The BMW M3 Competition xDrive is the Thanos snap of sedans

Thanos. Bad dude from the Avengers. To grab an Infinity Stone, he threw his own daughter off a cliff. And when you select a BMW M3 with a manual transmission, you are in fact trading a soul for a soul, because it’ll never be as fast, as complete, as the example you see on this very page.

This is the supercar you can drive every day.

2022 BMW M3 Competition xDrive Quick Take

Get one:

Supreme speed without sacrificing daily ability. Comfy. Does everything well. A car you marry instead of date.

Don’t get one:

I don’t know…you hate fun? You still don’t like the nose? You thought an electric car would be faster and forgot you could tune this?

Soul Score: 9

Remains the best all-around modern BMW you can buy.

The 2022 BMW M3 Competition xDrive Overview

Readers of this site will know that I’ve covered the G80 M3 in detail, and though I’ve driven Competition models before, this is the first time I’m in an xDrive model for a review.

I get it, maybe the 503 horsepower, nearly 30 more than the base car, isn’t enough to make you give up on the row-your-own option. 80 more lb-ft or torque? Perhaps you’re strong-willed enough to leave that on the table as well. But that means letting BMW’s best inline-six ever, the S58, lead an ordinary life. Sure you can tune it, but you’d never be faster than this, and your clutch would weigh about as much as Santa after his cheat day.

Instead, enter Hulk Mode by checking off the “Competition” option and bolting in an automatic transmission. Might as well select all-wheel drive for impeccable launches too. Now you’re ready for the Captain America Serum – tuning. This car makes over 900 horsepower when you shove ethanol in its mouth.

Least you think it turns the M3 into some sort of untamed beast, this is still a civilized family sedan that can even return to stock power levels at the touch of a button.

Let’s find out if I should throw the six-speed off a cliff and don the Infinity Stone Gauntlet.

Performance Score: 10. Master of the Universe

BMW seems intent on pushing ICE units out the door in favor of electric cars. And perhaps the next M3 will be even faster than this one (will certainly be heavier if the M5 is any indication).

That’s a few years off, and that’s good news because this G80 remains one of the best performance sedans to ever exist. No doubt, it’ll have more soul than what replaces it.

Engine

To be fair, this isn’t exactly a bolt-on job. I could give you a laundry list of items that need to change in order for an S58 to withstand 931 horsepower and 791 pound-feet of torque. New connecting rods, FEMTO unlock (computer), upgraded CSF heat exchanger, bigger turbos…the list is long. Perhaps the biggest change is going from direct fuel injection to port. And in order to get the full bananas 931, you must put alcohol fuel in the belly.

If you don’t, the car makes “just” 713 horsepower and 671 lb-ft on 93 octane, which is how I drove it. That’s still more than the new M5, a Cadillac Blackwing, and an F-16. Whatever sort of turbo lag you might feel in a stock car is gone here – there is just gobs of power everywhere. And so smooth – so smoooth. Electric car smooth.

The amazing thing is that driving the M3 Competition xDrive around town, you’d be none the wiser. It doesn’t even drone from the aftermarket exhaust. Step on the gas though, and the car suddenly turns into a heat-seeking missile as you climb up the tach, with a sound that matches a 911 GT3 in volume if not quite sound quality.

Mrs. Machines would never know if I didn’t tell her…

Transmission

Here’s the thing. The ZF eight-speed in this M3 has been rebuilt to handle over 1,400 horsepower. If the stock ZF is Iron Man’s MK 1 suit, this is the MK 42.

Again, flawless. Smooth. Changes gears in an instant but never with violence. Feels like a normal M3 if no one told you otherwise.

In order to get a manual M3 to handle this level of power, you would need a clutch with the weight of a 45-lb barbell and the legs of Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s possible, but life will be miserable. The ZF was made for this car, and it feels like a better match. I’ll cover the manual in a later review.

About the only thing I can criticize is that, if you do not opt for the Carbon Fiber trim inside, BMW sticks you with the same lame paddle shifters out of an M340i. You know, the big plastic silver ones. Come on, BMW – this is a $100,000 car. Stop leaving out the details. Oh, and sometimes I still forget how to put it in drive. Why do I move it over to the right, instead of pull back like in a regular BMW? Must we always be fancy?

Chassis and Steering

At this point, what can I say about the steering – it’s not up to snuff. Go try any Porsche or Cadillac and you’ll see the heft and level of feedback I’m looking for. It’s one way that the M3 has become less “M” and more “best 3 Series you can buy”.

The chassis too – this one is set up on KW coil-overs, which offer more adjustability than the HAS kit on my M3, or simply lowering the car on shorter springs. However you choose to drop your M, it’s a must-do mod for me, perhaps the biggest improvement you can make. It reduces body roll and aids in turn-in response, usually without harming the ride too much. The G is lacking a sense of directness without it.

Here, the KW kit deletes the electronic dampers – fine with me. I’ve left mine in Sport since day one and never looked back. Perhaps the car rides a bit harsher without it, but if that’s a persistent problem for you, BMW will sell you a nice 330i.

One additional thing in the M3’s favor is the fact that you can turn off xDrive with a few screen taps, and that enables gigantic burnout mode. Audi can’t turn off Quattro, Cadillac and Lexus are rear-wheel only, as are most other brands. This is the way.

