One of the most polarizing colors in the BMW Individual palette is Verde Mantis. The vibrant green can be confused with the popular Java Green paintwork since they’re both quite vibrant and flashy. During a recent trip to California, we had the chance to test drive a new 2022 BMW M3 in the Verde Mantis color.

As you can see in the images below, the flashy green goes hand-in-hand with the polarizing looks of the new M3 and M4 generation. And certainly, the Verde Mantis does not intend to blend in with the super large kidney grille. In fact, it further accentuates the controversial front fascia.

Even though the BMW Individual color palette for the new M3 and M4 is quite extensive, the standard colors offer plenty of great choices for customers. The non-metallic colors are Alpine White and Sao Paulo Yellow, while the metallic palette includes Isle of Man Green, Toronto Red, Sapphire Black, Skyscraper Grey, Portimao Blue and Brooklyn Grey.

Naturally, you can always dip into the extensive offerings of the BMW Individual program. For an additional cost, you can pick up exciting colors like Frozen White, Frozen Brilliant White, Frozen Black, Frozen Dark Grey, Frozen Orange, Frozen Portimao, Dravit Grey,  Oxide Grey, Tanzanite Blue II, and much more. Another cool color for the new M3/M4 is San Marino Blue which was recently photographed in Europe.

The car featured here is the standard M3 model. Under the unusually-shaped hood, the BMW M3 packs a 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged inline-six (S58) that will come in two different power levels, depending on the flavor of M3 you choose. In the standard BMW M3, the blown-six will make 480 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque (550 Nm).

In its standard-guise, the M3 will only come with a manual transmission, which is a fascinating turn of events in this modern era of automatic-everything. The standard M3 will also only send power to the rear wheels, without the option of M xDrive all-wheel drive.

If you want the eight-speed automatic transmission option, you have to step up to Competition spec, which also brings 510 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque (650 Nm). While the Competition can only be had with an automatic, it has the option of having either rear-wheel drive or M xDrive.

Since a picture speaks a thousand words, let’s take a look at the photo gallery below: