Displaying items by tag: BMW M3

Tuesday, 01 February 2022 10:30

Our 2022 BMW M3 Is the Perfect Spec

 

We take this omission seriously. Plus, internet points matter less to us than driving satisfaction, so our long-term M3 has a mere 473 horsepower, rear-wheel drive, and a six-speed manual transmission. So far, we think it's the right one to live with for the next 40,000 miles.

Say what you will about the M3's novelty-sized snout, we think the optional Isle of Man Green Metallic paint ($550) makes up for it. Paired with the M Shadowline black inlay in the front headlights ($300) and 18-inch wheels, the exterior has the kind of presence that elicits compliments from folks in parking lots.

2022 bmw m3
 
Inside, the Silverstone and Black Leather ($2550) and Individual Aluminum trim ($1080) add a pleasing contrast. We also opted for the $1550 Executive Package that bundles the necessary heated steering wheel and head-up display with the power trunk and the debatable gesture control. The latter allows you to do things like change the volume by spinning your finger in front of the touchscreen—it was one of the first features we disabled.
 

The $900 M Drive Professional option includes a track mode setting, 10-stage traction control (yes, 10), a feature that scores your drifts, and lap-timer functionality that works via an app on your phone. All in, our M3 came to $77,825.

 
2022 bmw m3
The M3's break-in process asked us to keep the engine speed varied, but not to exceed 5500 rpm or 106 mph for the first 1200 miles. After that, it was time for a complimentary service visit for an inspection and new rear differential fluid, fresh engine oil, and an oil filter replacement.

Between that service and the 3100-mile mark, the owner's manual advised, "Engine and road speed can gradually be increased to a constant speed of 137 mph," but to "use the maximum speed of 155 mph only briefly, for instance when passing." Check.

 
2022 bmw m3
Despite these draconian restrictions, we've found plenty to enjoy in our M3. The engine feels powerful, with a brawny midrange that's satisfying to explore on freeway onramps. During testing, our M3 reached 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and vanquished the quarter-mile in 12.2 seconds at 117 mph. That's right on the heels of our test results for the standard M4, which is slightly lighter, and roughly half a second slower than the automatic-only M3 Competition.

The manual's short gearing means the engine spins at around 3000 rpm in sixth at freeway speeds, which has made some staffers wonder if there was a seventh gear. On the other hand, most passing maneuvers don't require a downshift—even those at less than 155 mph.

 
2022 bmw m3
The steering received a few complaints for being overly sensitive and hyperactive at low speeds. Fortunately, it gets better as you go faster. The Continental SportContact 6 tires wrapped around our M3's 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels produced 1.02 g on our skidpad and a 70-to-zero-mph braking distance of 160 feet. That skidpad result is just behind the figure for the standard M4, which wore Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. We'll have to wait to draw comparisons between braking performances, as it was 26 degrees when we tested our M3.

The falling temperatures necessitated a set of winter wheels and tires. Alas, we were unable to find a set in the aftermarket, so we went directly through BMW. The winter package included four 19-inch wheels and a set of Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 tires for a hefty $3710.

 

 
2022 bmw m3
 

Considering the car's power, rear-wheel drive, and sensitive steering, the package has fared well. We've enjoyed the driving satisfaction that is inherent in the M3 name—especially one with a manual transmission. The automatic-only Competition may be quicker, but we're happy with our choice so far. We'll see how the luster lasts over the course of 40,000 miles.

