I would second that if you are going with an auto, the XDrive is the way to go.
I also had a chance to compare both the buckets and regular seats. Loved the look of the buckets, but, having a small garage bay for the M3 swayed my decision as getting in and out would be a pain in tight spots. The regular seats have about 7/10th’s the holding power or the buckets, and have the cooling option, lumbar support, side bolster support, etc. if you have the space, and usually park in open/wide width spots, then, spec the buckets. They are special in their own right.
GL! In either case, can’t go wrong with an M3…and mine is my first ever BMW.
