2022 BMW M3

Long-Term Test - AFTER TRACKING EVERY FILL-UP, SERVICE, PROBLEM, COMPLAINT, DENT, AND DOG HAIR, CAR AND DRIVER PRESENTS THE 40,000-MILE EVALUATION.

- CARLOS LAGO

THE SWEET SPOT

ARRIVAL OCTOBER 2021

DEPARTURE FEBRUARY 2023

Speed is an expensive habit, and the more you pay, the more you get. Take our long-term 2022 BMW M3. We could have spent more for the more powerful Competition trim or the quicker all-wheel-drive variant. Instead, we went with the $70,895 base model, which not only was less expensive but also allowed us to get a manual transmission.

Even with a number of options, our M3's $77,825 as-tested price is less than the starting price of a Competition xDrive. Opting for the do-it-yourself gearbox gives up a little over a second in acceleration versus the Competition xDrive, but our M3's 3.9-second 60-mph time and its quarter-mile result of 12.2 seconds at 117 mph are figures we can live with. Happily.

Moreover, covering 40,000 miles in a little over a year means spending a lot more time on the open freeway than on a racetrack. And for that task, our M3's spec is ideal. The car simply devoured interstates, traveling from Michigan to California and back, visiting Virginia International Raceway twice, and covering thousands of miles on shorter road trips in between.

Central to our M3's exceptionally pleasing demeanor is its twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six and six-speed manual. "This car is so much better with the manual," former staff editor Connor Hoffman commented. "I get why the Competition model exists, but it's just not as engaging to drive on the road."