The 2022 BMW M3 Base isn’t worth the sacrifice

Time. Goes fast, doesn’t it? Wasn’t it just 1996, and all the fast cars were shift-for-yourself? Sometimes, an automatic wasn’t even an option. I’m sure you’re well aware that the reverse is now true, and that manual transmission cars are circling the drain. This BMW M3 base model could be the last one ever with a stick.

But what if I’m okay with that? What if maybe, it’s…time?

The 2022 BMW M3 Base Overview

It wasn’t even a question. I can remember sitting in the mall parking lot next to the dealer three years ago, discussing the financial considerations of getting a new M3 with my wife. I hadn’t even driven one yet.

But I had already made up my mind – manual. I’d had enough experience with the brand to know what was in store for the sixth generation of this iconic car, and it was safe to assume that this would be it for the stick. I think BMW believed that too, which is why the transmission in this car is essentially the same unit from the F80 with some minor tweaks.

Sacrifices must be made. While Competition models get 503 horsepower, the base M3 must make do with 474. Lot less torque too. You’ll never be as fast as an xDrive model, if for no other reason than the hole shot. But everything else is the same – it’s still a real M3.

You know by now that I’ve decided to sell this car and put my butt in a 2025 Competition, so this is the 6MT’s swan song on Machines With Souls.

Que the violins.

Performance Score: 8. Master of none

Jack of all trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than a master of one.

Quote just the first four words, and it’s a compliment. Include the second phrase, and it’s an insult. But it’s rare I hear the full saying, and in the M3’s case it’s apt.

Engine

The S58 that breathes under the hood here might be down on power and torque (406 vs 479), but that’s like saying you’ll have to make do with a bazooka instead of a mini-gun. Big explosions happen either way.

The reputation of this mighty S has turned it into a kind of modern day 2JZ – it can handle a lot more power without having to worry about rebuilding it like RoboCop (unless you really get up there). With the six-speed, that’s wasted. You’d need an upgraded clutch (and upgraded muscles) to handle the juice. Sort of pointless on a daily driver.

The S58’s Kryptonite? Low revs. Below 2,500 RPM it lags, and the manual exacerbates the condition unless you constantly shift into the power band. Once there, it pulls like nothing else. A solid wall of power that feels as linear as a naturally aspirated engine. You can cry all you want about old M motors, but I think this one belongs in the hall of fame right next to them.

Well, except for the sound. If you’re looking for the F1-inspired music track from an E9X, you won’t find it. But truth be told, has any M car actually been sonorous as it came from the factory? Too quiet, the lot of them – getting rid of the baby diaper muffler and adding a mid-pipe here helps.

Transmission

I’ve driven worse manuals over the years. Less direct, less engaging. Less fun.

I’ve also driven better manuals – anything from Porsche, and the Blackwing. Once you experience that, the BMW M3 Base is exposed.

Everything here is merely good – the clutch travel is long but high to engage, making me sit closer to the wheel than I like. The shifter is direct, but never feels like it’s attached to anything. A similar unit in a Supra vibrates at idle – in the M3, it’s as stiff as a corpse. Same story as the Z4 too. Refinement is great, but we just want a little bit of personality to shine through.

The shape of the shifter itself has remained the same for decades as well – it’s tall and sort of silly-looking. Replacing it with something shorter and less padded helps, but not enough to matter.

Chassis and steering

The M3’s steering rack is quick and precise. We (car reviewers) always moan about modern BMWs and their lack of feedback. That’s accurate, but it bothers me less now – sometimes touchy-feely steering, with all that vibration, can draw a lot of attention to itself. Putting the rack in Sport mode just adds heft, not feel, so there’s little point.

The Base model gets the same suspension setup as the Competition, and the car is simply too soft if you leave it in Comfort mode. Putting the suspension in Sport helps (which is where I left it), but selecting Sport Plus will make you wish you booked your spinal reconstruction surgery years in advance.

I prefer cars with less roll and dive, so adding the M Performance suspension that lowers the M3 helps keep it stable and handle turns with more aggression. Thus equipped, even the best sports cars in the world have trouble keeping pace with it. Despite its physical size, the M3 feels much smaller the faster you drive it, a family trait. A bonus is that the M3’s ride quality remains intact outside of Sport Plus, even with the M suspension installed.

I happened to win the tire lottery with Michelin PS4s, but Pirellis can also come from the factory (not as good). The 18-inch base wheels are the same width, making larger ones all about vanity as oppose to performance.

One other good thing for picking the manual? Less weight. At 3,840 pounds, it’s about 100 pounds less than the xDrive variant, and that helps with every aspect of the car.

Brakes

On the surface, the M3’s brakes work well (and look great, with red, black or blue options for the calipers). With yet another mode for programmable feel, I must ask who would ever pick the “comfort” option in their M car – even Sport is too squishy for me. BMW should peak at Lexus and ask how the IS500 does it without the need for buttons and gadgets.

Despite the cost, the calipers in back are single pot (even with carbon ceramics), and they always squeal, so you don’t need to honk for your date to come outside. They will hear you.