Months in Fleet: 4 months Current Mileage: 3332 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 19 mpg
Fuel Tank Size: 15.6 gal Observed Fuel Range: 290 miles
Service: $0 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0
Damage and Destruction: $0

Specifications

2022 BMW M3
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

PRICE
Base/As Tested: $70,895/$77,825
Options: Silverstone and Black Leather interior, $2550; Executive package (power tailgate, gesture control, head-up display, heated steering wheel), $1550

ENGINE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve inline-6, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 183 in3, 2993 cm3
Power: 473 hp @ 6250 rpm
Torque: 406 lb-ft @ 2650 rpm

TRANSMISSION
6-speed manual

CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 15.0-in vented, cross-drilled disc/14.6-in vented, cross-drilled disc
Tires: Continental SportContact 6
F: 275/40ZR-19 (103Y) ★
R: 285/35ZR-19 (103Y) ★

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 112.5 in
Length: 189.1 in
Width: 74.3 in
Height: 56.4 in
Passenger Volume: 98 ft3
Trunk Volume: 13 ft3
Curb Weight: 3789 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS: NEW
60 mph: 3.9 sec
100 mph: 9.2 sec
1/4-Mile: 12.2 sec @ 117 mph
130 mph: 15.4 sec
150 mph: 22.3 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.6 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 7.2 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 5.8 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 156 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 160 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 318 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.02 g

C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 19 mpg
Unscheduled Oil Additions: 0 qt

WARRANTY
4 years/50,000 miles bumper to bumper
4 years/50,000 miles powertrain
12 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection
4 years/unlimited miles roadside assistance
3 years/36,000 miles scheduled maintenance

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a38904698/2022-bmw-m3-reliability-maintenance/

Published in BMW
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Friday, 30 July 2021 05:10

BMW M3 Competition Review: 85% Brilliant

Versus the competition: The M3’s adjustability sets it apart from competitors like the Mercedes-AMG C63 and the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio; it can be a calm around-town cruiser or the ultimate track monster with the push of a few buttons.

The BMW M3 is one of those iconic sports machines that creates strong feelings among enthusiasts. Is the new one as good as the old one? Can all its technology make up for the extra weight it lugs around? Has it become too expensive, too unattainable, too electronic?

There’s plenty of debate in the car-enthusiast world, but something that hasn’t generally been an issue for the BMW M3 before is its looks — until now: Is it too ugly to be seriously considered? We don’t normally discuss how a vehicle looks, as taste in design is largely subjective; one person’s hideous is another person’s appealing. But if our anecdotal discussions with current M3 sedan and M4 coupe owners are any indication, the M3’s new styling may just impact its viability for a lot of buyers. Can the M3’s performance and other abilities overcome its questionable looks?

 

OK, we should just get this out of the way: BMW’s new buck-toothed styling is awful. This is a worse transgression than the “Bangle butt” of the 2002 BMW 7 Series. The best anyone seems able to muster about the odd grille treatment is, “It doesn’t look too bad.” That’s a damned far cry from “Wow, that’s gorgeous.”

But it isn’t just the grille that’s offensive. Look down the M3’s body side and you’ll notice the fenders have been flared to cover its wider wheels and tires. Then you’ll notice the door skins have not been widened to match the fenders, which becomes awkward where the rear doors meet the rear quarter panels. This is BMW cheapening out on the upgrade from 3 Series to M3 by not also modifying the door skins in order to save a couple bucks. The result looks half-done and amateurish — a decidedly disappointing visual update that takes away a significant portion of the M3’s appeal.

If You Can Get Past the Looks …

The driver’s seat is where the new M3 makes its strongest case for overlooking the fact that it looks like the lovechild of SpongeBob SquarePants and a garden vole. And that case is indeed strong; the M3 drives as well as it ever has, with abilities unmatched by plenty of super-expensive ultra-sports-cars — all while disguising itself as a compact sports sedan.

I didn’t even mind that my test car was an automatic, as its engine and transmission combination is world-beating. The two are exceptionally well matched, and you can fine-tune how it performs by selecting one of six progressively sportier transmission modes — three automatic and three manual. I rarely used the manual function for shifting gears; I felt no need to second-guess what the transmission was doing quite well on its own, and the idea of manually shifting an automatic transmission with flappy paddle shifters strikes me as silly.

