BMW M3 facelifted for 2024: more powerful, no better-looking

• New M3 now comes with 530hp
• Good for 0-62mph in 3.5s
• Top speed up to 180mph
• Still available as Touring estate, but RWD variants ditched
• Updated model gains minor styling and interior tweaks
• Deliveries later this year, with prices from £85,715

BMW’s hottest 3 Series, the M3, has undergone a mid-life upgrade. The Mercedes-AMG C63 alternative has seen a small boost in power, some tweaks to its styling and chassis, as well as software updates for the interior.

Now available exclusively as an xDrive (four-wheel drive) Competition variant, albeit still with saloon or Touring bodystyles on offer, the M3 hopes to remain the keen drivers’ super-saloon of choice. The changes mirror those made to the regular 3 Series – you can read about those here.

New BMW M3 – power, performance and chassis

As part of this mid-life facelift, the M3 gets a boost in power. The car’s twin-turbocharged, 3.0-litre straight-six engine now produces 530hp – up by 20hp from the previous model’s 510hp. Not only that, but peak power is developed at higher revs than before, and peak torque – a beefy 650Nm – is developed over a wider spread of rpms than before.

All that grunt means the updated M3 can cover the benchmark 0-62mph sprint in just 3.5s – 0.1s quicker than before. Top speed is limited to 155mph as standard, but can be derestricted to allow the M3 to hit a massive 180mph.

The M3 is no longer available as a rear-wheel drive car – all models feature BMW’s xDrive four-wheel drive system, which nonetheless can send up to 100% of its power to the rear axles if the stability control is turned off.

Mechanical changes are otherwise limited, but do include new light-alloy wheels.

BMW M3 design and styling

BMW hasn’t taken the opportunity to restyle the M3, and its divisive front grille remains in situ. It’s flanked by new LED lights, though, with arrow-shaped daytime running lights similar to those on the recently revealed M4 Competition.

Alloy wheels remain available in 19- and 20-inch sizes – at the same time, that is, as the M3 uses differently-sized wheels for the front and back axles. Black units come as standard but optionally available are a set of M light-alloy wheels in silver.

There are two packs to upgrade the exterior looks of the car. An M Carbon package adds carbon-fibre inlays to the air intakes, bootlid spoiler and mirror caps, while the M Race Track package adds ceramic brakes and carbon-fibre bucket seats, which result in a 25kg weight reduction.

BMW M3 interior and technology

Changes for the M3 mirror those made to the standard 3 Series – you can read about those in more detail here. Specific M model changes are limited to the steering wheel – it’s a new three-spoke affair, with a red marker at the 12’o’clock – and it’s available in either leather or Alcantara trim.

BMW M3 pricing and release date

You’ll be able to buy a new M3 in late summer 2024, as it goes into production alongside the facelifted 3 Series. Pricing kicks off at £85,715, and the M3 Touring costs from £87,945. That puts it bang smack in between the Mercedes-AMG C63 and the Audi RS4 in terms of pricing.

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