I'm still driving my manual 3 series BMW that bought while stationed in Germany almost 19 years ago! Changed my clutch out 1x ....ready to pass it to my daughter and get a new one! Manual of course
I really love the car in matte black, it helps conceal or blend the grille into the body more. It also gives the car a more fighter-jet, shark-like, appearance. The S58 is such a refined inline 6, I wouldn’t be surprised if BMW made it one of its last ones.
This is the best looking M3. I know some think otherwise but that front end is spot on. I am not trying to be sarcastic but the F80 looks dated side by side with this beauty. It looks fantastic. I loved it from day 1
E92 M3. The best M division car. That Naturally Aspirated V8 engine screaming to 9k revs. With a manual box.. them huge arches with that bonnet bulge. Cannot beat it.
I don't understand why people are so caught up with the "best ever" conversation. Everyone has a different opinion on what they think is the best. Every M3 is a product of what BMW is doing with the 3 series at the moment and the M division does the best they can with the hand they are built with. The M3 is also a product of the current industry trends.
I agree. "The Best" is overplayed. I guess we were looking for a bit of controversy in the title. We admit it. But the review did say that: we believe this is the best driving M3 so far.
Itdo belikedat, yea ok dude, the plastic fender piece is so important… you right, this car is worthless! I think people seriously got beyond stupid and first world problems… our world needs a lot of free psychiatrists at this point.
Have you seen it in person? Compared to the E92 version feels like a Japanese teenage look-at-me, bling-bling, overdone design. So sad! I so miss the old, understated yet modern designs.
Thanks for the enjoyable video and passing along your impressions, both positive and negative. I was able to see a M4 in a local dealer's showroom and have similar feelings about the car's styling, it's not as offensive in person as it is in photos to me. My subjective opinion on the styling - the new kidney grills are not the worst aspect of the car's design; while I am not a fan, they would not be a deal-breaker for me. What was far more displeasing to me however were the totally anemic fender flares, particularly on the rear and especially on the M4, the wonky side mirrors that to me look more at home on an X7, the weird transition from the A-pillar to hood/front quarter panel, and lastly, the embarrassingly utilitarian appearance under the hood. How could BMW go from that glorious carbon fiber horseshoe brace on the previous generation to this generation's (5:18) black-painted metal bars fastened together with nuts and bolts that look like they came from the local big box hardware store. I am sure the new M3/4 drives fantastic and that is important, but for my money, equally important is how the car looks. A car must make me smile as I approach it in a parking lot; it should make me excited to drive it. This totally subjective feeling was made obvious through the sheer coincidence of the dealer having parked the M4 Competition on their showroom floor alongside a new M8 Competition. My goodness was the contrast in styling dramatic, one car made my heart race and the other, well not so much. I would love to know why BMW deviated to such a large degree from the M8 to the M3/4.
Thanks for the super detailed comment. Absolutely fair points. And you're right, to some, the driving has to equal the design. That's why it's tough to review this car. Some of us don't care so much about the offensive grille, but a boring drive would be the nail in the coffin.
Personally for me it's the front bumper with abrupt lines that lead to nowhere. Kinda looks like a southeast asian curly flick moustache from the 1700s. I also don't like the fact that the side line disappeared, it used to run from the side grille all the way to the back lights Talking about the side grille..its replaced with a plastic part which looks hideous and tacky. I'm also not a fan of the chunky rear end..it needs a vent..even a fake one somewhere along the bottom aides. As for the 4 series these aspects from the sides are worse. The rear lights are worse too. Oh and the extra 200kg+ of weight...that can't be hidden
I'm glad you mentioned the carbon buckets with their carbon "center-piece" that may be a nuissance when driving a manual. While i've sat in a manual with the carbon buckets I have yet to drive one....i'll need to do this before deciding on the seats.
@@gmoneii1117 Thanks for the feedback. That's good to know, and I am fairly small-framed so I can't imagine not fitting easily in there. No I have not purchased one yet. I am currently doing a lot more traveling for work and it may not be ideal for me to purchase right now. It's one of the next items on my toy list though !
Do you know how your test car got the M color stripes on the seatbelts? I thought that only came as part of the Competition (auto only) model and wasn’t an option on the manual.
This is a press car so it's likely that they had some extra options available to them to showcase some of them. We can ask BMW anyway to see what they say
It’s not on my M3, nor was it an option. Have the metallic blue (Portimao)with painted grey wheels with silver lip. Standard seats are excellent. Sunroof instead of carbon fiber roof. Love, love, love the grill on this color. Only complaint is squeaky ass brakes!! Dealer claims all M brakes squeak due to high metallic content of pads. I hate the sound of 1975 Chrysler drum brakes coming from this $85,000+ gem of an automobile! Would strongly consider the cost penalty for carbon ceramic brakes if I could re-do!
The best (and best sounding) part of the powerband is pretty narrow, like 6000-7000rpm and the only way to keep the needle there is shorter gears and fast shifting. Because of this, the manual just isn't going to give the acceleration experience the automatic does, hp difference notwithstanding. You should probably get the manual anyway, there's plenty of torque and power, but I can't bring myself to do it.
@@bmwblog sorry, but you're just as diluted as this once great brand. Go back to examining what an M3 once was. The G80 isn't any longer. The G87 will be the best ever M3, just as F87 was already better than F80.
@@nessuno5403 Just cause we disagree, doesn't meant we're wrong. Or that you're wrong. The G80 M3 is the best driving M3. You're comparing the M2 with the M3 which is like apples and oranges.
@@bmwblog I think advances in the driving experience is a given because BMW has so much expertise so the marketing emphasis should be in the looks. The BMW design language can be ruined for +6 years just by a handful of people. BMW just recovered from the failed 5 series and 7 series designs in the E60 and E65 and they recovered by taking inspiration from the past and now they have taken a huge risk with throwing everything away that made a BMW a BMW. If it goes bad it's on them. Take a look at the just facelifted Mercedes CLS AMG 53.. Depending on the option the cars can have the same price point and that looks RIDICULOUSLY amazing, so based on looks i would choose that every time and I'm willing to bet it's just as much fun to drive than the M3 especially when i'm 6'3" and the 3 series feels too small for my personal taste.
@@epicon6 Not their best design, true, but we'll see what customers will do as far as buying the car. Definltely us, the enthusiasts, are not totally sold on the design
@@bmwblog Yeah. They are changing the look on all new models so they must have had thought about the new direction once or twice before deciding :) And to me there's enough classic BMWs for me to buy like the E38 750iL, G12 M760Li and F90 M5 Competition before i would even look at any new models and i'm sticking with 2012-2020 pre-electrification era cars for decades to come anyway
Would you buy the manual or automatic M3/M4?
MANual, hands down!
Autos are for losers
@@eclipsez0r Not fair. Most of autos are awesome.
I’m ordering a Manual after Christmas.
It's gotta be a manual awesome car but the grill is kind of ugly
I'm still driving my manual 3 series BMW that bought while stationed in Germany almost 19 years ago! Changed my clutch out 1x ....ready to pass it to my daughter and get a new one! Manual of course
Great to hear!
Just ordered my manual… can’t wait!
1-year Update - It’s fu*king awesome.
@@FreshlySnipesCongrats!
Did you crossshop with any other car?
@@christmasisawesome9348I did. I looked at the CT4-V Blackwing, which is a fantastic car but the BMW is on another level overall.
I really love the car in matte black, it helps conceal or blend the grille into the body more. It also gives the car a more fighter-jet, shark-like, appearance. The S58 is such a refined inline 6, I wouldn’t be surprised if BMW made it one of its last ones.
It looks way better in dark colors. And you're right, that S58 might be the last one.
This is the best looking M3. I know some think otherwise but that front end is spot on. I am not trying to be sarcastic but the F80 looks dated side by side with this beauty. It looks fantastic. I loved it from day 1
You're not the only one that thinks this way. The design definitely has a 50-50 split when it comes to the grille.
You forgot the glorious 8 cylinder V8 N/A engine e92 m3, with a manual!
I can’t wait to order one in part because of the front end, not despite the front end. I’m in love ❤️
Interesting. What color would you get?
@@bmwblog I like the Isle of Man Green.
Silverstone looks Tuff this is on my bucket list
E92 M3. The best M division car. That Naturally Aspirated V8 engine screaming to 9k revs. With a manual box.. them huge arches with that bonnet bulge. Cannot beat it.
Dosent scream to 9k at all lmao
it lacks the torque in the low end, even with a supercharger
I don't understand why people are so caught up with the "best ever" conversation. Everyone has a different opinion on what they think is the best. Every M3 is a product of what BMW is doing with the 3 series at the moment and the M division does the best they can with the hand they are built with. The M3 is also a product of the current industry trends.
