BMW M3 manual is aimed at the true believers

At a time when most of the car industry has turned its back on traditional performance cars, this maker is betting that enthusiasts still want the same things.

BMW’s M3 sedan has been at the pointy end of the performance market for decades and the latest model stays true to its roots. Here are five things you should know about the M3.

This is the cheap M3

We would never call a high-performance BMW “cheap” but all things are relative.

Priced from $144,900 plus on-road costs (about $167,500 drive-away), the standard BMW M3 undercuts the more popular M3 Competition by $10,000. The big difference is that this car has a six-speed manual transmission, while the Competition brings a slick eight-speed auto.

Other changes include a less powerful engine and cheaper interior with lower-grade leather. Some driver assistance tech is also missing. The brand is betting that people prepared to shift their own gears are happy to steer the car in traffic.

The 3 Series manual delivers the full analog driving experience. Picture: Supplied.

The manual is the purists’ choice

Powered by a delicious 3.0-litre twin-turbo in-line six-cylinder with 353kW and 550Nm, the manual M3 can reach 100km/h in 4.2 seconds. That’s three tenths slower than the auto, which has 375kW/650Nm peaks, along with extra ratios to help deliver more urgent thrust.

The three-pedal M3’s 10.1L/100km fuel use is thirstier than the auto, too.

Enthusiasts won’t care, happy to trade digits for driver engagement.

It’s a wonderfully polished package, from superbly placed pedals to a precise shift action and a measured response from the manual engine’s less ferocious tune.

The looks are polarising but the driving experience isn’t. Picture: Supplied.

It’s easy to live with

Don’t be put off by the perceived hassle of living with a manual car in 2022.

Clever tech makes the BMW a willing partner in a wide variety of circumstances. You won’t stall at low speed – if you stay off the accelerator, the car’s computer will automatically call up the right amount of throttle for tricky tasks such as reversing up a steep driveway. The transmission has an auto-blip function that rev-matches downshifts during sporty driving, and the cruise control automatically resumes when you shift up. Or you can do it all yourself, mastering pedal inputs to get the most out of every drive.

The M3 is fun to drive on a closed circuit. Picture: Supplied.

And a cracker for special drives

The M3 gets a lot right – stuff like multi-mode suspension that works in a wide variety of situations, or a low-set driving position with plenty of helmet room for track day outings. Crisp steering linked to 275mm-wide front tyres offers grip to rival a champion rock climber, and the wider rears hang in there until you want them to relinquish their hold on the tarmac. BMW knows its customers are looking for driving thrills, which is why the M3 comes with multi-layered stability control, plus 10-stage traction control and even a “Drift Analyser” that scores your best sideways efforts on track.

The interior is a mix of luxury and sporty cues. Picture: Supplied.

This might be a collector’s item

Manual performance cars are increasingly rare – an endangered species as the world moves toward hybrid and electric machinery. This M3 is the last high-powered three-pedal sports sedan on sale. As with Australia’s final Ford and Holden muscle cars, we wouldn’t be surprised to see this one hold its value in time. BMW’s finance arm reckons it will be worth less than $50,000 after 50,000 kilometres, but a quick look at five-year-old models in the classifieds suggests the reality might be more than double that.

Originally published as BMW M3 manual is aimed at the true believers