I was recently fortunate enough to test the G80 BMW M3 for a week but not just any M3, the standard car with its six-speed manual transmission. I requested that car, rather than the more powerful but automatic-equipped car, simply because of its six-speed stick. But I’ll discuss driving dynamics in my review. Instead, in this video, I wanted to talk about the car’s design.
The G80 BMW M3 is probably the most controversial BMW design (along with the new M4) since the E65 BMW 7 Series. The grille is a lightning rod for criticism and we can’t seem to post a single thing about the new M3 or M4 without at least a few commenters complaining about the grille. Is it actually that bad looking in person? To be honest, no. It still isn’t good looking from the front, and I in no way am saying that I like the grille because I don’t, but when you actually get up close to it, it’s not that big a deal anymore.
There are other design issues as well, though. For instance, the rear fender flares don’t blend into the rear door panel, which seems a bit cheap up close. There’s also the fake “Air Breather” vent, which is just a big plastic housing for an “M3” badge. Also, it seems to be a bit too big for its own wheels, for some reason. It just doesn’t sit quite right and there seems to be a lot of metal on top of its wheel wells.
However, it’s not a bad looking car and, the more time I spent with it, the more I appreciated it. The wheels themselves are very cool, the back end looks good, its headlights are great looking, and the rear diffuser and quad exhausts look good, too. Overall, it’s a fine looking car and one that does look exciting sitting in your driveway.
