The sport sedan is one of the best automotive segments ever created. Unfortunately the industry’s move away from sedans to crossovers has made them an endangered species. That isn’t to say there aren’t great ones still on sale — Cadillac’s Blackwing models and the Genesis G70 come to mind. One of the all-time greats is the BMW M3, and the current G80 generation is the most powerful and capable M3 that BMW has ever created. At its most basic level, though, it’s just a BMW 3 Series. Does that connection make the M3 one of the best daily drivers still around? I’m here to tell you it does.
Full disclosure: After trying to push through knee pain to review a manual equipped M3 last year, BMW was kind enough to lend me another M3 to review, this time with an automatic transmission. I used the M3 like it was a Toyota Camry, and enjoyed every minute of it.
The G80 M3 has been around since 2021, when it debuted with what’s probably one of the most controversial redesigns in recent history. I have to admit that after a few years the design has grown on me. It’s not as polarizing as it once was, big kidney grilles included. This particular M3 is the new Edition 50 Jahre, which adds some neat touches that amp things up even more.
For $96,695 — over $14,000 more expensive than the starting price of an M3 Competition — the 50 Jahre is all about the details, and only 500 will be built. Each one comes in a special color that was worn by a previous M3; mine was done up in excellent Fire Orange paint, a color that was only ever available on the E92 M3’s Lime Rock Park Edition. There’s extensive use of carbon fiber that covers the roof, front splitter, rear spoiler, and the surround for the large quad titanium exhaust outlets. It also wears special 50th anniversary BMW Motorsport roundels and excellent 19-inch wheels finished in matte gray.
Even though the 50 Jahre is a special edition, you don’t get any kind of powertrain upgrades. Base M3s use a twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-6 with 473 horsepower, with a 6-speed manual and rear-wheel drive as standard. The ultimate M3, CS model excluded, is the M3 Competition xDrive, which the 50 Jahre is based on. It uses the same twin-turbo inline-6, just with 30 extra hp for a total of 503. An 8-speed automatic transmission and BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system are the only option.
None of that stopped me from simply using the M3 50 Jahre like it was just a regular old 3 Series, though to anyone on the outside looking in, I was something special. The car’s bright-ass orange paint was an attention grabber. People stared, tried to race me, or rode alongside until they caught my attention so they could tell me how cool the car was. This made for some awkward encounters in places or situations that would be normal in any other car, like once when I needed to run into Dollar Tree to grab a few items. “You drive a car like that and you’re going in there?” asked a man getting into his car as I stepped out of the M3. I awkwardly nodded and smiled as he chuckled and drove off.
Dropping my son off at school was another ordinary thing that was turned extraordinary by the M3, as both parents and kids alike gawked at the car. “Dad, go past all these people and drop me off at the end. Everyone is looking,” remarked my son one morning. He usually embraces the attention he gets from being dropped off in different cars, but this kind of attention was on another level.
Using the M3 to run errands, it feels pretty normal. On a Costco run I was able to get two packs of toilet paper, two 32-can cases of Coke, and five other boxes in the trunk. The M3 easily handled carrying passengers as well. One random night out, two other adults fit comfortably in the backseat thanks in part to the M3’s 35.4 inches of rear legroom. While that might not sound like much, if you’ve been in the back of something like a Genesis G70 or Lexus IS, you’ll be grateful for room like this.
Even when driving the M3 normally, it’s pretty docile. You wouldn’t know there’s more than 500 horsepower lurking under the hood. The EPA says you can expect to see a V8-like 18 mpg city, 22 mpg highway and 18 mpg combined; surprisingly I did slightly better at 19 mpg combined, and even managed to squeeze out 24 mpg once on a extended freeway trip.
When I managed to get in some performance driving on my local canyon roads, that 503 hp comes on strong and the engine pulls like it has no limit. It’s blisteringly quick, which makes me believe that BMW is underrating this engine’s power output — a common sentiment among owners and reviewers. Using the onboard performance timer, I was able to hit 60 mph in just three seconds; that was .4 seconds faster than BMW’s estimate. The 8-speed automatic blasts through the gears with lightning speed and will even hold revs, especially when using the paddle shifters.
Throwing the M3 into a corner I’m quickly reminded why this thing is one of the best to do it. It feels fantastically planted and settled; combine that with the sure-footed grip from the AWD system, and the M3 makes me feel like I could do anything. The M3 allows you to customize settings like throttle input and suspension damping so you can tailor the performance as you see fit.
Not everything is perfect. Take the great looking M Carbon bucket seats, for instance. A $4,500 option, they’re designed to hold you like a glove during performance driving, but their carbon-fiber construction means that some might find them uncomfortable during long drives. It also means they lack the flexibility of regular seats, which makes entry and exit an awkward affair. There’s also way too many controls and settings in the infotainment system, which is housed in a new curved display. Press the home button and you’ll be met with rows and rows of icons for apps and settings.
Those faults all pale in comparison to how great the M3 Edition 50 Jahre is. This is a car that I walked up to smiling every time. It’s a rare treat to experience something that makes me think of excuses just to be able to use it. If you’re lucky enough to get an M3 Edition 50 Jahre, or even a standard G80 M3 Competition, do yourself a favor and drive it every day. You’ll be happy that you did.