I’ve been intimate with the M3 (that sounds gross, but you get it), and I know it better than perhaps any other car in the world. It might not offer the kind of feel you might want, but it’s supercar fast, stable, and engaging enough to drive. Really is a jack of all trades, which makes it something you should daily instead of save and obsess over once a drop of rain hits the road.

Lifestyle Score: 8. An M3 in size 5

This car is packaged so well – I can see the allure of an M5, but this M3 is sized about perfectly.

Let’s start in the back seat, where kids, in-laws, and BFFs can fit with ease. The M3 outsells the M4 (it’s cooler), and it’s not hard to figure out why. Shame there isn’t a center arm rest in the back like in a regular 3 Series, something my daughter reminds me of often.

Up front remain some of the best seats on sale today, so long as you don’t option the $4,000 carbon buckets. They look great, hold me in place, and are easy to climb in and out of. Bonus points for finally allowing them to be heated and cooled. Too bad the cooling doesn’t really work that well. Better than nothing.

The trunk, sigh. Oh, there’s nothing wrong with it, except that it’s not a wagon. We lost that fight, and I suppose we’ll see if the G91 M5 can make us feel better.

Fuel Economy: 5. Suffer more

I’ve mentioned this before, but have we really made any progress?

Over the course of three years, this BMW M3 Base has averaged 18 miles per gallon. My old E92 with a manual – 18 miles per gallon. The EPA says 19, so I guess we’ll call it the Mike factor.

The Competition model rates the same, with the xDrive getting one MPG worse. That gives you a clue as to how much more inefficient the manual is. Don’t let that stop you from ordering one, though.

Finally, the gas tank is 15.6 gallons, and it’s too small. I never got more than 300 miles to a tank.

Features and Comfort: 8. Feeling basic

It’s easy to option even a base model M3 into the six figures. Don’t do that unless you don’t care about depreciation.

Course if you do that and show up to the bro meet with an Alpine White over black M3 while everyone else is in Skittles colors, you might not feel cool enough.

The good old days

I’ve already gotten used to the X3 M50, with its single screen and iDrive 9. When I hope into this car, it feels…fine. Absolutely fine.

You’d think it would be dated, but new BMWs suffer from Times Square syndrome. Everything is bright and in your face, distracting you and calling for attention. That setup works great for a dealer test drive – you’d come away impressed. But this iDrive 7 stays out of the way. I lament losing it on the new one.

Merino leather is soft and nice, but doesn’t wear as well as tougher hides on lesser BMW. Keep the price down by skipping extended leather, the Executive package (you can close the trunk yourself), and the aforementioned carbon buckets. Even lacking these options, the inside of the M3 is a great place to be, and aside from terrible floor mats, speaks of high quality.

One (large) issue for me is the center console. Manual M3s get a different layout than Competition models to accommodate the stick, and that means smaller cup holders. If you like your iced coffee large like me, it’s pretty much impossible to shift into first or fifth, but any cup size is going to be tight and knock up against the radio buttons.

Look at me

It’s easy to go bananas on the outside as well. Here we have Portimao Blue Metallic, and it’s a very nice color that’s ruined only by its availability on other non-M models. Individual is always an option.

Spec the Carbon Fiber package and carbon ceramic brakes to add nearly $15,000 to the price. At least every M3 comes with a carbon roof as standard (no judgement if you select a sunroof). Interesting that among the M2, M3 and M4 group, only the 3er lets you select 18-inch wheels.

The face still bothering you? I’m afraid you’ve lost that argument. I do think that having the optional $1,000 laser headlights helps. Looks cheap without them.

The 2022 BMW M3 Base made me accept the inevitable

Manual transmissions aren’t dead. I bet Porsche makes one for as long as they possibly can. There’s still time at the Cadillac store. The Nissan Z…it’s not over folks.

But it is over for me. For now, anyway. If I win the lottery I won’t announce it, but the brand new Shark Blue 911 GT3 in my garage would be an obvious sign – that would have to be a stick. But that’s a very special car.

The G80 in stick trim isn’t special – it’s merely great. It makes a great daily. It makes running errands fun. And it’ll do a great impersonation of a sports car if you happen to find yourself in one on a back road. But having a manual bolted in doesn’t make it more fun, it just makes it more work.

If I’m honest (I always am), the E46 was the last great M3 with a manual. Everything after that has felt like BMW pandering to us saying, “Fine Americans, if we must.” Make the effort, or don’t make it at all.

Still, I’ll miss you, stick M3. May your new owner shift you forever smoothly, and never hit a money shot.

Bonus: Is the G80 M3 a reliable car?

I live in fear of that damn gong. BMW drivers know it well, and it could mean that you’re either about to have a very expensive repair bill, or it’s 32 degree outside. Fifty-fifty shot.

But I can’t walk away from this particular car without telling you that I’m really proud of it. This M3 never ever misbehaved. I simply gave it regular oil changes, changed the tires and spark plugs once, and that was it. No check engine lights, no alerts, no weird things. For a BMW that’s great. For an M car, that’s incredible.

“Oh, Mike, you only have 24,000 miles on it…”

Yea, so? My E92 would bark at me with silly things all the time. Emissions warning? Please.

I’ve now had ten BMWs, and this has been the first with no extra dealer visits. It’s not just my car either – all my G8X owner friends report minimal issues as well. BMW quality really has improved.