Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
The M3 never had it easy. From the very first generation, BMW set out to create the best-handling car in the segment, and ever since, a lot of contenders have tried to steal the Bavarian land missile’s crown.
More than three decades after the E30 rolled out, BMW is set to shake things up again with the G80 generation, based on the G20 sedan. Due to roll out before the end of 2020 for the 2021 model year, the straight-six newcomer will also mark a few stylistic departures from its forefathers.
As you can tell from the latest photographs of the all-new M3, the kidney grille – if you can call it kidney in the first place – is the biggest point of contention. Lest we forget, not even X5 designer Frank Stephenson likes the snout. “I could rip the grille all day long,” he said in a recent video.
Nevertheless, who cares about that? The M3 has always been about carving corners like there’s no tomorrow, and the G80 promises to be the most talented compact executive sedan ever in this regard. The camouflaged prototype is equipped with super-sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber and big brakes with drilled rotors, but there are more goodies hiding underneath.
RWD will come standard, M xDrive with selectable rear-wheel drive is on the menu as well, manual and torque-converter automatic transmissions have been confirmed, and the head of driving dynamics – Peter Schmid – has promised “best-in-segment goals.” The electronic nannies (or enhancements, if you want to call them that way) will also play a big role in terms of driving dynamics, along with the twin-turbo S58 family of six-cylinder engines.
At least two variations of the 3.0-liter blunderbuss will be offered in the first instance by the Bavarian manufacturer, likely mirroring the output figures of the X3 M and X3 M with the Competition package. In other words, look forward to 480 and 510 PS (473 and 503 horsepower) plus 600 Nm (443 pound-feet) of torque from 2,600 to 5,600 revolutions per minute.
As you can tell from the latest photographs of the all-new M3, the kidney grille – if you can call it kidney in the first place – is the biggest point of contention. Lest we forget, not even X5 designer Frank Stephenson likes the snout. “I could rip the grille all day long,” he said in a recent video.
Nevertheless, who cares about that? The M3 has always been about carving corners like there’s no tomorrow, and the G80 promises to be the most talented compact executive sedan ever in this regard. The camouflaged prototype is equipped with super-sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber and big brakes with drilled rotors, but there are more goodies hiding underneath.
RWD will come standard, M xDrive with selectable rear-wheel drive is on the menu as well, manual and torque-converter automatic transmissions have been confirmed, and the head of driving dynamics – Peter Schmid – has promised “best-in-segment goals.” The electronic nannies (or enhancements, if you want to call them that way) will also play a big role in terms of driving dynamics, along with the twin-turbo S58 family of six-cylinder engines.
At least two variations of the 3.0-liter blunderbuss will be offered in the first instance by the Bavarian manufacturer, likely mirroring the output figures of the X3 M and X3 M with the Competition package. In other words, look forward to 480 and 510 PS (473 and 503 horsepower) plus 600 Nm (443 pound-feet) of torque from 2,600 to 5,600 revolutions per minute.
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