Acceleration is explosive. Mash the go-pedal and hang on for dear life, as the thing rockets forward with serious force when asked to do so. The beauty of the M3 is that everything seems electronically adjustable, from throttle response and transmission shifts to steering feedback and brake pedal feel. You store your settings in the computer, then choose them via a couple of big red buttons right on the steering wheel.

bmw-m3-competition-2021--07-angle--blue--exterior--rear.jpg2021 

When it comes to M Performance cars, I like to set up one of the two options as a cruiser (relaxed responses, softer suspension, easy-does-it gear changes) and the other as a brawler (aggressive steering, firmer suspension, hair-trigger throttle). For around-town driving, I keep it in cruiser mode and enjoy driving a comfortable, luxurious sports sedan. Then when I come upon a twisty bit of back road — or even a long highway on-ramp — brawler mode instantly ratchets the M3 up to far more aggressive, entertaining levels for as long as I want it to.

And man, is it ever entertaining. Everything on the M3 Competition is track-ready, with electronically controlled brakes that feel far better than those in a standard 3 or 4 Series. Steering is quick and responsive, and the suspension is sophisticated — all of which combines to allow for driving well in excess of posted speed limits without even realizing you’re doing so. The only indication you’re going faster than you should is a rather surprising amount of road and wind noise that comes through to the cabin. Part of that was due to my test car’s super-sticky summer performance tires (on 19-inch wheels up front, 20-inchers in back), which transmit a lot of pavement noise partly thanks to the car’s aerodynamics.

An Evolutionary Interior

While the latest M3’s exterior has changed considerably versus the outgoing model, the interior has seen a more evolutionary progression. It’s changed so slowly, in fact, that you might sit in the thing and wonder what’s even different. But that’s OK, as BMW’s latest interiors are quite nice — and they do not include an overly aggressive move toward touch-sensitive flat panel surfaces over traditional buttons, thank goodness.

The M3’s sport seats might look too aggressively bolstered and uncomfortable, but they’re anything but; they proved to be supremely comfortable and supportive in all the right places, both in spirited driving and on longer highway voyages. They look the business, too, matching the M3’s sporting personality well.

The Competition trim I drove also featured an optional Executive Package, which includes niceties like a heated steering wheel, BMW’s Gesture Control for the multimedia system, a head-up display and more. The chunky steering wheel feels excellent in your hands, but the real standouts are the bright red M1 and M2 buttons on the spokes; they just beg you to punch them and let the M3 loose on the world.

bmw-m3-competition-2021--23-backseat--interior.jpg2021 

Supercar Performance, Luxury Car Prices

The M3’s overall performance is stunning. It’s an immensely satisfying driver’s car, with abilities and technology matching more exotic supercar coupes, but in a package that’s eminently more sensible as a daily driver. It’s easily track-capable off the showroom floor, and it can also be a satisfying backroad brawler or high-speed highway cruiser if its driver never wants to turn a wheel in anger on a race course.

The M3’s starting price is $70,895 (prices include destination), jumping up to $73,795 for the Competition trim. Bumping up to the Competition gets you the more powerful engine, a standard automatic transmission (the manual is sadly not available), larger wheels and tires, special seat belts and Shadowline exterior trim. My test vehicle had a few other options, including a $1,950 paint job and a special leather interior that ran $2,550. The Executive Package costs $3,000 and adds remote start, a heated steering wheel, a power opening trunk, adaptive LED headlights, wireless personal electronics charging and BMW’s gesture control for the latest iDrive multimedia system. The total for my deep blue test car came to $93,495.

A hundred grand isn’t chump change for any kind of automotive purchase, but the sheer capability of the new M3 — and its ability to generate an amazingly entertaining driving experience on the road or the track — means it’s a screaming value compared with supercars that do the same things, usually with less interior space and functionality.

The M3 is 85% brilliant; it’s the 15% forward of the front fenders that’s the big problem, and it’s more than just a casual issue. If other buyers are as turned off by the new face as was my friend, it could spell trouble for BMW. If buyers are more interested in the car’s abilities than its appearance, however, the German luxury brand has nothing to worry about.

(cars.com)

Published in BMW
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