2021 BMW M3

[sethsquire]

Always thinking about my next big-boy car, I stopped in my local BMW dealership on a whim to see if there was a new M3 I could see and touch. Lucky for me, there was, and it was in the exact color combination I would choose: Isle of Man Green over Kyalami Orange. Some thoughts:

-man, that green is AMAZING, and maybe it was the color distracting me, but the stupid-looking grille was far less offensive in person. Lighter colors might be less kind to it. There was also an M4 in the showroom and I felt that looked slightly worse grille-wise. I also saw a regular 4-series on the street the other day where the stupid bucktooth grille isn't blacked out and it looked straight up horrible
-this is almost certainly the last sports-luxury sedan that you will able to buy new with a manual transmission. As a friend to the manual, it's a compelling proposition to get one before I don't have the chance anymore
-the steering wheel is comically thick
-this one had a bunch of options I would politely pass on, such as 5k worth of carbon fiber exterior trim and 8k (!) worth of carbon ceramic brakes. I spec'd out a 6 speed M3 on the BMW website and it was like 75k, this one was over 90k!
-you can option out the sunroof! see you in hell, stupid rattling sunroof!
-those wheels look like hell to clean, I'd stick with the standard 18/19 inch setup
-there's more room in the back of a 3-series (and consequently, the M3) than the G70, relevant now that we're a family of 3. Ideally I like to spend more time in whatever car I own and less in my wife's Kia Sportage, not that the Sportage is a bad car. I did test drive a 330 against the G70 a couple of years ago, but the G70 blew the 330 out of the water in every respect, and I wasn't exactly focused on interior room at the time, so it was promptly removed it from consideration

There's an embargo on press releases until the 9th so most dealers are waiting until then to do test drives, and my lease isn't up until next June anyway so I wasn't going to bother them about it today. Still, if this things drives well (I've heard complaints about ride quality, and once rode in a friend's 2015 M4 that rode like an oxcart), this could be really promising. In fact, it's better that my lease isn't up for awhile because dealers are going to have a field day gouging early adopters.

Enjoy several subpar pictures!

Bonus Pic: Our tiny new addition being a cool dude in daddy's G70.

 

[Andyj]

The M3 grille looks strange. Cute baby.

 

[sethsquire]

The M3 grille looks strange. Cute baby.

Agreed, and thanks!

 

[mikemu30]

Definitely a unique color combo. That new grill design is tough to look at. My son in law has an 18 M4 coupe which is an absolute beast and also with a stick.

 

[Slip_Angle]

Good feedback! I like the new M3/M4 and I'm pretty certain it will offer an awesome experience. Two things I can't get over though. The first being price. In Canada an M340i is easily 75K and an M3/4 well over 100K. Second, I just can't imagine having such an expensive performance car and being spanked by an electric car such as a Model 3 Performance or a slew of other EVs coming out in the next couple years.... Maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way but I feel like this transition in the auto industry isn't going to go well for ICE based vehicles.

Am I wrong?

 

[sethsquire]

Good feedback! I like the new M3/M4 and I'm pretty certain it will offer an awesome experience. Two things I can't get over though. The first being price. In Canada an M340i is easily 75K and an M3/4 well over 100K. Second, I just can't imagine having such an expensive performance car and being spanked by an electric car such as a Model 3 Performance or a slew of other EVs coming out in the next couple years.... Maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way but I feel like this transition in the auto industry isn't going to go well for ICE based vehicles.

Am I wrong?

Without hashing out the ICE vs. EV debate, you're not wrong in terms of sheer acceleration or the future of the car industry. That's why cars like these may very well be the last of their kind, which some (such as myself perhaps) might consider a reason to buy them unto itself. Still, there's a couple of reasons to buy an ICE car vs an EV:

First, manual/the driving experience. As car enthusiasts, we like things that go vroom vroom, exciting sounds, reaching up into powerband, and driving involvement. I haven't driven a modern EV, and I'm sure they're fast as hell, but I've been driving a manual all my life and find myself missing it terribly. If anything, it sucks that manuals have become such a niche product that you literally need to step up to the highest 3-series to get one. If I could get a 340 with a stick, I'd do that and probably be totally happy, but the M cars are cool so if I was FORCED to get one (and can afford it), that wouldn't be the worst thing.

Second, and this seems to get lost in the shuffle in the perpetual debate, is that I live in an apartment and have nowhere to charge an EV. I may be NYC-biased, but the debate between ICE cars and EV's frequently overlooks the fact that a not-insubstantial number of people live in urban environments and have this same issue. Yes, I know there's new fast charging tech and numerous novel proposed solutions to this problem, but they're not quite there yet.

