I was recently fortunate enough to test the G80 BMW M3 for a week but not just any M3, the standard car with its six-speed manual transmission. I requested that car, rather than the more powerful but automatic-equipped car, simply because of its six-speed stick. But I’ll discuss driving dynamics in my review. Instead, in this video, I wanted to talk about the car’s design.

The G80 BMW M3 is probably the most controversial BMW design (along with the new M4) since the E65 BMW 7 Series. The grille is a lightning rod for criticism and we can’t seem to post a single thing about the new M3 or M4 without at least a few commenters complaining about the grille. Is it actually that bad looking in person? To be honest, no. It still isn’t good looking from the front, and I in no way am saying that I like the grille because I don’t, but when you actually get up close to it, it’s not that big a deal anymore.

bmw m3 g80 alpine white 04 830x553

 

There are other design issues as well, though. For instance, the rear fender flares don’t blend into the rear door panel, which seems a bit cheap up close. There’s also the fake “Air Breather” vent, which is just  a big plastic housing for an “M3” badge. Also, it seems to be a bit too big for its own wheels, for some reason. It just doesn’t sit quite right and there seems to be a lot of metal on top of its wheel wells.

However, it’s not a bad looking car and, the more time I spent with it, the more I appreciated it. The wheels themselves are very cool, the back end looks good, its headlights are great looking, and the rear diffuser and quad exhausts look good, too. Overall, it’s a fine looking car and one that does look exciting sitting in your driveway.