We’re quite fascinated with this new BMW M3 Competition xDrive, as it’s the first-ever all-wheel drive M3 in history. How are customers going to respond to it, especially after they’ve lived with it for awhile? Will they appreciate the xDrive system or will its added grip make the M3 less exciting? Are there any ways to improve it? Our pal Joe Achilles owns an M3 xDrive and he seems to be enjoying it so far. However, he’s made a few select mods to his and, in this video, explains why he made them.
A New Intake
One of the more recent things he did to his M3 Competition xDrive was fit a new intake. More specifically, an Evolve Automotive Eventuri intake. Evolve’s carbon fiber intakes are pretty famous for not only adding power and throttle response but improving induction noise. According to Achilles, it makes quite the difference in his M2 Competition.
The next thing he did was fit a new carbon fiber strut tower brace. On the old F80 BMW M3, the S55 engine came with a gorgeous carbon fiber strut brace. Even people who didn’t like the F80 M3 loved that brace because it was awesome looking. However, on the new M3, BMW M went with just a boring black metal one. So Achilles had a new carbon fiber one fitted that, while not as good looking as the F80’s, looks much better than stock.
But enough about specifics, have the new parts actually made a difference? They seem to have made quite the difference. The new intake seems to certainly have made a difference by increasing the S58 engine’s throttle response. At first, I wasn’t so sure it would make a difference because the S58 engine is a monster from the factory. However, according to Achilles, it genuinely improves the engine’s response and its noise.
The M3 Competition xDrive is about as good a daily driving sports sedan as you’ll find at the moment but, as Joe Achilles has proven, there are a few subtle tweaks that can be made that make big differences.
