{"id":80869,"date":"2025-03-03T12:31:30","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T17:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=80869"},"modified":"2025-03-03T12:31:30","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T17:31:30","slug":"bmw-m3-variants-guide-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=80869","title":{"rendered":"Decoding the BMW M3 Lineup: Which Model Is Right for You?"},"content":{"rendered":"

BMW introduced the current generation of BMW M3 cars as 2021 model year vehicles. But thanks to slight changes for the model\u2019s mid-lifecycle refresh and an already sort of confusing lineup, it\u2019s not always easy to tell exactly which one you\u2019re getting. Today, there are still three distinctly different BMW M3 cars you can pick up \u2013 and each one may or may not be what you expected. Here\u2019s a breakdown of the BMW M3 variants you can find on sale today.<\/p>\n

BMW M3 Sedan \u2013 MSRP $76,700<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes referred to as the \u201cbase\u201d car (and initially referred to as the \u201cPure\u201d configuration), the standard, entry-level BMW M3 is simply referred to as such. Like all current BMW M3 cars, it uses a twin-turbo S58<\/a> inline-six engine. Here, it makes 473 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. Being the entry-level car, it starts at $76,700 before delivery fees and options.<\/p>\n

The base BMW M3 sedan differs from the other BMW M3 cars in several ways. First off, it\u2019s the only car that gets staggered 18- and 19-inch front\/rear wheels. Secondly, it\u2019s only available with a manual transmission. There\u2019s no option at all for an automatic. Less important \u2013 but still noteworthy \u2013 it\u2019s the only current generation M3 that ships with chrome\/silver badging, rather than the blacked-out badges you\u2019ll see on other models.<\/p>\n

BMW M3 Competition Sedan \u2013 MSRP $80,900<\/strong><\/p>\n

The BMW M3 Competition<\/a> starts at $80,900 before delivery fees and relies on the same S58 engine. Here, the twin-turbo six makes 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, a significant increase in both areas over the base, manual-transmission car. Speaking of which, the M3 Competition only comes with an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.<\/p>\n

BMW estimates the M3 Competition will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. That\u2019s a 0.3-second improvement over the base car, and places it mid-pack among the current BMW M3 cars. Unlike the base car, it features black badging with additional \u201cCompetition\u201d script.<\/p>\n

BMW M3 Competition xDrive \u2013 MSRP $86,000<\/strong><\/p>\n

The quickest from zero to 60 mph of the BMW M3 cars is the M3 Competition xDrive. It makes the most power \u2013 523 horsepower \u2013 and torque equivalent to the M3 Competition, 479 pound-feet. As its name suggests, it\u2019s only available with xDrive all-wheel drive and an automatic transmission. This brings the BMW projected zero-to-60 time to just 3.4 seconds, although independent testing has gotten that time much closer to 3.0 seconds flat.<\/p>\n

These BMW M3 cars are almost identical to the non-xDrive variants. However, at least in the US market, these cars get xDrive badging on the back of the car. Other than that, options and standard equipment are identical. The Competition xDrive model starts at $86,000.<\/p>\n

Special BMW M3 Cars<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are two other variants of the BMW M3 to touch on. The first is the M3 Touring<\/a>, which isn\u2019t available in the US. The M3 Touring only comes in the Competition xDrive variant and is mechanically identical to the sedan.<\/p>\n

The M3 CS<\/a> is a special version of the BMW M3 with even higher performance capabilities. It shares its powertrain with the Competition xDrive model. Here, the engine makes 543 horsepower, and the car gets unique yellow daytime running lights, a special grille, and red accents. A special center console design (sans armrest), red stitching, and other weight-saving measures trim out 39 pounds, making it the lightest of the BMW M3 cars in the G80 generation. All M3 CS models were sold as model year 2024 cars, except for the 2025 M3 CS Touring<\/a>, which \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 never made it to America.<\/p>\n

BMW M3 Cars and Their Options<\/strong><\/p>\n

M3 pricing is further apart than it\u2019s ever been from the bottom to the top, with nearly $10,000 separating the xDrive model from the base one. That said, options across new BMW M3 cars are largely similar. They all share the same standard equipment. The manual M3 Sedan, however, cannot be equipped with Driving Assistance Professional, since the transmission requires shifting. It also misses out on Remote Engine Start.<\/p>\n

The current BMW M3 cars are more customizable and configurable than any generation preceding. With that flexibility comes lots of room for confusion; even if you\u2019re a weathered, grizzled enthusiast. At the end of the day, we\u2019ll always advocate that the best way to eliminate that confusion is ignoring the spec sheets and taking a bunch of test drives to see which feels the best. You can see all the BMW M3 models on the bmwusa.com website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BMW introduced the current generation of BMW M3 cars as 2021 model year vehicles. But thanks to slight changes for the model\u2019s mid-lifecycle refresh and an already sort of confusing lineup, it\u2019s not always easy to tell exactly which one you\u2019re getting. Today, there are still three distinctly different BMW M3 cars you can pick […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":80870,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=80869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80869\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/80870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=80869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=80869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=80869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}