2024 BMW M3

Pros

• Caused by a bomb going off
• There are many ways to change the car for the driver, and it handles well.
• Both the trunk and the back seat are big.

Cons

• Because the turning doesn’t feel right, driving is less fun.
• The wind is making too much noise.
• It’s hard to love the way the front looks.

How do you move the M3? Tests were done on the BMW M3 Competition xDrive. It goes very quickly. Our tests only took 3.2 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph, which was much faster than the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing and the Audi RS 5 Sportback. Even when in Sport mode, the transmission sometimes has trouble downshifting. So, if you want to drive on mountain roads with tight turns, keep the gear in manual shift mode.

Excellent handling. The M3 Competition is a real racing sedan because it has enough grip and doesn’t roll too much when you turn. This M3 type is unique because it can be bought with all-wheel drive. It not only makes the car go faster, but it also helps when it starts to snow outside. If you still like the tailgate, turn off the all-wheel-drive technology and send all the power to the back wheels.

How BMW’s driving is set up right now is good but could be better. In Comfort mode, the car responds quickly to what the driver does, but the driving effort only gets more challenging as you move away from the centre. This lack of effort growth makes it hard to know where the wheels are just by looking, especially when turning back and forth. Sport mode is needed for moving quickly because it makes the car heavier.

How comfortable is the M3? The M3 Competition is pretty pleased with what it can do, but it doesn’t have the smooth, pillowy ride of a 7 Series that costs about the same. While in Comfort mode, the M3’s sport-tuned suspension and narrow tire sides can’t make the ride too rough because of the adaptive dampers. Even though our test car’s optional carbon-fibre bucket seats aren’t very flexible, it’s still straightforward to find a comfy position. But the carbon-fibre piece in the middle of the heart may force some drivers to stretch their legs.

Wind and road noise is suitable for this kind of performance car, but our writers have different opinions about how the engine sounds when running. Some people say it sounds like a symphony of overworked blenders, while others say it rips, especially from the outside.

How does the inside look? The fact that the M3’s centre stack and touchscreen are tilted toward the driver is a subtle sign that BMW thinks the driver is the most critical person in the car. Even though the charging pad is right in front of the cupholders, which makes it hard to get to your phone if you’re carrying two Venti cups home, we didn’t have many problems using it.

There is more legroom than in other cars, which is fine for a small sedan. Even though the M3’s big windshield pillars make it a little harder to see ahead, this is normal for cars.

Our test M3 could have come with carbon-fibre sport bucket seats, but we would only suggest them if you plan to use the M3 Competition as a real race car. Even though they have a soft padding, they are hard to get in and out of because of the thigh bolsters.

How good is the tech? The M3 has the most modern car technologies that BMW has to offer. Even though the primary navigation system is one of the best on the market, the constant updates about traffic can be annoying. If you want to use your phone to control things, the M3 has both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto built-in. With a good set of voice commands, you can change the radio station or put an address into the guidance system. The Harman Kardon music system has excellent sound quality.

The M3 comes with and doesn’t come with driving assistance features like adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning, and parking sensors. Overall, BMW does a great job of making sure that these features are useful without being too fussy.

What about putting things away? Another reason to choose an M3 over a Shelby GT500 or a Chevrolet Corvette is that it has a roomy trunk. The trunk of this BMW sports car is 13.0 cubic feet, which is a bit bigger than the trunk of the CT4-V Blackwing, which is 10.7 cubic feet. On the other hand, the Audi RS 5 Sportback is a hatchback with about 50% more cargo room than the M3. There are many ways to store things in the house, from a large storage bin under the arm to large door pockets.

If you need to transport small children, the Isofix anchors on the M3 are easily located under the flip-up lids and can fit a rear-facing car seat.

How well does it use gasoline? The EPA says the M3 Competition xDrive gets 18 mpg (16 in the city and 22 on the highway). The EPA estimates are lower for the CT4-V Blackwing and the Audi RS 5. On the other hand, on our 115-mile test route, our test car got a great 23.7 mpg. The CT4-V Blackwing got 20.4, and the Audi RS 5 got 22.7 mpg.

Should you buy the M3? Even though the M3 starts at just over $70,000, the matte grey paint and checked performance boxes on our Competition xDrive test car pushed the price over $100,000. Even though the Cadillac CT4-V costs much less than the Audi RS 5 Sportback, this is not surprising in the luxury performance car market. But the Caddy’s interior could be more excellent, and it goes more slowly. Even though it is expensive, few four-door cars can match the M3.

In terms of warranty, BMW’s bumper-to-bumper and powertrain coverage of four years or 50,000 miles is typical for the segment. Maintenance will be free for the next three years until the end of your lease.

We won’t say anything wrong about the M3’s bucktoothed face because style is subjective. The rest of this sports car is nice-looking, with flared wheel arches and four exhaust pipes that make it look different from a regular 3 Series. Also, the inside is a little more excellent.

The M3 Comp is also amazing. It has more than 500 horsepower, which means it can move quickly and has an excellent grip when turning. When you choose AWD, you don’t have to give up all control to microchips and computers because the xDrive system lets you send all the power to the back wheels.

But because the driving was too soft, we couldn’t use the M3 Comp to its full potential. Some of us were also upset by the sound of the car’s exhaust. It’s solid but not so strong that you should go out and buy one right away. It also leaves out chairs made of carbon. Your partner, your legs, and your hips will all like it.

At this time, BMW hasn’t said anything public about the 2024 BMW M3. If anything changes, we’ll change our suggestions, but if you don’t need a manual transmission, we suggest the Competition model based on the M3 from the year before. You get more power, better acceleration, and the choice of all-wheel drive for a slight price increase. You can also update the Competition with the Driving Assistance Professional package with several high-tech driving aids.

Different kinds of the BMW M3

The BMW M3 comes in four trim levels: basic, M3, Competition, and Competition xDrive. For 2024, you can also get a limited number of the new track-ready M3 CS.