I agree. "The Best" is overplayed. I guess we were looking for a bit of controversy in the title. We admit it. But the review did say that: we believe this is the best driving M3 so far.
Grill looks great on other colors. White… not so much.
I hated the grill at first but I like it now.
What made you change your mind?
I love the front end looks amazing
It's funny how some truly love it while others hate it.
same man i love it
@@bmwblog People aren't smart or tasteful
Actually, best M3 design ever, from where I stand... no idea what you people don't like in this design......
the cheap plastic fake fender vents kill it for me
also it's FAT
Itdo belikedat, yea ok dude, the plastic fender piece is so important… you right, this car is worthless! I think people seriously got beyond stupid and first world problems… our world needs a lot of free psychiatrists at this point.
@@av7447 lmao at you getting ass blasted because I gave two reasons why people don't like the design
Have you seen it in person? Compared to the E92 version feels like a Japanese teenage look-at-me, bling-bling, overdone design. So sad! I so miss the old, understated yet modern designs.
@@gabrielmuller943 yes, e92 looks ancient compared to G80
So nice car
I think the grill will grow on people. However, if you live in a 2 plate state, the grill will always be problematic with a plate on it.
Thanks for the enjoyable video and passing along your impressions, both positive and negative. I was able to see a M4 in a local dealer's showroom and have similar feelings about the car's styling, it's not as offensive in person as it is in photos to me. My subjective opinion on the styling - the new kidney grills are not the worst aspect of the car's design; while I am not a fan, they would not be a deal-breaker for me. What was far more displeasing to me however were the totally anemic fender flares, particularly on the rear and especially on the M4, the wonky side mirrors that to me look more at home on an X7, the weird transition from the A-pillar to hood/front quarter panel, and lastly, the embarrassingly utilitarian appearance under the hood. How could BMW go from that glorious carbon fiber horseshoe brace on the previous generation to this generation's (5:18) black-painted metal bars fastened together with nuts and bolts that look like they came from the local big box hardware store.
I am sure the new M3/4 drives fantastic and that is important, but for my money, equally important is how the car looks. A car must make me smile as I approach it in a parking lot; it should make me excited to drive it. This totally subjective feeling was made obvious through the sheer coincidence of the dealer having parked the M4 Competition on their showroom floor alongside a new M8 Competition. My goodness was the contrast in styling dramatic, one car made my heart race and the other, well not so much. I would love to know why BMW deviated to such a large degree from the M8 to the M3/4.
Thanks for the super detailed comment. Absolutely fair points. And you're right, to some, the driving has to equal the design. That's why it's tough to review this car. Some of us don't care so much about the offensive grille, but a boring drive would be the nail in the coffin.
Personally for me it's the front bumper with abrupt lines that lead to nowhere. Kinda looks like a southeast asian curly flick moustache from the 1700s.
I also don't like the fact that the side line disappeared, it used to run from the side grille all the way to the back lights
Talking about the side grille..its replaced with a plastic part which looks hideous and tacky.
I'm also not a fan of the chunky rear end..it needs a vent..even a fake one somewhere along the bottom aides.
As for the 4 series these aspects from the sides are worse. The rear lights are worse too.
Oh and the extra 200kg+ of weight...that can't be hidden
I'm glad you mentioned the carbon buckets with their carbon "center-piece" that may be a nuissance when driving a manual. While i've sat in a manual with the carbon buckets I have yet to drive one....i'll need to do this before deciding on the seats.
You should go sit on them before ordering. That's the best way to decide.
I test drove a G82 manual w/ Carbon bucket seats; it was amazing. If your legs aren’t too thicc/wide, then you you will be fine. Did you get an M car?
@@gmoneii1117 Thanks for the feedback. That's good to know, and I am fairly small-framed so I can't imagine not fitting easily in there. No I have not purchased one yet. I am currently doing a lot more traveling for work and it may not be ideal for me to purchase right now. It's one of the next items on my toy list though !
How's the mileage? Does it stick to the 16/23 mpg city/highway figures that BMW calculated, or is it different?
I get 28 mpg highway, 23 mixed driving. If you push it often you’ll get less.
Is there any chance BMW will modify the grille in an LCI version of this car?
