A proper choice in a world that stopped offering one
Walk into a BMW dealer today and ask for a new M3 with a manual gearbox. They will look at you like you have said something slightly unusual, then confirm that yes, you can actually do that. It is a genuinely rare thing in 2025. The list of new performance cars you can still buy with a traditional three-pedal setup is shrinking every year, and the G80 M3 sits near the top of it. If you have ever wanted a brand new M3 with a manual, this generation may well be your last chance.
The S58 engine under the bonnet is not in question. BMW’s 3.0-litre inline-six twin-turbo is one of the best performance engines in production right now. In standard Competition spec – which is the only spec sold in Australia – it produces 375kW and 550Nm. Those numbers feel almost abstract until you are actually using them on a country road, at which point they feel extremely real. The power delivery is linear enough to be manageable but there is always more coming once the turbos get moving, and the engine note through the standard exhaust is one of the better sounds in this price bracket.
Manual or DCT – it is not as simple as it sounds
Here is the honest version of the manual versus DCT argument. The eight-speed M Steptronic automatic is objectively the faster gearbox. It shifts quicker than any human, it manages torque more efficiently, and it will always pick the right gear. If lap times are the metric you care about most, the DCT wins without argument.
The manual is something different. It is a six-speed unit with a proper clutch, rev-matching that you can turn off, and a gear throw that is short and mechanical in a way that feels connected. Driving the manual M3 is a conversation between you and the car. You are making decisions, taking responsibility for each shift, and the car responds accordingly. There are moments on a winding road where this matters enormously, and moments in peak-hour traffic in Canberra or Sydney where it matters not at all.
Who should buy the manual? Someone who does a meaningful portion of their driving on interesting roads, who has driven manuals for years and finds the process genuinely engaging rather than a chore, and who is prepared to accept that the car is not maximising its performance numbers on their behalf. Who should buy the DCT? Everyone else, and that is not a criticism. The DCT M3 is a brilliant car.
Rear-wheel drive or xDrive
The manual gearbox is only available with rear-wheel drive. If you want xDrive all-wheel drive, you are getting the automatic. That pairing makes sense given that xDrive with a manual would complicate launch behaviour in a way BMW apparently decided was not worth engineering, and it means the choice almost makes itself depending on what you value.
The rear-wheel drive M3 is the purer handling experience. It requires more of you, rewards accuracy, and will tell you immediately when you have pushed past the limit. The xDrive version is faster in most conditions, more composed in the wet, and easier to drive quickly without the same level of concentration. For Australian buyers who experience genuine winter conditions in places like Canberra or the highlands, xDrive has a practical case. For everyone else, rear-wheel drive and a manual is probably the combination that will age best.
What it costs to own in Australia
Australian pricing for the G80 M3 Competition sits at approximately $140,000 to $165,000 drive-away depending on options and state charges. That places it firmly in Luxury Car Tax territory, which adds a meaningful slug on top of the base price for any car over the LCT threshold. The threshold for fuel-efficient vehicles is higher, but the M3 does not qualify, so you are paying LCT at the standard rate on everything above the threshold. It is worth factoring in before you start ticking option boxes.
Running costs are real but not punishing for the segment. The S58 uses premium unleaded and will drink it enthusiastically if you are using the car as intended. Servicing is dealer-only and BMW’s service plans are worth considering upfront to manage costs. Tyres are a genuine ongoing expense given the width of rubber the M3 runs, particularly if you track the car at all.
The styling argument
The G80 generation arrived with a grille that split opinion immediately and has continued to do so. The kidney grilles are large. Very large. BMW’s design team apparently made a deliberate choice to make them a statement, and the statement landed differently for different people. Some owners genuinely like the aggressive front end. A significant number of enthusiasts find it disproportionate and feel the previous F80 generation wore the M3 identity more naturally.
This is worth raising because it is a real factor in the buying decision. The G80 is not a subtle car from the front. The rear is generally better received, and the overall proportion of the sedan body is good, but if the grille bothers you in photographs it will bother you in person. Go see one in the metal before committing.
Why this one matters
The manual M3 exists at an intersection that is becoming increasingly rare. It is a proper performance car, built by a manufacturer that knows how to make them, sold new with a gearbox that requires skill and offers genuine engagement. BMW has not confirmed whether the next M3 will offer a manual at all, and the direction of the industry suggests it probably will not. Electric and hybrid powertrains do not pair naturally with traditional manual transmissions, and manufacturers are not engineering them that way.
If you have been considering an M3 with three pedals and have been waiting for the right moment, the window is not closing but it is not getting any wider either.