BMW M3 Competition

Refreshed and updated, the admiration for our M3 grows

HAVING PLAYED A ROLE ON BMW’S M3 launch fleet before arriving at evo ,the Mighty Green returned to BMW this month for some fresh rubber, new brakes front and rear (after its dismal showing on the track as explained in last month’s report) and a software update that’s being applied to all G80 M3s.

That last piece of work hasn’t made the car any quicker, but I do wonder if there’s a little more crack and woofle to the engine during upshifts and off throttle, and the gearshifts seem slightly snappier – although that may be my imagination. The new discs and pads have improved brake pedal feel too, which further convinces me that all was not well with the old ones. I’ve also ordered a set of Michelin’s Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres – they’re a factory option and I want to try them on road and track before the weather turns.

When the M3 isn’t on a track, I am always impressed at just what a comfortable, confidenceinspiring machine it is, so solid and dependable you feel like you could drive through a hurricane and emerge battered but undeterred on the other side. It drives just like the wide-arched, gunslinger visuals it projects – it’s the Dirty Harry of sports saloons.

The performance, too, is so colossal that overtaking is largely effortless, and the poise… oh the poise of the thing when you get on a good road. Just how has M dialled in such a sweet chassis in a big, heavy car such as this one? And then you’ll get a stab of power oversteer in the dry at respectable speed and it’s as if the dazzling glint of fangs is suddenly visible behind those gaping nostrils, a swift reminder that anything with 500bhp and bombastic torque always needs maximum respect. The beauty of the G80 M3 is that while it has the minerals to really spoil your day, its modus operandi is to let you get the best from it, whether you want to drive with the MDM safety net on, or get lairy with the swipeable variable traction control in DSC Off mode.

Talking of driving modes, my routine with the M3 is largely set in stone now. Press engine start.

Press M mode to get the head-up display I like, with revs, gear and speed displayed (partly because I find the digital instruments in the binnacle so hard to read), along with coolant and oil temps – imperative if you have some mechanical sympathy – and tyre pressures and their temps, too. I’ll then just drive off with the car in its sleepiest mode, but as soon as there are some temps I’ll flick into M1 on the steering wheel, which I’ve set with a snappier engine, soft suspension but the quickest manual shifts.

This will be how I drive the car for most of the time, unless we’re on a motorway or in an urban environment, in which case I’ll just switch back to sleepy mode and let the car do the work. If I want something more, I’ll switch to M2, which I’ve set for ‘maximum attack’, with more aggressive damping, full beans engine and the traction slider.

As you can probably tell, I’m absolutely loving this car – and yes, I’ve even grown to love how it looks. But more on that next time.

Adam Towler (@Adamtowler)

Date acquired April 2021 Total mileage 7450 Mileage this month 2050 Costs this month £0 mpg this month 24.0