BMW M3 Competition xDrive
quartet game
BMW M3 Competition xDrive
© press-inform – the press office
Like almost all other manufacturers, BMW is currently playing the electric card and pretending that the car world is exclusively powered by electricity. But there is still a small, gloomy embassy that fights loudly for the combustion engines. Their newest horse in the stable: the BMW M3 Competition xDrive.
After the BMW M3 degenerated into a four-door and the popular double pack of coupe and cabriolet was raised to the M4, things have calmed down around the sporty family sedan from the north of Munich. Visually and technically, however, the latest generation of the BMW M3 leaves no doubt that it is a hot driving machine, in which a few more people than just the driver can be on board if desired. This applies more than ever to the top model of the BMW M3 Competition xDrive. With it, the sports car driver will find exactly what he is looking for: the three-liter inline six-cylinder with turbocharger delivers 375 kW / 510 hp and transmits this impressive package evenly to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission – this guarantees maximum propulsion. M GmbH pays dearly for the additional equipment with 30 extra hp, all-wheel drive and automated transmission, because instead of the 83,500 euros M3 basic price, the performance boost with 4×4 and excellent gear selection costs an additional 11,000 euros.
So you can quickly feel why the all-wheel drive BMW M3 is the ideal choice, because the more than impressive entry of the Bavarian comes more perfectly than ever on the asphalt. It’s less about the inconsiderable discipline of the image spurt from 0 to 100 km/h in a spectacular 3.5 seconds, because nobody really needs that in real driving. However, it makes you happy how sovereign and in its technical potential almost subtle the all-wheel drive M3, weighing more than 1.8 tons, conjures up its power on the ground and pushes wildly. The sound of the turbocharged in-line six-cylinder is not quite as shameless and snotty as the eight-cylinder naturally aspirated engine of the E92’s ancestor generation, but it is still frightening and downright wild when you think of today’s sports machines, which often only use their maximum engine output for a short time can generate a silent boost.
But the impressive boost of 375 kW / 510 hp and roaring 650 Nm of torque are only one thing, even in the face of corresponding repetitions. What makes the difference to many a competitor is the drivability. The four-door trundles with respectable residual comfort over bad American inner-city roads, only to mime the curve hunter a few miles further the next moment – if desired with four passengers and luggage in the 480-liter backpack. More magnificent than ever is the feedback from the steering, which, with its complex design, is clearly different from that of the already excellent little brother, the BMW M 440i. In terms of chassis and drive, the 440 is a real hit and the better choice for the open convertible. But if you want to be sporty on the road and want to follow through with action on the thick fender cheeks, the BMW M3 Competition xDrive is the best choice. The Bavarian rolls on 19-inch tires at the front and 20-inch wheels at the rear. The standard consumption without express surcharge: 10.0 liters per 100 kilometers.
Chassis tuning, brakes, steering, engine and transmission – there is probably nothing better in the middle class among the sports versions than the current M3 / M4. It’s casual, strong as an ox and has a lot of everyday uses, so that even longer journeys are no problem. It can also be a little more dynamic on the empty country road in the evening and the roadster stays in the garage. You can actually save yourself the numerous driving modes on the buttons on the center console and steering wheel, because it’s great in normal mode and terrific in sport mode. The fact that you have access to the steering feel and brakes yourself, depending on the driving program, is probably only due to the Garchinger’s play instinct – but nobody needs it. And with a ten-level adjustable traction control, the technicians seem to have gotten a little carried away on a rainy weekend. You can’t say that about the seats. The electric comfort chairs fit excellently when air-conditioned, have great lateral support and are pleasantly comfortable on long journeys. In addition, they look better than the slightly strained sports seats with fixed shell elements. Always sufficient: the space in front and behind. However, the payload is rather manageable at 400 kilograms. But seriously: who cares about such a driving machine?