MLife: Hot Competition

LIFE HOT COMPETITION…

Words – Jeff Heywood / Photographs – BMW Press

BMW launched the sixth-generation F30 3 Series in 2011. After the success of the E90/92 it had a hard act to follow, but was launched to critical acclaim. All models utilised turbocharged engines for the very first time, however the M version followed three years later in 2014 to a mixed reception. There had been grumblings that the F30 didn’t enjoy the build quality of the earlier E90 models, so the F80 M3 was released to a sceptical audience, something BMW weren’t used to. It didn’t help that the new M3, now turbocharged, had only increased its power output over the previous and much loved V8 model by 11bhp, and confusingly, BMW decided to give the M3 and M4 models different factory code numbers, so the F30-based M3 was labelled the F80 – not the best of starts…

The F80 and F82 M cars certainly looked the part, though. Where the E90/2 M3 was quite subdued in the styling stakes, the F80/2 M shouted from the rooftops that they were BMW M cars, and BMW poured petrol onto the launch fire by releasing press photos and the first demo cars in new colours like Yas Marina Blue and Austin Yellow. Initial scepticism of the BMW S55 twin-turbo straight six powered F80 were quickly dismissed when several journalists recorded scorching 0-60mph times in their initial road tests, bettering BMW’s official figures by some margin. The V8 powered E90/2 was quickly forgotten as the M3 and M4 with 431bhp and 550Nm of torque scorched to 60mph in under 4 seconds (BMW quoted an official time of 4.1 seconds), with some scribes utilising launch control even reaching 3.7 seconds in the ubiquitous dash to sixty. The F80/2 was here, the motoring press and bloggers liked it and boy was it quick!

The first chinks started to appear in the new M3/M4’s armour when the serious scribes from the motoring monthlies started to get their hands on the new M cars for ‘proper’ road tests, with one or two heavy hitters given longtermers by BMW. We then heard criticism of the suspension, saying that the M3/ M4 suspension settings weren’t suited to the UK’s bumpy and undulating roads. Poor body control, particularly at the rear, made the car feel difficult to predict and trust, especially when the weather was anything other than bone dry, feeling especially skittish at the rear in the wet.

The Opposition

There was no doubting the M3’s performance, although it was coming under fire more than it had ever done before – Mercedes-Benz had also introduced the W205 AMG C63 and C63 S in 2014 with 476/510bhp, and the new C-Class AMGs were much better cars than previous incarnations, and were really pushing the M3 hard. There was also the Audi (B8) RS4 to consider, with Quattro all-wheel drive traction and a 4.2-litre V8 kicking out 450bhp!

And then came the real thorn in BMW’s side when Alfa Romeo launched the Giulia Quadrifoglio in June 2015, although we didn’t see the car in the UK until late 2016. Here was a car that had a lithe and supple chassis and suspension that provided wonderful body control and amazing handling, with a twin-turbo V6 producing 510bhp and offering some impressive credentials. It could hit 60mph from standstill in 3.5 seconds before topping out at 191mph, and to prove just how good the new Giulia was they took

Perfect M3 CP territory, a quiet and open country road with a few twisties thrown in for good measure.

it to the Nürburgring where it covered a lap in 7 minutes 39 seconds! Sure, Alfa Romeo wouldn’t immediately start selling tens of thousands of Quadrifoglios overnight, but it became the darling of the motoring scribes who altered the motoring public’s perception that here was a car in class that was quite a bit superior than both the M3 and M4 - BMW had a major fight on its hands.

M Competition Package arrives

Spring 2016 brought BMW’s answer to the Giulia and AMG, the Competition Package (CP) offered on the M3 and M4. For an extra £3,000 on top of the UK list price, the CP offered a far better suspension setup for UK roads and it totally transformed both cars. They both felt infinitely more stable and composed under cornering and when accelerating out of bends; gone was the skittishness experienced in the wet and the unruly nature on badly paved roads. It gave the M3 and M4 driver the confidence to take the car by the scruff of the neck.

