Finally, I’ve stopped wringing my hands in excitement and anticipation. The all-new, 2021 G80-generation BMW M3 is here, and despite some significant controversy surrounding its snout, there’s a lot to be excited for. There’s a brand-new engine that makes an epic amount of power, some very nice design throughout, and the Bavarian roundel has answered enthusiasts’ prayers by only offering it with a manual transmission. An 8-speed automatic is only available on the Competition trim, which costs a few grand more.
Is this latest base M3 a step in the right direction, and a solid progression of this legendary M car badge? It’s certainly got some massive shoes to fill, especially after its smaller sibling the M2 CS, and the glorious, four-year run of the F80-generation M3.
I’m here to tell you: there’s a lot to like about it. So much so, that it might help the big-nostril-hating naysayers walk back and delete some of their keyboard commando comments on social media. Well, maybe.
Here’s why I had a great time during my week with this gorgeous, Isle of Man Green Metallic tester. Its starting price was $69,900, then after a myriad of luxury, performance, and aesthetic upgrades, came out to a lofty $90,295 after destination and handling.
2021 BMW M3: Face Off
The internet has been in flames over the G80 M3 and G82 M4’s front-end. Where, historically, a modest, blacked-out kidney grille is designated, absolutely massive nostrils fill up the frame. A quick search on the web reveals all the damning criticism in the world over this. Personally, I’m OK with it, as it does indeed look better in-person than in photos. But just OK. Though, I still kept referring to it as the Angry Sea Lamprey during my week with it.
BMW swears up and down that it’s to aid in cooling, though. This certainly makes sense, as there are three-whole radiators, a massive oil cooler, and an intercooler behind these gigantic ducts. The radiators not only cool down the engine, but also assist with cooling the intercooler and turbochargers. The M3’s S58 is a twin-turbo monster of an Inline-6; I do appreciate this kind of function-over-form.
Luckily, everything else about the M3’s exterior looks excellent, and people seem to generally agree. Muscular lines, an honest-to-goodness Hofmeister Kink, wide fenders, cool-looking and functional venting, a quad exhaust with huge tips, the works. Its Icon Adaptive LED headlights look really sharp, help balance out the front-end, and give it an aggressive look to match its aggressive exhaust note and performance. My tester’s staggered Style 826M wheels were an excellent accompaniment to the overall design, too, as were their meaty 275/40/19 front and 285/35/20 rear Summer tires.
My tester’s Isle of Man Green Metallic paint was absolutely outstanding as well. It’s a real eye-catching color, and looks great in pretty much all light. Between the color, large front grille, and sharp headlights, the G80 M3 has a ton of presence. So much so, that I seemed to get more thumbs-ups and stares from random people on the street than I normally do, including while behind the wheel of other newer BMWs. Heck, it seemed like even the McLaren 620R. The handsome looks and sense of presence poured over inside, too.
One of The Best Interiors This Side of $100,000
Well, just shy of $100,000. Inside, the 2021 BMW M3 was a familiar yet refreshingly new place to be. The center dash display was a large, crisp, 12.3-inch digital unit, and the accompanying 10.25-inch center display was BMW’s latest iDrive 7.0 system. It was all quick to navigate and easy to use, and would be especially easy for consumers who are used to BMW’s previous iDrive systems to figure out. Plus, as is a good mark of any infotainment system, it's configurable via center console controls, as well as being a touchscreen unit.
The center console’s HVAC controls were a nice, refreshing upgrade on BMW fare as well, consisting of substantial-feeling switchgear in a very aesthetically-pleasing layout. Altering modes and adjusting M custom modes was a breeze, with all buttons within easy reach from the steering wheel and shifter.
My tester’s Kyalami Orange/Black full Merino leather interior made the M3 an absolutely wonderful place to be with soft-touch surfaces throughout. Every time I sat down in the well-bolstered, immensely-comfortable driver seat, I couldn’t help but let out a more-audible-than-average sigh of relief. There are few interiors with this level of overall comfort that can compete for less than $100,000.
Dimensionally, the G80 generation continues the tradition of the M3 being a genuine tall-guy car. Well, thanks to tons of adjustability in the front seats, really any height or body type would be able to configure it to fit themselves well. But there was enough room in the M3’s interior dimensions and electrically-adjusted seats for six-foot-three-inch gents like myself. And I fit like a glove. There are very few cars that I take a seat in and instantly think “ah, now this is a car tailored for people my size,” but the G80 is certainly one of them. Building on its excellent fit was great visibility, a low, sporty driving position, and plenty of room for my tall, lanky self in the backseat, too.
Making the fit even more perfect was the head-up display, which was crystal clear, not intrusive, and not too low for my height. Pedal placement in the G80 M3 was also excellent. The gas, brake, and clutch pedals were well-spaced and truly front-and-center. This ensured a more efficient connection between my limbs and the M3’s glorious engine, transmission, and ceramic brakes, making twisty road fun all the more engaging.