All that being said, I would happily park a Tesla/EV next to whatever loud visceral gas burning dinosaur-mobile I own once I move out of this apartment and into a house.

 

[Slip_Angle]

Valid points. I read recently that Porsche and the German government are working on synthetic fuel that will "clean the air" when it comes out of the tail pipe for ICE based vehicles. Apparently, Porsche is very concerned about their legacy of collectables that people around the world own. All the power to them, I say.

You got me wondering who will be the first to come out with an EV that has a manual transmission! I mean, why not? Also, wouldn't it be cool to have an EV that can make any sound you want (fake of course) -- like the space shuttle taking off or the sound of a star ship hitting warp of some kind.. Yeah, geeking out here.

I like both and have NO idea what I will buy post G70.. or maybe I'll keep it for a long time... Who knows... Either way the M cars are pretty fantastic.

 

[Husky]

Always thinking about my next big-boy car, I stopped in my local BMW dealership on a whim to see if there was a new M3 I could see and touch. Lucky for me, there was, and it was in the exact color combination I would choose: Isle of Man Green over Kyalami Orange. Some thoughts:

-man, that green is AMAZING, and maybe it was the color distracting me, but the stupid-looking grille was far less offensive in person. Lighter colors might be less kind to it. There was also an M4 in the showroom and I felt that looked slightly worse grille-wise. I also saw a regular 4-series on the street the other day where the stupid bucktooth grille isn't blacked out and it looked straight up horrible
-this is almost certainly the last sports-luxury sedan that you will able to buy new with a manual transmission. As a friend to the manual, it's a compelling proposition to get one before I don't have the chance anymore
-the steering wheel is comically thick
-this one had a bunch of options I would politely pass on, such as 5k worth of carbon fiber exterior trim and 8k (!) worth of carbon ceramic brakes. I spec'd out a 6 speed M3 on the BMW website and it was like 75k, this one was over 90k!
-you can option out the sunroof! see you in hell, stupid rattling sunroof!
-those wheels look like hell to clean, I'd stick with the standard 18/19 inch setup
-there's more room in the back of a 3-series (and consequently, the M3) than the G70, relevant now that we're a family of 3. Ideally I like to spend more time in whatever car I own and less in my wife's Kia Sportage, not that the Sportage is a bad car. I did test drive a 330 against the G70 a couple of years ago, but the G70 blew the 330 out of the water in every respect, and I wasn't exactly focused on interior room at the time, so it was promptly removed it from consideration

There's an embargo on press releases until the 9th so most dealers are waiting until then to do test drives, and my lease isn't up until next June anyway so I wasn't going to bother them about it today. Still, if this things drives well (I've heard complaints about ride quality, and once rode in a friend's 2015 M4 that rode like an oxcart), this could be really promising. In fact, it's better that my lease isn't up for awhile because dealers are going to have a field day gouging early adopters.

Enjoy several subpar pictures!

Bonus Pic: Our tiny new addition being a cool dude in daddy's G70.

It will ride like an oxcart. I still can't get past those buck teeth. The E46 was so much better looking....
I agree with your thoughts on the manual though. It will be one of the last.

 

[BadTrainDriver]

Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing > BMW M3.

 

[Aquineas]

Lots to say on this topic, but I will say this: if I were some ultra-rich dude with a stable of cars, even with its imperfections, I would definitely have an M3 (well.... probably an M4) in my stable. On days when I wanted to not use my turn-signals, I would drive the M4.

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[mikemu30]

Without hashing out the ICE vs. EV debate, you're not wrong in terms of sheer acceleration or the future of the car industry. That's why cars like these may very well be the last of their kind, which some (such as myself perhaps) might consider a reason to buy them unto itself. Still, there's a couple of reasons to buy an ICE car vs an EV:

First, manual/the driving experience. As car enthusiasts, we like things that go vroom vroom, exciting sounds, reaching up into powerband, and driving involvement. I haven't driven a modern EV, and I'm sure they're fast as hell, but I've been driving a manual all my life and find myself missing it terribly. If anything, it sucks that manuals have become such a niche product that you literally need to step up to the highest 3-series to get one. If I could get a 340 with a stick, I'd do that and probably be totally happy, but the M cars are cool so if I was FORCED to get one (and can afford it), that wouldn't be the worst thing.

