NAIAS 2014: 2015 BMW M3, Return Of The Straight Six

Phillip Thomas
by Phillip Thomas

The 2015 BMW M3/4 debuts at Detroit with a host of “adding lightness” and a healthy step up in power from the outgoing M3.

The high-winding 4L V8 is replaced by a direct-injected turbo 3L straight six with 425 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque, while dropping 20 pounds off the motor’s weight. The six speed is a carry over, but now gains auto rev-matching for those panty-dropping rev-matched downshifts. The alternative is a seven speed “M-DCT” dual clutch transmission. 0 to 60 is in a scant 4.1 seconds for the manual, and 3.9 seconds for the M-DCT…



The rest of the M3/4 is standard M-goodness. A proper limited slip differential, optional carbon brakes, a slightly more driver-oriented interior, and of course that M-badge. Carbon fiber panels through out, including a carbon fiber/plastic composite driveshaft, aid the M3/4 in dropping about 175 pounds off the outgoing M3. Overall fuel consumption and emissions are said to be down by 25%.

All this is good news: with an ATS-V around the corner, BMW drops the gauntlet with this update.





Phillip Thomas
Phillip Thomas

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  • GiddyHitch GiddyHitch on Jan 14, 2014

    Between the curious color choice, Predator gill treatment, M6 wheels, black roof, and questionable fender detailing, this thing may as well some tuner special making the rounds on E90Post. While the M3 name will always quicken the pulse after many fond associations with the E36 and E46 versions, my interest ultimately fades post-2006 (despite what my lying Autotrader/Craigslist search history may say). Quite frankly, a RWD 328d Touring is the BMW that interests me the most … but then again, you would expect a TTAC poster to write that.

  • Kosmo Kosmo on Jan 14, 2014

    Turbo engines are funny. For day to day driving, I love the low rpm torque, but when I'm out fun driving, nothing feels better than a well tuned NA engine climbing its torque curve as it heads towards red line! And BMW has formally reserved the internal code of F81 for a wagon variant. Let the waiting and hoping begin!

  • Wolfwagen Is it me or have auto shows just turned to meh? To me, there isn't much excitement anymore. it's like we have hit a second malaise era. Every new vehicle is some cookie-cutter CUV. No cutting-edge designs. No talk of any great powertrains, or technological achievements. It's sort of expected with the push to EVs but there is no news on that front either. No new battery tech, no new charging tech. Nothing.
  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
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