The Last of a Generation: The 2027 BMW M3 Competition xDrive
There's a new BMW 3 Series for 2027, coming after the new year. But one version of the previous 3 Series sticks around for one more year---the M3.
This is BMW tradition---the tamer versions get launched and the mad scientists at BMW M, where the hot cars are, get a year or two to cook up what the next level for the new M will be.
And that gives us one more ride in the current, sixth-generation BMW M3. If your name isn't Car and Driver or the other Hagerty, those don't come up every day. It's been five years since my last review of an M3, a 2021 model, which would have been the first year of this now-outgoing generation. And this 2027 model is my first time in an M3 Competition xDrive.
Saying yes to the Competition takes the 473 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque from the M3's twin-turborcharged 3.0-liter inline six and boosts it to 503 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque.
Go one step further to the M3 Competition xDrive (BMW's name for all-wheel drive) and the horsepower goes up still more---to 523 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque.
Let's be clear: None of these cars are slow. The M3 is good for 0-60 sprints in 4.1 seconds. The M3 Competition whittles that down to 3.8 and the M3 Competition xDrive, with the advantage of putting more power down to all four wheels simultaneously, slashes that to 3.4 seconds.
Top speed for all three is 155 mph, electronically limited to match the speed rating of its Michelin Pilot Sport 4 ZR tires, which are good for sustained speeds of up to 168.
BMW didn't just choose the word "Competition" because it has sporting connotations. The M3 Competition is a car you could drive from the dealership directly to the track and then on the track.
But don't take my word for it. Instead, watch Jason Cammisa drive a first-year sixth-gen M3 Competition for the other Hagerty, an insurance and media company that can afford to rent Northern California's Thunderhill Raceway for a day (this is cued to begin in the final on-track segment):
Yeah. It can do that.
I won't even hazard a guess at Jason's fuel economy, but the EPA estimate for the 2027 BMW M3 Competition xDrive is 16 mpg city/23 mpg highway.
Not that this is a selling point or a deal-breaker for anyone who would buy an M3, but the trunk is big for the class at 16.9 cubic feet. And rear seat legroom is decent at 35.6 inches.
Let's talk about those front seats. They're part of the $14,300 Carbon Package, and between the carbon fiber and the holes in the construction, they are light, which is good in a performance car. They are also incredibly supportive and those bolsters/handles on the side keep you in place. Again, good in a performance car.
Now, if the castrati that designed them have any tips on how to get into and out of the car without either a run to the sporting goods store for a cup or seeing how quickly your urologist can squeeze you in (there's gotta be another way of saying that, Mike)...
The base price of the 2027 BMW M3 Competition xDrive is $88,600. The window sticker at the end of this review shows the standard equipment. It does not show a destination fee, and there is a "Total Suggested Retail Price" at the bottom that squares with the base price plus options, so it would appear BMW has included the destination fee in the base price.
Extra-cost options include the aforementioned $14,300 Carbon Package (19-inch front and 20-inch rear M dual-spoke bicolor forged wheels, an M alcantara-covered steering wheel, M Drive Professional, M carbon ceramic brakes, carbon fiber trim, M carbon bucket seats, a curved driver display with head-up display and the M Driver's Package), $4,500 for the Orinoco Pearl Metallic exterior paint, $2,550 for the Yas Marina Blue and Black full Merino leather interior, $800 for the parking assistance package (active park distance control with side sensing, parking view with 3D view, parking assistant plus and drive recorder), $1,100 for the Executive Package (galvanic controls and adaptive full LED lights) and $250 for M Shadowline lights.
Bottom line on the window sticker: $112,100.
As always, the question "is it worth it?" can only be answered by someone with $112,100 to spend on a car, and I'm not that guy. However, I will say that it's among the lowest prices I've seen for this level of performance. And if you're a traditionalist, this may be the M3 to have. Unless BMW pulls a sudden and unlikely U-turn, the next M3 will be an EV. A boatload more tech is virtually guaranteed to be baked into the 7th generation M3. The current M5, a plug-in hybrid introduced for the 2025 model year, likely points the way. And while it is absolutely an amazing vehicle, as I said in my review last summer, from a driver's perspective, it feels like the car and the engineers who built it are doing all the work.
If gasoline and pistons are must-haves, 2027 is your last chance for an old-school M3.
2027 BMW M3 Competition xDrive at a glance:
Price: $88,600 base/$112,100 as tested
Engine: 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder
Horsepower: 523
Torque: 479 lb-ft.
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Curb Weight: 3,990 lbs.
0-60 Acceleration (manufacturer data): 3.4 seconds
EPA Fuel Economy Estimate: 16 mpg city/23 mpg highway
Fuel tank capacity: 15.6 gallons
EPA Range Estimate: N/A
Class competitors: Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing, Audi S5, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
