BMW M3 Review

Cars like the M3 do not earn their reputation overnight. BMW has spent decades refining the idea of the high-performance compact executive, and the latest M3 is the result of that long, relentless process.

What makes the current car so impressive is not simply that it is fast. Plenty of performance saloons are fast. The point is that the M3 still feels like it has been engineered by people who care deeply about how a sports saloon should behave. There is huge configurability, huge grip and huge pace, but there is also a sense of precision and fluency that makes the car feel far more polished than a simple power figure can convey.

The latest M3 is also a more mature proposition than earlier generations. It is larger, more powerful and more technologically complex, but it is also more comfortable and more usable. That matters, because the M3 has always been at its best when it feels like a complete car rather than merely a fast one.

The current UK saloon line-up is more straightforward than the pasted source suggested. In practical terms, the mainstream M3 saloon centres on the M3 Competition M xDrive. More extreme derivatives such as the M3 CS are better treated as separate, limited-run halo versions rather than the core model most buyers will actually be considering.

That leaves the M3 exactly where it has always been strongest: as a devastatingly capable all-round performance car that still has the space, polish and everyday bandwidth to justify itself beyond the weekend.

The answer is simple: the M3 Competition M xDrive Saloon. It is the current UK saloon model that matters most, and it already gives you more pace and ability than almost any sane buyer could ever need.

There will always be enthusiasts who prefer the purity of rear-wheel drive, and there are certainly those who will be drawn to rarer, harder-edged derivatives. But as a road car, the Competition M xDrive feels like the sweet spot. It gives the M3 astonishing traction, huge cross-country pace and real all-weather usability, yet it still retains the agility and excitement the badge demands.

It is also worth remembering that this is not some one-dimensional monster. In gentler settings, the M3 settles down into something remarkably easy to live with, and the xDrive system only strengthens that broadness of character. It makes the car easier to exploit, not less interesting.

So if you want the best current mainstream M3 saloon, this is it.

The BMW M3 saloon currently starts at £91,485 in the UK for the M3 Competition M xDrive Saloon. That is serious money, and it means the M3 has moved well beyond the idea of being an attainable junior super-saloon.

The key thing in the M3’s favour is that it does not feel overpriced in isolation. The engineering depth, cabin quality, performance and breadth of ability are all obvious the moment you spend any time with it. This is not a car that trades only on badge value.

The bigger issue is how quickly the final figure can climb. BMW’s options list gives you plenty of opportunities to add carbon-fibre parts, upgraded seats, driver-focused packs and cosmetic extras, and it is easy to turn an already expensive car into a very expensive one.

The standard car is already strong enough that you do not need to lose your head with the configurator. That is worth remembering, because the M3 is one of those cars where the fundamentals matter far more than the garnish.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio remains one of the most charismatic alternatives. It feels more exotic and more Italian in the way it goes about things, and for some buyers that sense of occasion will matter. The BMW is the more rounded and more modern all-rounder, though.

The Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance is another obvious rival, but it now takes a very different route with four-cylinder plug-in hybrid power. On paper it is spectacularly powerful, but it no longer offers quite the same old-school six-cylinder sports-saloon appeal.

The Audi RS5 Sportback is a useful comparison point too, even if it is not a direct saloon rival in body style. It offers strong all-weather pace and polished road manners, but the BMW still feels more incisive and more rewarding to drive.

Within BMW’s own range, the M3 Touring is the alternative if you want the same basic formula with a more useful rear end. As a saloon, though, the M3 retains a slightly purer, more classic feel.

Because the M3 is based on the 3 Series, it brings the kind of everyday usefulness many sports cars simply cannot match. Up front there is plenty of room, the driving position is excellent and the seat adjustment is generous enough to let you get properly comfortable.

Rear-seat space is also genuinely decent. Tall adults will fit, and although the middle rear seat is less convincing thanks to the transmission tunnel and the harder central perch, the M3 still works well enough as a practical five-seat saloon in daily use.

The boot holds 480 litres, which is a useful figure for a performance saloon. The opening is not the widest and the load lip is a little awkward, but there is still enough space here for family clutter, weekend bags or work gear without the car feeling compromised.

That is a big part of the M3’s appeal. It still gives you real-world practicality along with its enormous performance envelope.

The BMW M3 measures 4,801mm long, 1,903mm wide and 1,438mm high. That puts it firmly in modern compact-executive territory, even if the word compact feels a little generous these days.

