As a kind of all-conquering uber-saloon, there’s not much arguing with the current BMW M3 Competition. The interior’s great, the powertrain’s great, the integration of all-wheel drive is great. There’s charisma from a straight six that’s missing in a C63, and an expensive aura to the cabin that doesn’t exist in a Giulia. It’s good enough to make you question what more an M5 above it could bring (answer to that question next week).
That’s all come at a cost, however. In being so much like an M5, the M3 has arguably lost sight, just a tad, of being an M3. Being auto-only, xDrive-only and Comp-spec only might lead you to that conclusion, and the reality tends to substantiate it. It’s awesomely capable and therefore arguably lacking a bit of involvement at everyday speeds. The pursuit of omniscient super-saloon perfection jettisoning a bit of intimacy in the process. Happens to all cars, of course, though is perhaps most keenly felt in the M3 because of how quickly the change has come and how fondly the classics are remembered.
Somebody important at BMW seems to know as well, because the six-speed manual gearbox has survived the recent update for the seventh generation M3. Offered in certain markets outside the UK, it keeps exactly the same specification as before, with 480hp (no 20hp gain, as per the Competition, for a nice, round 500) and rear-wheel drive only. Albeit with the revised look and new interior fittings. Our time in the three-pedal version was brief and amid a busy afternoon - but when you love M3s enough to get all giddy about E46 GTRs and E90 CRTs and E36 Lightweights, it’s not something you say ‘no’ to.
Man it looks weird. And not the outside, for once with this G80 M3, but inside. Such is the minimalism of this recent 3 Series update, with the vast screen real estate, bare-bones physical HVAC interface, and even the elimination of air vent buttons to maintain the Grand Designs aesthetic, that to see a six-speed manual lever there looks like a barbecue pit in the penthouse. Incongruous and probably hard work most days. A talking point, for sure.
Encouragingly (if strangely given the shared bits), the M3’s pedals seem less offset than memory says the M2s were; it’s noticeable simply because the carbon inlay between your legs on the optional seats doesn’t create a speed bump for your clutch hamstring here. A good start. Honestly, a clutch pedal in line with your clutch leg - what will BMW think of next? The lever, same as every manual Bee-Em since the start of time, feels pretty positive and direct, perhaps a tad more akin to the purpose-built Z4 Handschalter than most others. But coming from a 150,000-mile Compact, all of these six-speeds almost feel like GT3s. It’s a decent shift without being remarkable.
Hopefully it doesn’t sound trite (because this happens so often when a manual equivalent of something fast is made available) but the additional interaction and thought required really does open up a new dimension to the experience. The bond between you and the car becomes closer (and fonder) because you know more about it, like the tiny bit of lag before waking up at 2,250rpm, the way it’ll rock on its arches with a blip in neutral and the way it only actually needs even gears to do everything. If the modern M3 is a bit too easy, the challenge is very welcome.
The manual isn’t unbearably hard work, but it requires some consideration to get the best from. It’ll whirr and graunch if the pedalwork isn’t right, chunter at low revs that the auto would have kicked down from, and scare the heck out of you at the top of fourth gear on the autobahn when you’re not 100 per cent sure that’s fifth. It’s easier to be a bit naughty out of junctions and from roundabouts. It’s the M3 plus a little bit more on top. And a little bit like we used to know.
There are recognisably still some G80 traits here as well, including a pin sharp front end and spookily well sorted suspension. As with so much BMW tech right now, the Gear Shift Assistant that rev matches your downshifts is brilliant. You can do your own with a decent hit rate, but never better. But this is certainly a calmer M3 experience as well, and that’s welcome given the xDrive Competition feels its best at maximum attack. In this guise, the 3.0-litre S58 turbo lacks just a tiny bit of fizz, so there’s less incentive to chase every rev (especially with slower shifts); there’s a lot of satisfaction to be taken from using fewer revs, turning off the augmented sound and enjoying quite a traditional straight six feel.
With a bit less traction but some lovely BMW balance as well, you’re less inclined to brake as late as possible, treating it like a more old school experience. The test car had ceramic brakes and bundles of purchase, so it was far from slow, but it was fun at lesser commitment levels in a way that the automatic isn’t so much. I’m loath to mention the E39 M5 here, because that seems to be mentioned every time a BMW manual is made, but the stats must be close. In being a fearsomely capable M car as well as one that places some demands on the driver and is very luxurious for passengers, there are parallels to be drawn between that car and this M3. Probably not far off £80k or so being asked for the old one, either…
It’s a lovely thing then, the manual M3, incorporating new tech and old school involvement better than might be expected. Better than the M2 does, actually, which really was unexpected. The pedal placement, ratios, and slightly more relaxed demeanour of a manual played better to the M3’s strengths than the M2, despite their similarities now. Or perhaps the rose tinted specs were on their strongest prescription this time around.
Because when is all said and done, manual M cars don’t sell. Not outside the States at any rate. However much folk like to rave about them. The last M2 was brilliant as a manual, and the DCT comprehensively outsold it. You’re almost as likely to find a tape player from 2018 as you are a manual M3 from the same time. People didn’t buy them, at least not here, so BMW didn’t sell them. Largely because the auto packages were so good. And the M2 does still exist, remember, with the S58 engine, rear-drive and a six-speed.
So while there’s no real business case for a manual M3 in the UK, it’s hard not to get swept up in the romance of it all. Because E36, E46 and F80 all featured straight-sixes of around 3.0 litres, revved to 7,000rpm (or more), and came with standard manuals. It feels like a natural continuation of that glorious M car story. So how about a limited edition? We know from the 3.0 CSL that a 550hp six-speed is possible, we know that an all-electric M3 is next, and we know that the 40th anniversary of the badge is looming. Imagine if the 40 Jahre signed off the combustion engine M3 with the most powerful manual version ever made. BMW could name their price. And the queue, in the UK and everywhere else, would be around the block. Wouldn’t it?
SPECIFICATION | BMW M3 (G80)
Engine: 2,993cc, twin-turbo straight-six
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 480@6,250rpm
Torque (lb ft): 406@2,650-6,130rpm
0-62mph: 4.2sec
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 1,705kg DIN
MPG: 26.6-27.4
CO2: 236-241g/km
Price: N/A
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