The M3’s Brand-New S58 Engine Was Nothing Short of Brilliant
Beneath the hood of the M3 is the all-new S58 3.0-liter, twin-turbo, Inline-6 which produces 473 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. I cherished every minuscule climb in revs with this engine in front of me. The speed at which it built and lost revs was much quicker than pretty much every other powerplant I’ve tested this side of a McLaren or Lamborghini. Little, otherwise unremarkable experiences, such as feeling this turbo-six rock side-to-side, producing a sharp and refined growl while coming off the clutch at stop lights, always made for an enjoyable experience.
With a little more courage in my right foot, all traction-control nannies turned off, and as short of a reaction time as I could muster, this engine was nothing short of thrilling. Dumping the clutch and banging it off the rev-limiter in first gear made for all the theatrics and tire smoke. I couldn’t help but downshift into second gear and sail it sideways through empty intersections as much as possible, too. Though, this thing was ferocious without any form of traction or stability control. By my final night with the G80 M3, I was thoroughly addicted to this engine’s glorious baritone scream and brutal torque curve.
Acceleration was a wall of shove and noise, which got me from a standstill to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds. Not bad at all for a portly 3,840 pounds. Its power curve was more linear than the previous-gen M3s, and my God I couldn’t get enough of it. Making my way up to some impressive speeds and beyond especially never got old thanks to its solid manual shifter and three pedals.
A Drivetrain That’s Quite Welcome In 2021
I never got bored of the M3’s 6-speed manual gearbox. Clutch feel was linear, with an easy-to-find take-up point and good weight. The shifter itself was a solid good; throws were long, but its tight action and springy feel made jumping between gears a total breeze.
My easy method for determining how good a shifter is: rest right the hand on the side of the console, and try to upshift from first to second, then later third to fourth, just by swatting at the stick with an open palm. It passed this little test with flying colors. I’m not quite sure why other reviewers haven’t been fans of it. It even transmitted a decent amount of vibration from the gearbox, which I really dig as it adds to the overall experience. The more mechanical feel in modern cars, especially with manual gearboxes disappearing at an alarming rate, the better.
Good Handling and Steering, But Not Great
When it comes to handling, the G80 M3 had gigantic shoes to fill. Previous generations have all been regarded as incredibly well-balanced and grippy on all-things curves and corners. There’s a reason that the M3 is one of the most-raced badges in history.
When it came to the twisty stuff up above Los Angeles in the Angeles National Forest, the M3’s handling was good, but not great. Even with the chassis setting cranked up to Sport Plus, it didn’t feel as sharp in the corners as I’d hoped it would, despite wearing some pretty advanced adaptive dampers behind all four wheels to rein in body roll. I have a decent amount of seat time in the previous-generation F80 M3, and its sibling the F82 M4, and the G80 did not exceed their handling characteristics.
The reason being: there’s no disguising this new 3er’s curb weight. Its weight was quite apparent in corners at a spirited pace, and just didn’t have that knife-edge feel that I experienced with the previous generation. Grip was very good, though, and in all scenarios besides some spirited mobbing, the adaptive dampers gave the M3 a comfortably-solid ride around town and on the highway. It’s a great all-purpose sports sedan, but leans more toward daily comfort than previous generations.
Front-end feel was decent, though steering feel in Sport mode left a lot to be desired; it was over-powered for sure. This was good for around-town driving and navigating through parking lots, but it never tightened up, gained weight, and felt confident at speed through corners. In fact it felt too numb, which felt awkward: I knew I had plenty of grip, but the steering interjected in my confidence.
The G80’s handling was solidly good, but not any kind of improvement over the previous-gen F80. Perhaps BMW has reserved this improvement for the M3’s Competition trim, which starts at just $3,000 more than the base M3, though it unfortunately can’t be equipped with the manual gearbox.
A Progression Of The Badge, But Not By Much
All in all, I had a great week with the 2021 BMW M3 6-speed manual. It was comfortable, competent enough in the twisties, and fast as hell. It’s proof that the M3 badge still has that quintessential vibe of being a four-door sports car that’s happy to carve through a twisty mountain road, mob down the highway, and achieve some very spectacular power slides, potentially all in a span of a few miles here in Southern California. But also, driven with comfort in mind and a resting heart rate, it’s a superbly comfortable daily sedan.
It was solidly good in said twisties, just not knife-edge-precise enough; the increased heft was quite apparent. It’s a progression of the badge, but not by much. Again, hopefully that can be found for a few coin more with the Competition model.
It’s commendable that BMW gave it a manual, six-speed gearbox as the only option. It’s unfortunate that consumers have to spend so much to get three pedals and a stick in a fast, European sedan these days, but that’s not BMW’s fault. Truly, a sign that they’ve still got enthusiasts in mind.
As far as its looks go, the grille is far from ideal, but does look better in person. I swear. Plus, considering the absolute-monster of a straight-six it's packing behind there, I can forgive the BMW a tad more for this bizarre styling choice.