M2cs is the best bmw ever made
Definitely one of the best
I kind of want to sell my OG M2 and get one of these to have along side my E92 M3. Is that crazy? Lol
Keep the M2
@@bmwblogyeah I imagine the M2 is more fun to drive even though the G80 is such a beast 😊.
Do you know how your test car got the M color stripes on the seatbelts? I thought that only came as part of the Competition (auto only) model and wasn’t an option on the manual.
This is a press car so it's likely that they had some extra options available to them to showcase some of them. We can ask BMW anyway to see what they say
@@bmwblog Got it. I hope that’s why and I didn’t miss out on the option!
@@AmitPatel-gi4lj I believe the m4 manual get them as well but the m3 manual doesn't
It’s not on my M3, nor was it an option. Have the metallic blue (Portimao)with painted grey wheels with silver lip. Standard seats are excellent. Sunroof instead of carbon fiber roof. Love, love, love the grill on this color. Only complaint is squeaky ass brakes!! Dealer claims all M brakes squeak due to high metallic content of pads. I hate the sound of 1975 Chrysler drum brakes coming from this $85,000+ gem of an automobile! Would strongly consider the cost penalty for carbon ceramic brakes if I could re-do!
The E92 M3 High Revving V8 is the best M3 ever made!
Of course that engine is legendary. But those times are gone. Unfortunately.
bimmer boys always come up with an excuse for BMW's poor design and engineering choices
Who designed this ugly front side? My God...
Not available in the UK
We heard. Wonder why no manual there. Low demand?
@@bmwblog we can only buy the competition which comes as Auto.
@@garrycroft4215 Did you ever ask why though? Curious on the official answer
@@bmwblog no I didn’t ask and so don’t know why.
@@garrycroft4215 Will try to find out. Stay tuned!
The best (and best sounding) part of the powerband is pretty narrow, like 6000-7000rpm and the only way to keep the needle there is shorter gears and fast shifting. Because of this, the manual just isn't going to give the acceleration experience the automatic does, hp difference notwithstanding. You should probably get the manual anyway, there's plenty of torque and power, but I can't bring myself to do it.
TRUMP 2024
This car built for automatic
The manual is fun also on this car
Actually, more like worst ever M3. Won’t ever get over that grill…
Again, let's ignore the grille. The driving experience is arguably more important
Most ridiculous M3 ever made 🐽
Aside from the grille?
@@bmwblog aside from that grille... nice M5. Correct the title? 😔
@@nessuno5403 Driving wise? The best M3 so far! Easily
@@bmwblog sorry, but you're just as diluted as this once great brand. Go back to examining what an M3 once was. The G80 isn't any longer. The G87 will be the best ever M3, just as F87 was already better than F80.
@@nessuno5403 Just cause we disagree, doesn't meant we're wrong. Or that you're wrong. The G80 M3 is the best driving M3. You're comparing the M2 with the M3 which is like apples and oranges.
The ugliest M3 can't be the best M3
So would you like a good looking car that drives bad? Or a not so pretty one that's a riot to drive?
@@bmwblog I think advances in the driving experience is a given because BMW has so much expertise so the marketing emphasis should be in the looks.
The BMW design language can be ruined for +6 years just by a handful of people. BMW just recovered from the failed 5 series and 7 series designs in the E60 and E65 and they recovered by taking inspiration from the past and now they have taken a huge risk with throwing everything away that made a BMW a BMW.
If it goes bad it's on them.
Take a look at the just facelifted Mercedes CLS AMG 53.. Depending on the option the cars can have the same price point and that looks RIDICULOUSLY amazing, so based on looks i would choose that every time and I'm willing to bet it's just as much fun to drive than the M3 especially when i'm 6'3" and the 3 series feels too small for my personal taste.
@@epicon6 Not their best design, true, but we'll see what customers will do as far as buying the car. Definltely us, the enthusiasts, are not totally sold on the design
@@bmwblog Yeah. They are changing the look on all new models so they must have had thought about the new direction once or twice before deciding :)
And to me there's enough classic BMWs for me to buy like the E38 750iL, G12 M760Li and F90 M5 Competition before i would even look at any new models and i'm sticking with 2012-2020 pre-electrification era cars for decades to come anyway
@@epicon6 That's the beauty of having choices :) We're keeping our BMW 1M too
that grill is gross.
I just found out that this ugly grill is designed by some Croatian,from high risk country Croatia guy.He is bmw designer😂🤣🤣