Now that the BMW G20 3 Series is out and even the highly anticipated M340i xDrive M Performance version is closer than ever, the world is looking towards Munich in anticipation of the G80 M3. The high-performance, full-M model is now in development and testing has already begun, on the classic Bavarian proving grounds, the Nurburgring. The latest sighting shows us the car still under heavy camo but we can still make out a couple of details.
The upcoming M3 will follow the same recipe we’ve seen employed in the last couple decades. The G80 version is expected to lose some weight compared to the F80 M3 even though BMW all but confirmed the fact that the new model will have all-wheel drive. There’s also a number of reports coming in from various sources saying we might even get a ‘purist’ version with rear-wheel drive and a manual gearbox. As to how the end product will shape up remains to be seen but we’re hoping we’ll get more than one version.
What’s pretty clear even by now is that we’ll get a standard M3 and a Competition model and chances are they will be launched at the same time, in similar fashion to how things unveiled on the X3 M and its Competition alternative. After all, the two high-performance cars will share the engine as well. That’s the new S58 3-liter straight six that can develop up to 510 PS on the Competition version.
That should be enough to keep up with the current contenders in the segment: the Alfa-Romeo Giulia QV and the Mercedes-AMG C63 S, both of them having this exact amount of power right now. The problem is, future versions of these two will most likely get more oomph under the hood but, as we all know, that’s not essential for a BMW, the main focus being on weight. We’ll just have to wait and see what the engineers decide for the M3 once it comes out. Luckily we don’t have to wait for long as the G80 M3 is set to enter productio