It is large enough to offer proper cabin and boot space, but it still feels concentrated and manageable on the road. That balance helps the M3 retain the sense that it is a performance car first, not just a very fast large saloon.

BMW’s curved-display setup is now standard, combining a 12.3-inch driver display with a 14.9-inch central touchscreen. It looks slick, modern and suitably expensive, and it gives the M3 a much more current-feeling cabin than earlier versions.

The system itself is highly functional. BMW still knows how to make infotainment that feels rich in features without becoming unusable once you have spent a little time with it. The rotary controller remains especially welcome because it makes the system easier to use on the move than a touchscreen alone would.

Climate controls being folded into the screen is a backward step compared with older BMW cabins, but at least there is a permanently displayed shortcut that makes it less irritating than it could have been.

Overall, the M3’s digital environment feels worthy of the price tag and fits the car’s mix of performance and premium polish.

The cabin quality is exactly where it should be for a car at this price. The stitched trim, metallic highlights and carbon-fibre detailing all contribute to the right atmosphere, and there is a strong sense of solidity throughout.

It also gets the tone right. The M3 does not feel like a stripped-out special or an over-dressed luxury car. It lands in the middle, with enough visual aggression to remind you what it is, while still being rich enough to feel properly premium.

Optional M Carbon bucket seats add extra drama and extra support, but they also make access more awkward. For some buyers they will be worth the compromise. For others, the standard seats will be the more sensible choice.

The current UK M3 saloon centres on the M3 Competition M xDrive, which uses a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine paired with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive.

Output stands at 530hp, which is the equivalent of around 537PS, and torque is 650Nm. BMW quotes 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed that can be lifted beyond the standard limiter with the optional M Driver’s Package. The result is a car that is now operating in serious supercar territory for straight-line pace.

The M3’s genius lies in the breadth of its ability. In its more relaxed settings it can feel astonishingly civilised, with compliant suspension, easy controls and the kind of road manners that make it perfectly plausible as an everyday car.

Start pushing harder, though, and the car reveals just how special it is. The body control is exceptional, the traction is immense and the steering is quick and accurate enough to make the car feel far more agile than something this size has any right to be. It is not simply fast. It is precise and deeply confidence-inspiring.

The xDrive system helps enormously, especially on difficult roads or in poor conditions. It gives the M3 incredible deployability without turning it into something inert. The car still feels alive and adjustable, just with more traction and more all-weather depth than a rear-drive alternative could manage.

Refinement is also impressive. The engine is subdued enough when cruising, wind noise is well suppressed and the car settles down very effectively on a motorway. There is still a fair bit of tyre noise, but that comes with the territory given the rubber involved.

The M3 is based on the current-generation BMW 3 Series, which achieved a five-star Euro NCAP rating in 2019. That is a strong underlying result, even if it was recorded earlier in the model cycle.

Standard safety equipment in the M3 is generous, including parking assistance, forward-collision warning with brake intervention, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, speed-limit assistance and BMW’s wider driver-assistance functions. The car is as well equipped as you would expect at this level.

Official economy for the current M3 Competition M xDrive sits at 27.4 to 27.7mpg. That is reasonable enough on paper given the performance, but only if you drive with real restraint.

Use the M3 properly and the numbers will tumble quickly. That is inevitable. Still, in context, the official figures are not outrageous for a six-cylinder, four-wheel-drive performance saloon of this calibre.

BMW covers the M3 with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty. That is about standard for a premium performance car.

Servicing, tyres and consumables will all be expensive if you use the car as intended, but none of that should come as a surprise. The M3 feels robust and thoroughly engineered, which is important in a car that many owners will genuinely use rather than save for special occasions.

Insurance groups are high, but not quite as punishing as some buyers might expect. Rear-drive Competition versions have historically sat in group 41, while four-wheel-drive versions sit in group 42, with more extreme limited-run derivatives climbing much higher.

For the current mainstream UK M3 Competition M xDrive Saloon, it is safest to treat insurance as firmly performance-car territory.

For 2026 to 2027, the standard annual VED rate after the first year is £200. Because every current M3 sits above the £40,000 threshold, all versions also attract the Expensive Car Supplement.

That means an extra £440 a year for five years from the start of the second licence, leaving most owners looking at £640 a year during that period.