The CP equipped cars were also given a slight power boost – 19bhp – taking maximum power up to 450bhp and 550Nm of torque from the S55 3.0-litre straight six engine, which allowed some road testers to hit 60mph in 3.5 seconds, or less in cars fitted with

the with optional 7-speed M dual clutch transmission. The Competition Package included adaptive dampers as part of a revised package, which also featured new springs and anti-roll bars, along with reconfigured driving modes (Comfort, Sport and Sport+). The standard Active M Differential and stability control had also been configured to match the upgraded dynamics. Forged, machine-polished 20- inch alloy wheels with exclusive multi-spoke M styling and mixed tyres (265/30 R20 fronts and 285/30 R20 rears) completed the chassis upgrades. Lightweight M sports seats provided additional support combined with exceptional comfort for long journeys, while seatbelts with wovenin BMW M stripes helped lift the cabin ambience. The M sports exhaust system now had quad black chrome tailpipes that are real eye-candy and extended BMW Individual high-gloss Shadow Line exterior trim to finish off the exterior.

The pictured Sakhir Orange M3 is similar to the one I loaned from a friendly local BMW dealer for this MLife article, it looks sharp but understated with the contrast between the paintwork and Shadow Line black gloss trim and those sexy 20-inch wheels.

Drivetime!

Those who read my M3 CSL review in Straight Six will know that I employ a set route when testing cars which allows me to build up a mental comparison of how a car behaves, both chassis and performance wise, over the same roads. The roads in question traverse Saddleworth and West Yorkshire, from the Saddleworth villages via a trip east over the Pennines to Slaithwaite, onto Holmfirth and then a return over Saddleworth Moor.

I picked up the M3 from my local dealer, resplendent in its Sakhir Orange paint. I really like the new 20-inch wheels that come with the CP, I think BMW have got the balance just right between being an anonymous 4-door saloon and looking too blingy spot on; the M3 is noticeable without being too over the top. On opening the door, I’m met with the new CP sports seats, which look and feel superb, you sink inside the bolsters and feel the grip without CSL-levels of discomfort! This car is also equipped with a 6-speed stick-shift, which is quite unusual as I’m told by the sales manager at the dealership that most M3 CPs were ordered with the 7-speed DCT gearbox. I’m not complaining though, I prefer a stick shift in an M car. The rest of the interior though is, well, very F30-ish, so functional but not overly glamourous.

I press the Start button and I’m met with a muted roar followed by a distant M rumble at tickover. A quick blast over a local bypass shows that this M3 CP has pace and then some, quickly demolishing the 2 mile journey in what feels like a few seconds! I then crawl through the suburban sprawl, the M suspension making itself heard and felt over the pock-marked local roads, before the scenery turns greener as I reach Saddleworth. I work my way along the A62 before reaching Delph crossroads, turning left which leads me through the quaint village centre of Delph. King Street quickly winds us through the village and we then swing left onto the A6052 Denshaw Road; I press the Sport button to liven up the exhaust and I’m able to give the M3 its head on a derestricted section of single carriageway road. The muted roar

An F80 M3 CP’s place of work; the seats are superb but the rest of the cabin isn’t as outstanding. It is nicely trimmed and well screwed together but is it special enough?

(now a little louder in Sport mode) again accompanies the M3 as it stretches its legs and goes, but I only use 4500rpm, which is good enough to be well over the 60mph limit in 5th and 6th gears.

I reach the Denshaw Junction and take an acute right onto the wonderful A640, which winds up and past the New Year’s Bridge and Dowry reservoirs. Here I can finally give the M3 its head, with a nice couple of long straights that allow you to easily hit three figures, if you are so inclined of course, before climbing up in a sinewy wiggle over where the Pennine Way crosses the road, the M3 CP providing both grip and poise as it handles the climb to the top of the moor in its stride. The A640 then bobs and weaves across open moorland, the M3 CP’s suspension being tested to the limits by the undulations as we pass ‘Buckstones above the Road’, a favourite with rock climbers and hang gliders, before the road straightens out, passing a fork.

