BMW M3 review

The BMW M3 is a high-performance saloon alternative to the Audi RS4, Mercedes-AMG C63 and Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. It’s the original and still considered the best by many, loved for packing so much pace and excitement into a sensible, family friendly body.

The latest generation has more power and luxury than ever, but that might not matter to you one jot if you take one look at it and don’t like what you see…

Imagine the BMW M3 a bit like your other half rocking up home unexpectedly with a tattoo one day that you knew they wanted, but secretly detested the idea of. It’s long been known BMW had plans to shove the huge front grille you see on the M3, despite outcry from enthusiasts not to do it, and, well, they’ve done it.

There’s more to the outlandish styling of the BMW M3 than just the ‘kidney’ (maybe lungs would be more appropriate) grille. Huge intakes sit either side of the bottom of the front bumper, while down the side swollen wheel arches makes it stand out from a regular 3 Series. In fact, the only bit of bodywork shared with the standard car is the boot lid — though here it has a spoiler tacked on top. You’ll see a quad-exit exhaust sat below a chunky diffuser, and happily, those huge tailpipes are real.

You have the option between two alloy wheel designs as well, with the front pair 19-inches and the rear 20-inches in size. You can also choose to have lots of the exterior details clad in carbon fibre, although this is a pricey option.

You’re not going to mistake the BMW M3 for a run-of-the-mill 3 Series inside, either. It’s covered with M-coloured stitching, M-badges everywhere and if that wasn’t enough, it’s like somebody spilt a large mug of carbon fibre all over the place. A thick model-specific steering wheel features as well as standard electrically-adjustable sports seats that come with illuminated M logos, though you can opt for figure-hugging carbon fibre bucket seats if you want a feel more akin to a racing car.

This version of the BMW M3 is a bit longer than the old car as well, so there’s more room in the back. Legroom back there is pretty good, and there’s more headroom here than the equivalent M4 as a result of the saloon body style. You could easily use this as a family car.

For no extra cost in the BMW M3, you get a fantastic infotainment system on a 10.1-inch screen. It’s intuitive and dead easy to use, plus there’s finally support for Android Auto in addition to Apple CarPlay. Both can be connected to wirelessly, as well.

In front of you, there’s a 12.3-inch digital drivers display for key driving info, and this has some customisation to it too, including racy-looking M-specific displays. It’s not the most configurable or exciting-looking instrument display in the business, however.

The new BMW M3 is nothing short of sensational to drive, and I’m excited to see how blisteringly quick the all-wheel-drive version will be.

There’s a reasonable amount of boot space in the BMW M3, with 480 litres. That’s identical to the outgoing car, though those after a bit more room will be happy to know an estate ‘Touring’ version is on the way.

If you’re buying a BMW M3 though, you’re likely most interested in its performance — and this latest version has bags of it. Its 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six engine is good for 510hp and 650Nm of torque in Competition form (which is all you can get in the UK), sent to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. It fires the M3 from 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds and on to a 155mph limited top speed. You can get that raised to 180mph as part of a package that also includes carbon-ceramic brakes, but it’ll cost you £8,000. Gulp.

Another option you can get on the M3 for the first time ever in the UK  is an xDrive version. This brings in the same switchable four-wheel drive system as you’ll find on the M5, allowing you to have the security of all-weather traction mixed with the ability to switch back into rear-wheel drive for some hooliganism.

When you’re driving it hard, the M3 doesn’t feel quite as spiky and unpredictable as the old car — largely in part because of impressive levels of grip all-round.. It feels sharper than the likes of the Audi RS4, yet not as intimidating as the outgoing version. It’s even less spiky in the four-wheel drive version, which rivals the Audi for storming all weather, all season pace.

This is more than just a brutal performance car though and does the normal stuff pretty well. Switch everything into Comfort mode and you can cruise along pretty comfortably with lighter steering, though the suspension still has a pretty firm edge to it at low speed.

As you probably would with your other half’s surprise tattoo, you can probably look past the looks and appreciate the BMW M3 for the impressive performance car it is. You might even grow to like the styling, too.

Watch our BMW M3 v Porsche 911 group test: