Yahoo Autos The BMW M3 Just Got Another Update
The latest BMW M3 has been on sale for around three years, but you would be forgiven if you thought it was newer. The Bavarian automaker has launched variants and updates of both the M3 and the two-door M4 at a dizzying pace over the past few years, starting with all-wheel drive models and continuing with a CS, an M4-specific CSL, and a limited-run car called the 3.0 CSL. The latest update, unveiled Tuesday evening, is a facelift for the existing M3, and unsurprisingly, it adds more horsepower to one specific model.
The benefactor is the xDrive-equipped M3 Competition. Only the all-wheel drive four-door gets a 20-hp boost from an engine management system change, bringing total output to 523 hp. That is 50 hp more than the base M3 sedan, 20 above the rear-wheel drive M3 Competition, 20 less than the new M3 CS, and 30 hp behind the 3.0 CSL. Torque is still listed at 479 lb-ft, and the 0-60 sprint time remains unchanged at 3.4 seconds. Manual transmissions remain unavailable with both the all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive Competition models, but base M3s still come with the option.
Outside, the biggest change comes in the form of new headlights with a doubled vertical DRL pattern like the ones already seen on the updated M4. The changes continue inside with a switch from the iDrive 8 infotainment system to the newer 8.5. BMW previously moved to the iDrive 8 system early in the new M3's life, pushing climate controls off physical controls and onto a massive central screen. The latest update changes the on-screen controls and improves voice assistant integration, but BMW has not brought back the physical controls that debuted on the first year of G80-generation M3s.
Starting price is up to $77,175 for the base M3, while the more powerful all-wheel-drive M3 Competition now starts at $86,475. The M3 CS, which debuted just last year at a hefty $119,645, has now been discontinued just a few weeks after the two-door M4 CS was revealed.
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