[car_fan]

Originally Posted by utsavized

I grew up loving the M3, the E46 being my dream car. It still is. However, I spent a good portion of 2020 livid at BMW for ruining my favorite car – obnoxious grills, ridiculous amounts of sharp edges and those tacky fake side vents. When I initially bought my RS5 in early 2020, I wanted to try something different. But I felt like I had broken my long-kept allegiance with the ///M brand. There was always this hint of guilt lurking somewhere behind, especially every time I saw the RS5 parked right under the giant ///M flag I had so proudly adorned over my garage door. However, with the crazy direction BMW took with its design language, I started feeling good about the Audi – it was safe, stable, and unsuspectingly fast – no drama whatsoever.

Then on a fateful Saturday about a month ago, I was bored and decided to kill time trying out the new M3. “Let’s take a look at how much air those nostrils can breathe in,” I joked with my wife on my way to the dealership. I pulled over my RS5 and there it was, parked front and center, an M3 Competition. It took all of 5 seconds to realize just how gorgeous this car looks in person, and just as quickly, I also realized what this car has what the RS5 simply did not – drama.

Say what you will about the grill, it is not there to look pretty. It does not even try to. This car’s entire jam is theatre. Eye-popping colors, angled headlights, sharp edges, fire-breathing nostrils, over accentuated and very pronounced splitter, side skirts, diffuser, and rear arches … and let me stress that again, it is really not there to look pretty, the whole damn thing is an event, a pantomime! We wanted a car that James Bond would drive, but BMW gave us one that Duke Nukem would, you know, the kind that you drive when you want to kick ass and chew bubble gum? And that I think is pure badassery. *SLOW CLAP FOR BMW*

And that intention shows everywhere. Let us start with the interior. Audis have amazing interiors, and I thought no different of my RS5. It was pretty, with thsse horizontal lines running across the entire dash. It was seamless. It was perfect, almost clinical. All that is a good thing, right? Yes… until you hop inside the M3, esp. one with the carbon pack with those insane bucket seats. It immediately makes “perfect” and “clinical” sound boring. While the RS5 felt like it was carefully crafted by engineers using their precise rulers, the M3’s interior feels like it was molded with play dough, by 5-year-olds with only one thing in mind – making you feel like a 5-year-old as well. It wraps around you, even the instrument cluster is angled up perfectly so that no matter where you sit, the steering wheel never blocks it. The gauges are crazy, too. Even though I do prefer the classic round dials, I understand why it is the way it is. The bucket seats look aggressive, they yell at you, “Hey look, this is a serious bit of kit this car!” But for some reason, it does not feel over-the-top in this car. I am 5’8” 165 lbs. I have the side bolsters at their widest setting, and I just about fit. “But what about the taller, larger, wider folks,” you ask? Zero F’s given. One could literally imagine designers at BMW replying, “Do people taller than 6 feet fit into a Formula 1 car? Nope. So, deal with it.” And I love it! It almost feels like they got tired of trying to please everyone and finally built the car they really wanted to build!

The story continues in the performance department. Like I said before, the Audi felt safe and stable even though it was ridiculously fast. When you smashed the throttle, it happily obliged, safely pushing your head back to the seat. But you were always left missing something, yearning back for something more. I finally figured out what that was when I got into this M3. And yet again, it is that drama! The RS5 felt like a regular human that had a secret superpower of going fast, and it tried its best to hide that superpower. It wanted to be safe and stable. It felt most at home in comfort mode but was occasionally happy to take you on thrill rides. The M3 on the other hand feels most at home when it is revving hard, turning fast, and making crazy exhaust noises. You try to drive it slowly and the gearbox gets all moody on you. It wants to go, all the time. You feel like the car mocks you every time you press anything that reads “comfort.” It’s edgier, stiffer, sharper and way faster! If the RS5 was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, the M3 is a wolf, forget any clothing to disguise anything – it is a wolf and wants to be a wolf, all the freaking time! I had the F82 M4 and it gave me sort of a similar feeling. But it also wanted to kill me all the time, esp. when it was wet. The G80 has grip for days. You must push hard to get the tail out. It will happily do it, but you will have to really tell it that you want it to do it. Even then, you always feel in control. But regardless of how you drive it, you just cannot stop smiling in this car. I have gone from the 2015 M4 to 2018 C63S to 2015 M6 to 2019 RS5 on to this one. And this is the best of one of the lot, by a VERY LONG WAY!

