. To say it’s the best looking M3 ever would be a stretch – to me, that honour belongs to the E46 – but I suspect the G80 will age well.
Enough of how it looks. That’s now old news. There is much substance to discuss, so let’s get in to it. UK buyers are now solely able to purchase the M3 in Competition spec which means we only have access to the most powerful variant with the eight-speed ZF. Customers living in other territories can buy a less potent, non-Competition model with a manual gearbox which has annoyed a minority of UK buyers. Enthusiasts love a manual ‘box and 3 pedals, but most people who buy these cars opt for the auto so it didn’t make sense for BMW to offer the lesser powered variant on our shores.
As is now tradition with M cars, there are multiple driver settings and you can configure them to your liking via the setup button on the centre console, and then save you preferred settings using the M1 and M2 buttons on the steering wheel. Engine, chassis, steering and braking are all individually adjustable, as is the gearbox. How you set the car up is down to you, but for context, I configured the M1 button as a default lazy setting, and M2 as a full-on attack mode. There’s also an M Traction control system that allows you to select different levels of stability management and it’s coupled to a drift analyser that will rate each of your attempts at drifting. I hope you like paying for rear tyres.
The engine – codename S58 for all you engine designation geeks – is a reworked version of the B58 motor from the F80 M3. Fundamentally, it’s the same twin-turbo, 3.0 litre straight-six, but with larger mono-scroll turbos, 3D printed cylinder heads and a crank taken from the M4 GT3 racer. Outputs now sit at 503bhp and a healthy 479lb ft available from 2,750 – 5,500rpm. Power has been creeping upwards with successive generations of M3 and I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that it now has enough, especially when you consider it’s still being sent to the rear wheels. Something else that has jumped up is the weight, with the car now coming in at 1,730kg unladen – more on that later. For now though, you’ll be unsurprised to hear that it’s a very fast car. Zero to 62mph happens in 3.9 seconds and the top speed is still restricted to 155mph. It’s one of those cars that can catch you off-guard with how fast it’s travelling, which in part is thanks to the considerable serving of mid-range shove and the sharp throttle response. In typical turbocharged fashion, it doesn’t reward you for discovering the extremities of the rev-band. The cut-out is 7,200rpm, but you’re better off changing up a couple of hundred RPM shy of the limiter. Thanks to ever-annoying emissions legislation, the noise is very subdued, but BMW has tried to remedy this by pumping some sound in to the cabin. It still has that lovely, smooth, six-cylinder soundtrack, but it is comparatively quiet and the exhaust doesn’t make any interesting noises to compensate. Expect to see G80s with aftermarket exhausts in due course.
The most controversial part of the package is the gearbox. The old seven-speed twin-clutch has been shelved in favour of a torque converter. I’m happy to admit that the DCT wasn’t the most refined transmission on sale, but the gear changes were whipcrack fast which complemented the immediacy with which an M car should react. In comparison, the eight-speed ZF is tardy and even though it’s a more liveable gearbox, it doesn’t respond the way you want it to. Pull a paddle for a down-shift and you’re left waiting a fraction longer than you should be, and when changing up, the hesitation interrupts your rate of acceleration, albeit for just a split second. Perhaps, BMW will recalibrate the software to sharpen it up a little, but as it stands, it’s something of a weak link in an otherwise engaging package.
If this was a school report, the powertrain would be awarded a B+, but the chassis is A* all day, every day. Approach a corner, turn the stubby steering wheel and watch the front end go exactly where you want it to. You can then use the throttle to get the rear rotated neatly in to the corner. You don’t need to turn all the driver aids off and go drifting to discover how well balanced the chassis is, it’s there for you to feel every time your turn the wheel. Despite the portly kerbweight, the M3 feels light on its feet. You could be mistaken for thinking it weighs 200 kilos less than what the spec sheet claims and that’s not an exaggeration. The only thing that gives it away is some body roll, but it’s very well managed and lateral movement is great for judging how much grip you’re using. Speaking of grip, the rear wheels are wrapped in chunky 285-section Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, and it has 275s up front. They cling to the road like a child squeezing its mother’s hand, and are the reason why the rear wheels are able to deal with considerable power and torque. The steering is one of the best EPAS systems on sale with plenty of weight and, rare as it is for electronically assisted steering, some feedback of the road surface. It’s not overly detailed, but you can pick up more obvious changes in the texture of the road and you always know what the front wheels are up to. Overall, there’s great connection front to rear, and every input you make feels meaningful. The brakes are huge 400mm steel discs at the front and 380mm at the rear with buckets of stopping power and a pedal with plenty of feel. The entire package is wonderfully cohesive, from the chassis balance, to the steering, the braking and the grip levels. It all gels and gives you great confidence behind the wheel. I also don’t mind the extra weight. If the car felt lethargic it would be a problem, but it doesn’t and the extra mass gives the G80 some sure-footedness where the F80 sometimes felt spikey.
BMW know a thing or two about great driving positions, and the M3 Competition does not buck the trend. You sit nice and low and there’s plenty of options for adjustment from the seat and wheel. Our test car came with the optional ‘M Carbon Pack’ which included carbon fibre bucket seats and some exterior carbon. The seats are a very special item. At first glance you assume they’re uncomfortable given the aggressive bolstering and how slender the padding looks, but once you’re nestled in, they offer endless support in all the right places and are comfortable over long stints behind the wheel. The only caveat is getting in and out of them which is made difficult by how tall the side bolsters are.
The rest of the cabin is classic BMW. Where Mercedes and Audi now dazzle you with much tech and many screens, BMW keep it simple with one infotainment screen and a digital instrument binnacle. There are quite a lot of buttons scattered around, but ergonomically it works and scrolling through the iDrive infotainment system is as simple as it always has been. Everything is wrapped in leather – oddly, no Alcantara was present – and there was a fair smattering of carbon fibre about the place. When you’re not hooning around, the M3 is a pleasant car to live with and the well-executed cabin is a fantastic place to cover miles from.
The new BMW M3 Competition is a very well rounded performance car, and such breadth of ability also attracts a well rounded price tag. It costs £74,000 before options and our test car which was dripping in carbon fibre goodies came in at £86,745. But of course, no one will actually pay that. Instead, it costs a deposit plus x-amount per month. The balloon payment? I’m yet to meet someone who’s ever paid one. BMW offer very competitive finance deals, so despite the considerable price, expect to see lots of them on the road. Another reason we’ll see plenty of new M3s on the road is because it is quite the weapon. Once you’ve seen and driven it, you quickly forget all the controversies surrounding it. What’s of greater concern to people who are passionate about cars is the relentless march towards downsized engines and electrification, and the fact that BMW has been generous enough to give us another six-cylinder M3 is a gift. It’s no secret that the next Mercedes-AMG C63 is going to be powered by a four-cylinder hybrid motor, and when that eventuality is realised, I suspect more people are going to jump ship and buy M3s instead. If the future is to be all-electric, then BMW might just be the final bastion of the petrol-powered performance saloon car. Buy one. You’ll be doing your bit for car enthusiasts everywhere.
Technical Specifications
Engine: Straight-six, twin-turbo (S58)
Displacement: 2,993cc
Power: 503bhp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 479lb ft @ 2,750rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto, RWD
0-62mph: 3.9 secs
VMAX: 155mph
Kerbweight: 1,730kg
Price: £85,715+ (up to date price)
8/10
Rating
“It all gels and gives you great confidence behind the wheel”