The left fork takes you onto the B6114, but we keep right on the A640 for the sprint along Newhey Road, passing the well-known Nont Sarah’s public house on the left, now closed. The M3 demolishes this quiet road, the 3-litre straight six now emitting an animalistic howl as I press on. Unfortunately the

noise is still dampened somewhat by the two turbochargers, but it still sounds good in Sport mode and the car’s chassis feels totally benign, giving you lots of confidence that the car will never lose its composure at speed, eyes glued on the bleak moorland for wandering sheep.

I turn right at Pole Moor, the M3 with steering light and precise, and descend the hillside slowly, giving Howard Walker a toot on the M3’s horn as I pass his house, watching out for the potholes – there are some real horrors that would easily buckle one of these huge rims – so I take my time, plotting a path around the worst of them, the suspension crashing into the more unavoidable minor holes and sunken manholes. That’s the price you pay for a stiffly sprung and damped M-car.

I reach the centre of Slaithwaite village and turn off Sport mode to keep a low profile, ascending the steep Station Road, turning right then a quick left onto the B6109 Varley Road, climbing uphill and then forking left onto Chain Road in the direction of Meltham. The country roads here are narrow with plenty of blind bends, so the M3 and I just pootle up the hill, into and through Meltham, forking left past the golf club and leaving on the Wilshaw Road/Moor Lane/ New Road. It leads me to the

A635 in the centre of Holmfirth, of Nora Batty/Last of the Summer Wine country fame! Holmfirth is well worth a visit, but on this day I’m hunting out fine driving roads as I pass the T-junction in the centre of Holmfirth and then fork right onto one of the finest driving roads in my locality – the A635 Greenfield Road, better known as the Isle of Skye Road. I take my time as I ascend what seems like a never ending hill as we pass the last of urban Holmfirth, a mix of stone cottages and newer brick built houses lining the A635 and necessitating a 30mph limit. If you ever wish to tackle this road can I ask that you hold your speed back as you first pass the last of the houses and onto the Ford Inn on your right, and then a few hundred metres to the Huntsman Inn, which is also on your right, as cars are always turning in and out of the pub car parks, so safety is key, and there’s enough of this road left to put a broad smile on even the most miserable of faces!

Once past the Huntsman I start to moderately accelerate as the hill out of Holmfirth continues to climb up onto Saddleworth Moor, selecting Sport mode again to hear that straight-six howl. The road is less challenging here, so I stick to 60mph-ish and let the 550Nm of torque pull me and the M3 CP up this incline. Eventually the road starts to flatten whilst also becoming narrower – the road now resembling a piece of race track. I now drop from 5th to 3rd and gun the M3 – bam! The CP roars as I quickly grab 4th, which is nice and long for overtaking then slip into 5th, at higher speeds the road starts to test a car’s chassis to the full. It is like a causeway as it threads its way over the underlying peat moor, the road raised to stop it being pulled into the peat bogs. The camber of the road is also pretty severe, throw in some aggressive undulations as well and you quickly build up a mental picture of this road. I mentioned it in the CSL MLife article, this road takes no prisoners and cars with chassis that are too soft literally bounce off the road and into the peat bogs if you tackle them too quickly.

Here the M3 CP’s taught chassis allows me to exploit this fabulous road, providing poise and control over these undulations, the camber forever trying to throw us off line into the peatland. The M3’s steering communicates with clarity, letting you know what the front wheels are doing, the grip is tremendous and you just sit, ensconced in the CP’s superb sports seats, which allow you to concentrate on steering the car and changing gear. The gear change is quick and smooth, with a slight notchiness when cold, but now warm it’s like the proverbial knife through butter, the relatively light, progressive and smooth acting clutch aiding swift, smooth and fast gear changes. The big four-pot brakes (380mm front and 370mm rear), developed in conjunction with Brembo, are also mightily impressive, providing all the stopping power you could ever need, even when hurtling along moorland lanes downhill. I can’t report if they are up to track day work, but on my drive they never showed any sign of fade and never complained once. The A635 changes its name from Holmfirth Road

MLife: My F80 M3 CP

I wanted an M3 for years and finally the financial stars aligned and I got my Mineral Grey M3 Competition Pack in 2018. I’ve loved every minute driving it since. It really is the perfect car for me. Absolutely epic performance but as easy to drive slowly as fast. That might sound daft but it is great for storming up a motorway on-ramp or stringing together a series of roundabouts on an A-road dual carriageway (what else can you do legally on the road this side of the channel?) and then painless to daily drive to the shops.

