What’s it like owning the slowest BMW M3 you can buy new? You might be surprised. As you might have already read in our long-term conclusion, our 2022 BMW M3 hit the sweet spot over our 40,000-mile test, delivering plenty of driving satisfaction and few, if any, issues. What few criticisms we had about the steering feel or the design of the fascia were overwhelmed by the feeling of routing 473 horsepower to two rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.
In the video, we dive deeper into the driving experience, explaining how the simple act of interacting with a manual transmission makes any time you’re behind the wheel more interesting. We also cover what it was like to live with during winter and how difficult (and expensive) it was to source winter tires. Other topics include the positive attention our M3 received and how quickly it wore through rear tires.
Okay, maybe that last one was our fault for trying to achieve a five-star drift rating from the M3’s M Drift Analyzer feature (we only ever managed four and a half). While we expected the tire wear, the wear marks on the top of the front brake calipers were a surprise. In the video, we delve into a few potential causes.
Overall, our M3 proved a reliable machine that enjoyed devouring miles and miles of interstate. There are certainly quicker and more powerful—and much pricier—variants, but our time with this Isle of Green M3 certainly delivered the most fun.
Deputy Editor, Video
From selling them to testing them, Carlos Lago has spent his entire adult life consumed by cars. He currently drives the creative behind Car and Driver video.