Second, and this seems to get lost in the shuffle in the perpetual debate, is that I live in an apartment and have nowhere to charge an EV. I may be NYC-biased, but the debate between ICE cars and EV's frequently overlooks the fact that a not-insubstantial number of people live in urban environments and have this same issue. Yes, I know there's new fast charging tech and numerous novel proposed solutions to this problem, but they're not quite there yet.

All that being said, I would happily park a Tesla/EV next to whatever loud visceral gas burning dinosaur-mobile I own once I move out of this apartment and into a house.

NYC ah yes - explain to me how that infrastructure will support EV. Think about the parking garages etc - how will all of those vehicles be charged when needed? And even in the suburbs, can the power grids support every home having the incremental service necessary to charge EVs?

 

[sethsquire]

Valid points. I read recently that Porsche and the German government are working on synthetic fuel that will "clean the air" when it comes out of the tail pipe for ICE based vehicles. Apparently, Porsche is very concerned about their legacy of collectables that people around the world own. All the power to them, I say.

You got me wondering who will be the first to come out with an EV that has a manual transmission! I mean, why not? Also, wouldn't it be cool to have an EV that can make any sound you want (fake of course) -- like the space shuttle taking off or the sound of a star ship hitting warp of some kind.. Yeah, geeking out here.

I like both and have NO idea what I will buy post G70.. or maybe I'll keep it for a long time... Who knows... Either way the M cars are pretty fantastic.

I heard rumblings about the synthetic fuel but I haven't had time to look into it. As for manual EV's, it actually has been done. A lot of those home EV builds even way before Tesla use the stock manual box, and Rich Rebuilds on YouTube just did a budget build electric mini cooper where he used the stock 5-speed. I think it just makes less sense when the engine makes max torque at 0 RPM, but they can probably still make some difference in terms of drag when cruising or accelerating. I think that's why the Porsche Taycan uses a 2-speed, so it has a shorter gear for max acceleration.

 

[sethsquire]

It will ride like an oxcart. I still can't get past those buck teeth. The E46 was so much better looking....
I agree with your thoughts on the manual though. It will be one of the last.

E46 M3 is the best M3! I still remember the first time I saw one when I was in high school. It was that metallic puke color, but man those things were/are cool. Not a bad buy if you can afford the maintenance, because the value is not dropping on nice examples.

 

[sethsquire]

Lots to say on this topic, but I will say this: if I were some ultra-rich dude with a stable of cars, even with its imperfections, I would definitely have an M3 (well.... probably an M4) in my stable. On days when I wanted to not use my turn-signals, I would drive the M4.

I heard they were making turn signals a subscription based option.

 

[sethsquire]

Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing > BMW M3.

Tough choice... CT-4 Blackwing will probably be a bit cheaper and may well drive better in the handling/steering department (and no stupid grille), but it's also very small in the back seat and cargo departments. CT-5 Blackwing on the other hand, is an awesome supercharged V8 monster but it's a six figure car! For better or worse, the M kind of splits the difference, but I would definitely cross shop the CT4 if it came down to it.

 

[Aquineas]

I heard they were making turn signals a subscription based option.

I realize you're joking, but not far off from that in terms of ridiculousness is Cadillac making Super Cruise subscription only.

 

[sethsquire]

I realize you're joking, but not far off from that in terms of ridiculousness is Cadillac making Super Cruise subscription only.

Seriously? That's Super Lame.

BMW tried this nonsense with making Apple Carplay subscription based, but the backlash was significant enough that they ultimately decided hosing their customers in this manner was a bridge too far. Not surprising, being that the feature is standard on a Toyota Corolla.

 

[Andyj]

What's next? Renting a steering wheel?

 

[Husky]

E46 M3 is the best M3! I still remember the first time I saw one when I was in high school. It was that metallic puke color, but man those things were/are cool. Not a bad buy if you can afford the maintenance, because the value is not dropping on nice examples.

I've never driven an E92 M3, but would love a chance. I do miss my E46 M3, it was gorgeous and a tremendous road car, but had to sell it to help pay for a 997 911, which I also love.
Sorry, didn't mean to derail the thread and go too deep into BMW discussions.

 

[Aquineas]

I've never driven an E92 M3, but would love a chance. I do miss my E46 M3, it was gorgeous and a tremendous road car, but had to sell it to help pay for a 997 911, which I also love.
Sorry, didn't mean to derail the thread and go too deep into BMW discussions.

Is your 911 Turbo or normal? If not Turbo, have you had the IMS bearing serviced?