The Competition Pack allegedly sorted out a few issues with the original F80. The exhaust is definitely one. I regularly select sport mode to open up the valves and have had many compliments about the sound of this M3. The 666M wheels look stunning in the metal and the ride is fine if you set the tyre pressures correctly (so many people set them too high and then wonder why the ride is harsh).

Last summer I got to do my dream drive when I took the family to the Austrian Alps, via the Nürburgring and Munich, of course. A journey to cover all the M3 bases including long stretches at three figure mph (only the traffic stopped me getting right to the limiter), sinuous mountain passes balanced by big city driving and maybe a few too many roadworks. 2,500 miles without missing a beat and ‘four up’ in perfect comfort (the seats with holes in really are not just a gimmick). And all at a 30mpg average.

So a car not just for the special occasion but which, for me, can make any journey special. Now all I have to do is finish paying for it and then I can take it on track!

Andrew Bowdler

to Greenfield Road as we reach halfway, this roller coaster of a ride still thrilling as we nudge three-figure speeds (and maybe more on occasion), the chassis giving you the confidence to travel this quickly over this heavily cambered road. Believe me when I say that I’ve travelled over this road at half the speed I’m doing now in lesser vehicles and felt as though we were going to be pogoing off the road.

People are bound to ask me to compare the F80 M3 CP and the M3 CSL over the same route. The CSL was as composed and confidence-inspiring, but with 450bhp and 550Nm of torque the M3 CP is always arriving at bends and severe undulations at much higher speeds, and that’s where it impresses. Where the CSL tackles a severe, cambered undulation at 70mph, the M3 CP is going through the same section at over 80mph, it’s just the 550Nm wall of torque that pushes you on, never feeling any lag as you hurtle forward with great alacrity.

The A635 finally starts to wind downhill, slowly at first, but you soon clear this at speed, and you then descend a downhill section that rivals an Alpine Pass as it drops in sinewy fashion towards the Saddleworth village of Greenfield. You can get up to some insane speeds here, the M3 grips, rolls very little and literally flies as I try to straighten out as many downhill bends as I can, keeping my eyes peeled for traffic travelling uphill, flowing like a downhill skier, but being very, very careful on this section of road as there are always lots of cyclists, motorcyclists and cars using this part of the road as it feeds some local beauty spots. The road is now wider and better paved, the camber is a lot better and a downhill section always pulls you in to go faster, but unfortunately brakes don’t work half as well when hurtling downhill at speed - you just can’t overcome the laws of physics so it pays to be careful!

I snick the gear lever into the higher gears now and let the M3 cool down as I traverse Greenfield and Uppermill villages and make my way back to the dealership by the scenic route – maybe there’s one last chance to open up this beast of a car before handing the keys back!

Conclusion

First and foremost, the F80 M3 CP is an awesome bit of kit. It is super quick, it handles sublimely with poise and has lots of grip through the twisties; it is also comfortable as long as the roads don’t become too pock-marked – stiff M suspension and tyres with a 30-profile sidewall don’t make for limousine-like ride quality – dodge those sunken manholes! And thank God for those CP sports seats, because the rest of the interior is just, well, it doesn’t look over special. It is nicely screwed together and relatively ergonomic

but not exciting, it looks like a standard F30. There’s nothing wrong with an F30 interior, but this is a £60,000 vehicle…

The engine is smooth and powerful, but like many have said, it could do with being more vocal. And by more vocal I don’t mean artificially piped in like the pan pipe music you hear in a lift. It does have a nice bark, it pops and bangs from the exhaust when changing gear or lifting off on the overrun, and the engine itself sounds beefy enough, but we could do with a bit of that CSL scream at the top end; the pair of turbos mask the engine’s voice somewhat.