Brakes

The basic brakes are the M3 are quite good, though I find the “comfort” mode makes the pedal too soft. Optional carbon ceramic discs look nice and dust less, something I’m sure owners that clean their own wheels will appreciate. Given the added ability of this particular car, I’m not sure how long the stock units would hold up in a track environment.

This is one hardcore M3 – a supercar killer. Fear only perhaps a Lucid Air off the line, and that ain’t no corner carver like this beauty.

Lifestyle Score: 8. Who needs a 5 Series?

After living with this car for nearly three years, I must tell you it remains one of the best-packaged automotive products you can buy.

Start with the front seats, which I’m happy to say are the normal peasant-level front buckets. I’ve tried the carbon buckets again, and again – I don’t like them. Porsche’s are more comfortable once you’re in them. These regular ones are just as supportive, and remain one of my favorite chairs despite experiencing so many over the past few years.

My daughter is unusually tall for her age – already almost 5 feet, so I have to push the front seat up all the way in order for her to have room in the back. It’s not an issue really, and the car offers plenty of back-seat room for a family of four. Same goes for the trunk – the rear-wheel arches cramp a bit toward the back, but overall it’s spacious and accommodating.

You can get a bigger 5 Series, but do it for luxury, not because you need more room.

Fuel Economy. Unrated

A stock M3 Competition xDrive is rated at 16 MPG in the city, and 22 on the highway – you lose 1 mile for the all-wheel drive. I’ve found that you’ll do better than that – the M3 is efficient if you don’t drive like you’re running from the bad guys.

I didn’t bother to ask Adrian, the owner of this example, what he averages, and I’m sure the answer would be “depends”. Or maybe it would be “doensn’t matter”. It doesn’t. A CT5 V averages 15 with a stick, and I can’t image this being much worse. Wouldn’t stop me if it was.

Have fun and enjoy life.

Features and Comfort: 8. Option well

No two M3s are ever alike, so give BMW credit for offering well beyond the standard options and color choices. You don’t have to spend $20k extra to get the goods in these cars either.

And hey, listen, the transmission alone is a $10,000 mod, the suspension $6k – speed is never cheap, unless you consider the more expensive exotics you’ll finger snap into oblivion.

F U

Such an improvement inside compared to the F8X generation. All black on the inside has a way of making everything super Teutonic, but look close and you’ll still see the beautiful mix of Alcantara, leather and alternating patterns on the seats (both front and back).

Let’s take BMW to task for the steering wheel, which, unless you spec the $1,000 carbon fiber trim, looks extremely pedestrian. But that’s the only nit to pick. Elsewhere, I prefer this iDrive 7 to the latest single screen dash, along with buttons for the HVAC you can actually touch. Forgoing the carbon buckets also allows you to have heated and ventilated seats in the front, even if they aren’t very powerful.

Extended leather on the dash helps up the lux look and separates this from the inside of an M2. Perhaps selecting another color aside from black can make it look cartoonish, but as is, wonderful.

The exclamation point to all this is that in the Competition, you get real cup holders that don’t interfere with anything. Coffee lovers, rejoice.

Black Panther

This is Black Sapphire Metallic, and it looks very good – I don’t see many G8Xs in it, and it helps to hide that silly black trim on the bottom of these cars. Course, that means you now have a mix of Metallic and non-Metallic paint, but whatever.

The wheels – super delicious. 827M style from the CS/CSL, they are my favorite BMW wheel for the G8X. Sorry, literally everyone with the same BBS, Häagen-Dazs, or cheap Temu knockoffs – these are just better.

Elsewhere is a CSL-style grille, a big improvement, and the usual carbon fiber trim. It’s an overall subtle, stealthy look that is nonetheless menacing. I quite like the G80’s exterior, sorry if you don’t.

Actually, no I’m not.

You’re a fool if you go for an CS instead of a BMW M3 Competition xDrive

This car starts at $85,000 dollars in 2024 (a 2022 model was actually cheaper), and it sounds funny to say it, but that’s a terrific deal.

Click a few boxes and you’re at around $93,000 for this example. It’s uncouth to ask what someone spends on their mods, but let’s say Adrian has perhaps $130k total invested in this M3. Yes, that’s a lot for a 3 Series.

But it’s cheaper than an M5 (and much faster). In fact, it’s about the same price as a BMW M3 CS, and that car has no armrest. It’s not quite as balanced or precise as a 911 GT3, but it’s close, and my butt tells me it could keep up with one on track. As for the Blackwing twins, you know how I feel. They are better yes, but the problem is…you’re in a Cadillac.

I drove this down River Road and waited for the traffic to clear before unleashing hell. In two seconds, it had two grown men giggling like school girls. I promise, not every car gives this sensation, and it’s a testament to both BMW and Adrian’s work.

So here we are. The BMW M3 Competition xDrive is the best variant, and an excellent platform, to turn it into anything you want. You are driving around with the Infinity Stones in your pocket, and it’s up to you when you snap your fingers.

Thanks to Adrian – he’s a Peloton Instructor and much more!

2022 BMW M3 Competition xDrive Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE

front-engine, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger, four-door sedan

PRICE

Base: $78,095

POWERTRAIN

3.0 liter twin-turbocharged inline-six
503 horsepower @ 6,250 RPM
479 lb-ft @ 2,750 RPM
Eight-speed Automatic transmission

DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 112.5 in
Length: 189.1 in
Width: 74.3 in
Height: 56.5 in
Curb Weight: 3,990 lbs

FUEL ECONOMY

18 combined / 16 city / 22 highway

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