Many years ago, I wrote a review of my M235i. That review did fairly well and made it to the front page of Bimmerpost. I compared that car to my one-year-old German Shepherd, saying how raw and puppy-like it was. My guy is 8 years old now, but I think it is still fitting to make that comparison – he is loyal and sweet, but should you underestimate him, he is 100 pounds pure mischief raring to go! And that is exactly what this car is!

Say whatever you may about the design, I think BMW wanted this car to stand out in every aspect – looks, luxury, technology, and performance – and in that sense, I think they have knocked it out of the park! So, if you are one of those sitting and complaining about the grill, I hear you, I have been there. But just do yourself a favor and take one for a spin. I cannot guarantee that you will change your mind, but I will promise you that you will have one hell of a test drive… and maybe you will get the philosophy behind what this car wants to be. I did, so much so, that I bought it in the brightest color out of any car I have ever owned – Toronto Red. I think it fits this gem of a hooligan pretty well.

Cheers and thank you for reading. Hope you enjoy the dynamic shades of Toronto Red under various lighting conditions.

BMW needs to pay you royalties for these photos. The first pic is a money shot IMHO. As been stated by other posters, your writing style is very complimentary to the excellent photography. Well Done

[annabellapizza]

As soon as this dude said " Slow clap for BMW" I stopped reading.

[aford]

I like your style...

I haven't seriously considered TR until seeing these photos and seeing how dynamic the color is. Appreciate the photos. Feel free to post more

[vetteflier]

Great writeup! Thanx for posting! Had considered the RS5 and C63S AMG as well as M4 Comp. All great cars, but the M4 had more to offer and I liked both the exterior and interior much better than the others. And that includes the grill. When you see it in person it matches the character of the car exactly. It ain't bragging if you can do it, and it does. Ordered mine without having seen one in person or, obviously driving one. Coming from 15 Years of Corvettes, I wanted luxury and performance. Here at 7000', a twin turbo loses nothing; a Vette ~ 100hp--and the includes the C8 Unicorns and their gouged pricing. Love the car. Putting break in miles on it--only revved past the 5500 3 times so far...and its performance is stunning. As to 'sitting on dealer lots...' they are not available and many are selling at a premium, and within a day or two of when the dealer gets one. Also, most are loaded with useless (to me) options jacking the price into the low-mid 90s! I got mine--with reasonable ($5500) options, for MSRP less the $2500 Military incentive and the dealer picked up the shipping from CA to CO. Fair price, my '18 Vette has surged in value, so fair trade. Glad you like yours, as I do mine.

[2011ninja]

Yup!

I just checked my local dealer.

They sold all 6 new M3/4's

[OSee]

Originally Posted by vetteflier

Fair price, my '18 Vette has surged in value, so fair trade. Glad you like yours, as I do mine.

I sold my 3 year old OG M2 to VROOM for what calculates to a high 70% residual. A few weeks later Carvana renewed my offer for $2,500 more than VROOM. By then it was too late.

Great time to get rid of a used car.

[JohnBucurE92]

Great review. Beautiful spec as well. Congrats! I think you hit the nail on the head.

[white2abbit]

Great write up! I've yet to see one in person but am hoping my mind will be changed. Any reason you didn't opt for a manual, seeing as though it sounds like you were looking for more engagement out of a car?

[10"]

If the E46 M3 is your dream car; why do you even bother with these modern computer cars? You're changing them every couple of years. Buy an E46 M3 and be happy for many years. None of these modern cars carry the spirit of the past analog machines.

