2023 BMW G80 M3 Manual Review - The Best Fast Daily?

New. Manual. RWD. 4 doors. ~500hp. Sub-$100K. Today, few cars can check all of those boxes. Does that automatically make the base G80 M3 the best all-around fun and fast daily on sale?

2023 BMW G80 M3 base RWD 6MT
Full SPL catalog
MCS 2WR coilovers
OEM wheels with PS4S tires
Active Autowerke Goliath exhaust
Autosolutions short shifter

[Soh]

My coworker purchased a '24 M3 Comp in the exact same color last month. It is a VIOLENT car.

[cpal]

Manual car video reviews will always get a like.

[GGang]

I compared this with the Cadillac CT4V Blackwing, and ended up going with the Blackwing for a few reasons. 1) The manual shifter in the BW, is sublime. Absolutely sublime. The BMW shifter felt rubbery, and didn't fill me with joy. 2) The giant screen was a little extra and I don't think it will age well especially since I want to keep the car for the long haul. The Caddy's interior is a lot simpler, with physical controls for everything. 3) It costs a LOT more than the Blackwing, and to me didn't warrant the BMW premium.

The only issue with the BW is that the rear seats are small...so if you're regularly hauling adults for long trips, it's not for you. But for kids (under 15yrs) and groceries, and daily driving, the Blackwing is perfect. I used to own an E39M5, and to me, the the Blackwing is the closest spiritual successor to that car available for sale now.

[DillonShelburn]

Drove one of these (base 2022 manual) through Tail of the Dragon and was genuinely impressed with how well they hide the weight.

[rellflgshp]

I was fortunate enough to drive a 2022 G80 manual at my dealership job. All imma say is the grind is gonna be tough, but I will own one of these😮‍💨🔥

[TranceFur]

Something that I feel would be a game changer for these daily-able sports sedans is active bushings. Imagine if you could firm up your subframe, suspension, engine, transmission etc bushings at the touch of a button.

Can’t imagine how complicated that would be to develop and implement though.

[mfujiii]

The interior is so good, maybe better than most base model porsches, well besides the gauge cluster

[Thok]

I will never be able to forgive BMW for not selling the touring here.

[drjk]

From what I've heard, the general consensus on the G80 M3 is this:
i) The controversial grill is growing on most people (key word being "most").
ii) S58 engine is the highlight of the G-series.
iii) Most M fans consider it to be too big and heavy for an M3, but just fine as a new-old school M5 (circa E39)
iv) Steering is very numb compared to key rivals. This is the most frequent complaint I've heard, but there are mods like suspension alignment, monoball front arm bushings (such as those from Dinan) and CSL flash tune steering that can fix this issue, but then it raises the question of why a performance car needs the aftermarket to fix it's shortcomings (i.e. do the manufacturer's homework) when rivals do it better from the factory?
v) Chassis and suspension tune are great, but not enough to overcome the numb steering.

[JerryNeutron]

This is my current dream car, I want one so bad!

[tooblindtofinehome]

The steering comment was spot on. I have driven the F80 and the G80 and the steering is so stale in there, very little feed back and turning just feels so rubbery.

I daily an 01 GS430 on coilovers and other suspension mods (not exactly a sports car) but I found even that cars steering to be miles better. Such a shame since the powertrain on this is out of this world.

Also I hated the cluster so much 😂. Wanted to rip the silly laptop screen out of there. Extreme overkill, way way too much going on there, graphics all over the place.

Overall you can’t complain about anything else though. The car is an animal. I will never forget the power on it, and despite the lack of feel, it was so agile and grips so well. My jaw was dropped driving it, but the steering was such a sharp contrast to the rest of the package. An absolutely amazing car nonetheless!

[CapELarry]

What a timely video. I have a 2023 M4 manual and I’m looking to replace it. I have very similar sentiments as you. It’s a competent and fast car, but I’ve just never formed that connection. I’ve never parked it and looked back.

[acmyjcacmyjc]

Hi F, I checked in with you last September about the Integra Type-S, I ended up buying the BMW G80 M3 base manual without the bucket seats. I am loving it so far with the 🚗. Glad to see you made a review on the G80 manual.

[kentao]

Seeing these reviews make me happy with my purchase. I understand the numbness and engagement but nobody can show me another NEW manual, rwd performance sedan on this level. Porsche is the only other similarly priced option for that type of drive. This car is still so much fun to drive and dravit grey is amazing.

[vPete]

Hell yes throwing MCS on an already excellent chassis, thing's gotta be a BEAST on track

[bobbykhan]

I agree with your thoughts on the G80 manual. One of my friends is lucky enough to have G80 manual and CT5 blackwing, so I drove both and what a difference in engagement. The G80 feels sterile in comparison, but I will say I feel there’s a different character with the competition version vs the manual (in terms of sheer capability and competence). Like the car is optimized for automatic.

Regardless, I’ve been turned off by BMW M almost entirely (I used to be a fanboy when I had E90 330 lol).

[avery]

With the TCS dial 1-10, available with DCS off, you can control the amount of slip allowed. With the dial at 9-10 it won't let you overwhelm the tires. It's a much more digital experience and relies little on steering feel. With time behind the wheel you can begin to understand how the car behaves at varying levels of TCS, there is no emphases on feeling.

[BigRick]

They're about as quick as a 1000cc Superbike. Crazy.

[jayman]

love the hips on these things. wish the 4vBW had the same flares...the aftermarket mid pipe options really open these babies up to a better experience. but in general there shouldn't be much of any complaints at this price point.

[motoring]

Amazing how much better the G80 looks with just a few mods. New grills, lowered and its like a new car.

Can’t imagine trusting SPL arms with a car that heavy. People are having issues with the lighter GR86 and this thing weighs another 1000lbs.