As a blisteringly quick A-B crosscountry tool or for covering big motorway miles one cannot fault it, with all that power and torque on tap it makes for effortless motoring, eating up miles and leaving you stress free. But, there’s always a but. If you’ve been brought up on E30 M3s and maybe progressed onto an M3 CSL, which are very analogue, cars that you can get your hands dirty on, cars that scream their intentions at high revs, that provide all the thrills at lower speeds, you probably won’t easily connect with the F80 M3. The newer M cars are more digital, more refined, quieter, still very capable and incredibly fast, but not as involving in the driving, although travelling over an undulating road on Saddleworth Moor touching three figures galvanises oneself quite a bit!

But on other, slightly less demanding roads the F80 M3 CP and similar cars become more anodyne, much like an M340i or similar, and that is the crux of the matter, you would never say an E30 M3 feels like a 318i on less involving roads. Every journey is an event. In the F80 you have to go searching for the ‘event’ roads, just as I did. For the analogue guy, he’ll probably never warm to an F80 M3, he may admire it as being a very quick car, but will never form a bond with it. But for everyone else, the computer age is here and the F80 M3 CP is just wúnderbar!

The Competition Package made such a difference to the M3 that BMW

MLife – My F80 M3 CP

I happened upon my M3 CP purely by chance. I was visiting my local BMW dealer in Feburary 2020 to pick up some new windscreen wipers for my F30 330d. Whilst at the dealership I decided to have a quick look around the ‘used approved’ cars in stock. I immediately set eyes on an F80 M3 CP, sat there on its 20-inch 666M wheels and finished in eye catching BMW Individual Fire Orange II with extended black Merino leather, adaptive LED lights and a ‘carbon pack’, which contrasted wonderfully with the orange paintwork, especially at the rear where the small lip spoiler on the boot lid and rear diffuser breaks up the expanse of orange paint somewhat. The M3 was a late one, registered in May 2019 as a demo model by the dealer and had only covered 4,500 miles – perfect! I asked the sales manager if I could go for a quick test drive and they pulled out all the stops, the car ticking over 15 minutes later outside the showroom main entrance.

The test exemplified everything I had heard and read about the Competition Package models, it drove and handled superbly, whilst also retaining a fair degree of comfort for an M car. We were back in the sales manager’s office 45 minutes later, thrashing out a deal. I’ve owned quite a few M cars in the past and my job dictated that I was covering quite a bit of mileage so the 330d was a necessity, but a recent promotion meant that I’m covering less miles now, making the 330d’s mileage not quite as important.

I picked up my M3 just over a week later at the beginning of March, and it looked resplendent in its Fire Orange paintwork, the carbon pack breaking up the orange paint and contrasts perfectly. The orange paintwork is a Marmite colour, but my reasoning is why should you buy an M car and then blend into the background with a muted colour? I owned an Imola Red II E92 M3 and a Laguna Seca Blue E46 M3, so you probably can guess where I’m coming from.

And then the C-19 pandemic struck, which has meant plenty of home working with very little driving - I’ve covered less than 2,000 miles since I picked up the car, although I did manage to have the paintwork detailed and ceramic coated, the paintwork now resembling orange glass!

Thankfully as the lockdown was lifted both myself and my partner have managed to get out and enjoy the M3 a bit more. We’ve managed one or two trips out to local beauty spots, which has allowed me to open up the M3 CP in its natural environment, fast sweeping country roads and decent stretches of dual carriageway intersected with roundabouts. The car has masses of performance on tap and the M engineers have got the CP’s chassis/suspension spot on. The M3 puts the power down wonderfully and handles sublimely, with plenty of grip, thanks to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres. On the motorway the M3 is sublime, eating up miles at ease in total comfort.

We had planned to take the M3 on a Continental tour this summer which the C-19 pandemic has kiboshed, but I’m sure we’ll have plenty of memorable drives and trips in the coming months and years.

Peter Cahill

eventually dropped the ‘standard’ F80 M3, only offering the M3 CP in the UK, but that’s not to say the standard F80 is a poor car, don’t let that put you off. I’ve driven standard F80 M3s and when driven at 80 percent pace they are fine, very quick, handle well and provide all the thrills and values that an M car brings. If you don’t intend to wring every last ounce out of the chassis or drive at ten-tenths all of the time, then an early standard car is just as appealing a prospect as the CP, it’s just that if you want that little bit more the M3 CP provides it.