[Casone238]

Great write up! Great perspective as well, im very similar I design is one thing but I really go for how the car feels and the drama. I liked the F30 340i but the C43 was slower but had more drama and a more modern interior. What I do like about the G80 design is that there's no mistaking it for G20. My G20 M340 is often confused for a M3. I can't wait to drive one, one of homies has a 2019 F82 M4 it is a bit harsh and jerky with the dtc and does break traction fair easily so I know what you mean by the car feels like it wants to kill you but those brutal shifts hurt literally but are exciting lol

[Malloy]

Originally Posted by M2PDX

Beautiful color!

The proof about how people feel will be reflected in sales #s. Many U.S. dealers have a dozen or more unsold M3/4s sitting on their lots gathering dust. I've gotten calls from 3 different dealers offering a "smoking" deal. Remember: this is a brand new, high performance car. It should be SOLD OUT and have a waiting list. But the front end design is driving a lot of BMW owners away.

Where do you live?

[Wanderer73]

Great write-up! Boy, that TR looks fantastic! I would never have considered the color, but my mind has been swayed. Enjoy!

[bri1042]

Originally Posted by Malloy

Where do you live?

The PDX in his username is Portland. The two main Portland dealers have both sold their initial shipment of cars. One of them has 4 in their online inventory but they aren't all actually available (not sure if any of them are). The other has no cars on their inventory. They are selling just fine out here.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by bri1042

The PDX in his username is Portland. The two main Portland dealers have both sold their initial shipment of cars. One of them has 4 in their online inventory but they aren't all actually available (not sure if any of them are). The other has no cars on their inventory. They are selling just fine out here.

That's more or less what's happening here. The notion that the cars aren't selling couldn't be further from the truth.

[MJO316]

The current RS's do not compare to their M counterparts.

The RS7 is 800 pounds heavier than the M8. A half a second slower. You can imagine how they perform around a track.

The only thing separating them was the price. M8 Competition was a fair amount steeper.

They dropped the price $16,000 for the 2022 models.

The M4 a better comp for the RS5 imo with AWD should outperform the RS5 handedly.

[BMWEnthuTony]

Great review and pics. Somehow the car looks much better in person than in pics. I had seen it IOMG M3 comp version in BMW Seattle and really liked it. Did not get to drive it then as the test drives weren't available then. I think it is time to make a trip to the other side of lake to test drive.
Hoping to spot this around once life gets back to normal.

[khai Dow]

Originally Posted by utsavized

IOMG also looks stunning in person. Way more than pictures do justice.

To the OP, I’m i in n a position where I agree with everything you’ve said…however….

If all you could choose was the M4 or the RS4/5 (no M3 or RS6 and I currently have an X7M50d which I will keep. Which one would you have?

- the kicker is the price (here in Asia). Brand new I can get the RS4/5 for around $100k less. That’s with the carbon black pack etc. oth are ridiculously expensive but the BMW way more so.

Which one would you choose?

[dezzracer]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

...and many are selling these cars with a 20% mark-up.....and getting it.

I have to laugh at the notion that the car should be sold out everywhere. No BMW M3 has ever sold out.

The 2018 M3 CS did.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by dezzracer

The 2018 M3 CS did.

I mean yeah, at some point, but they were never sold out until they stopped producing them.

[dezzracer]

Nice word smithing OP. And such is the raw unbridled magic those crazy German cowboys inject into the M cars. It is what I have always liked about them compared to Audi, MB, and P cars. Still not crazy about the new grill or the new bottom side rockers. Other than that, the car looks bitchen inside and out.

[2011ninja]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

I mean yeah, at some point, but they were never sold out until they stopped producing them.

"Never sold out until they stop producing them"
Smh

Anyway; finally saw one on the hwy yesterday

IOMG M4

Rte 4 east Teaneck, NJ

That thing looks awesome; it stood out in a good way!

G80 M3 Pure definitely my next car!!!

[wazzza]

Originally Posted by car_fan

BMW needs to pay you royalties for these photos. The first pic is a money shot IMHO. As been stated by other posters, your writing style is very complimentary to the excellent photography. Well Done

Haha, thanks