On the heels of our review of a 600 HP 2015 BMW M3, we were approached with an awesome opportunity to evaluate one of THE most controversial cars of the past couple of years. Fast forward to 2021 and the latest BMW M3. To say the least, the 2021 M3 version has received some mixed reviews. But before we get into the cloud of commentary around this car, let’s set the scene.
Towne BMW had one of these precious, specially allocated brand new M3s delivered directly from Munich right to our own backyard in Williamsville, NY. The SFCN team was offered the exclusive opportunity to get up close and personal with the latest performance "bimmer" for the better part of an hour a couple weeks before the official public release date that just passed.
At the heart of the new release is BMW’s own newly designed twin-turbocharged 3.0 Liter inline-six deemed the S58. It makes 473 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque mated to a glorious 6-speed manual that is exclusively available in the base model M3, and not the automatic-only Competition spec. The Competition, for those who are curious, makes 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. The first one in our local area, and the object of our inspection, was spec'ed out in Black Sapphire Metallic with staggered 19/20” wheels (a first for the M3!) and included every carbon option you could imagine from the dashboard to the roof.
With that out of the way, let’s talk looks. Buck teeth, beave-like, and other comments with a similar theme have been floating around the internet ever since the day a few details were leaked out of the German top-secret design facility. And as more and more people are realizing, it’s really not that bad, rather actually pretty attractive, especially in the murdered-out black-on-black spec.
We here at SFCN came up with a theory as to why this car is hated by so many and we see this with other models as release date approaches. A new car will be released, a certain few will see it in person, form their own opinions and go home. But if one person has a negative impression of the car, they take to social media, and post about how bad it was. So what? Well, people read and look at what these select few "influencers" have to say and begin basing their own opinions on it.
The next thing you know, this buzz spreads like a California wild-fire, consuming every gasp of oxygen and leaving a haze over all the great things that a vehicle brings to the market.
Although there may be a few personal thoughts in there, these opinions are all based on what someone else said. We’ll be the first to admit it happened to us too, our vision of the car, clouded by things we saw on the internet and social media. But as soon as you see one of these in person, you might think, "what was all the noise about"?. This is the case with a lot of ideas in today’s digital world, we see something and maybe we choose to believe it or not, no matter what the truth may be.
Anyway, now that we’ve gotten the session about the plague of media in the digital age off our chests, what did we think of the the car?
We didn’t get to go on a test drive for a few reasons, but we had full access to the engine bay, interior, and exterior of this M3. We were really presently surprised with the car, the interior, engine, and even the looks of this car impressed us quite a bit. A lot about this car speaks for itself, remember, it’s an M3. This car has a long legacy behind it less and less of its competitors seem to have.
The inside, slathered in carbon, is spacious and comfortable. The sound? Loud only when it needs to be, but smooth at idle and crisp when rev'd to the redline. A video of that will be posted on our Instagram @superfastcarnews in the coming days.
The new digital dash, although controversial as well, is easy to read and gives you everything you’d want to see as the pilot of one of these cars. For most, the biggest competitor for the new M3 is the older F80 generation. The looks of the older gen were less edgy, but that car lacked many of the new tech features that come on this car.
So, will we offer an opinion tainting verdict here on looks and styling? Nope. We want all of you to go see one of these cars at your local BMW dealer and form your own opinions. Then let us know what you think!
We want to provide our thanks and gratitude to the team at Towne BMW. Dennis Merrick, BMW Client Adviser, and the two top-notch BMW Geniuses, Tyler Liberto and Ting Zheng, were ultra helpful and we know they will take care of you when you arrive at Towne BMW.
For more great content, check out our Instagram @superfastcarnews
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are ‘affiliate links.’ This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, SFCN will receive an affiliate commission. It's ok though! All the stuff we reference here is legit and from great companies and individuals.
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