[00:00] This is the new BMW M3 and you might find it quite shocking because not only is the design controversial, so too is the propulsion system. I'll get into that in a bit but first I think we need to talk about the design.
[00:14] What the hell is going on with BMW? First they wanted massive grilles like on the 7 series, then they wanted tall skinny grilles like on the new iX3. And now we get a massive flat grille with the headlights inside. I get that BMW's trying to mimic the classic E30's design, but I think it looks like someone
[00:30] glued a handlebar moustache to the front of the car, and then dyed the edges bright yellow. These colourful DRLs used to be a signature of BMW's exclusive CS models, but apparently they'll be slapping them on a load of M cars from now on.
[00:42] And that's not the only thing I don't like. The massive louvers on the bonnet belong in the filing cabinet, not on an M3. What's going on with these tiny square pod lights? It's like BMW just pinched a few bulbs off the high-end iONIQ 9.
[00:54] However, there are some bits I do like. The centre-lock wheels have a cool mesh design that looks like the old E30's BDS rims. And I also like the way BMW has modernised the classic M's fistable door mirrors and added some M-colour graphics to the carbon fibre roof.
[01:08] I've no idea why they decided to give it door handles of a Ford Mustang Mach-E. Look, they're saying, aren't they? Now, technically, the car you see here is just the Concept. It's called the M Concept Nuer Classer.
[01:21] The finished car is expected to be revealed later this year. However, BMW has a habit of revealing concept cars of its future end cars, which are so close to what the final car actually turns out to be, that they may as well not bother calling it a concept.
[01:33] Also, when you look at this car next to the all-new i3 that BMW revealed back in March, it's obvious that they share the same basic underpinnings. That tells me that the new M version isn't going to look radically different from what you see here.
[01:45] So, as well as the disappointing front bumper, you also get a rear end that looks like it's had a monumental butt lift. Forget normal spoilers. BMW has given this car two giant duck tails and the rear diffuser is the widest, lowest and most aggressive I've ever seen on a BMW M car.
[02:01] If you drive this thing in reverse, people might think it's a combine harvester. Overall though I do quite like it But once again BMW has ruined the image by slapping some silly square lights on the bumper And because these are red they look exactly like the ones on the Land Rover Defender There no excuse for that on a BMW M3
[02:18] However, new BMWs have always looked controversial. Remember when the previous M3 and M4 came out? Everyone hated the design. But, and with me, I bet it's grown on you. And it certainly didn't stop those of the people from buying on those cars.
[02:30] However, there's something about this car that might be an absolute deal-breaker. And it's under the bonnet. because this new M3 is actual electric. What? Before you go reaching the pit course, there will be a new M3 with a proper turbocharged petrol engine as well,
[02:43] and I'll tell you about that in a bit. But this particular car has four electric motors, an 800-volt electrical system, and a battery capacity over 100 kilowatt hours. Now, that doesn't give us much to go on in terms of performance, but last year, BMW tested something called the VDX concept,
[02:58] which used the same basic drive system as in this car. It also has four electric motors and combined, makes for close to 1,300 horsepower. That's almost double the power you get in today's plug-in hybrid BMW M5. And it means the VZX can blast from 0 to 60 miles an hour in a mere 1.8 seconds.
[03:14] To give you some context, here's what happens when I launch the 550 horsepower BMW M3 CS from 0 to 60 miles an hour.
[03:30] Okay, so there's no way BMW will ever give the new M3 over 1,000 horsepower, but reports suggest 800 horsepower is indeed likely. This would still make the new M3 the most powerful BMW road car of all time.
[03:45] That would mean it has even more power than you get with the 748 horsepower XM label. And that cars supposed to be the M division's flagship. So, the flagship no one's really buying. However, there is more. The VBX concept also used a cool active downforce system.
[03:59] This feature of electric pumps that produced around 1,000 kilograms of downforce from zero miles an hour, so it wouldn't stand itself, just like the McMurtry's steering. It couldn't drive upside down like the McMurtry, because the BMW weighs more than 1,000 kilograms,
[04:14] but it did manage to climb an insane 55 degree ramp and pass there like some kind of mattress four Spider Don expect the road car to come with any of those superpowers though but it will feature the latest version of BMW heart stability control system
[04:28] This can react to the car's movement ten times faster than the computers in today's cars. And it should also come with the ability to completely disengage the motors on the front axle and turn it into a leery rear-wheel drive smoke machine.
[04:40] There are a few other things on this concept that you can bet will appear in the future M3 as well, most of which are inside the cabin. Spoiler alert, it's not the racing harnesses, the brake bar or the twin bucket seats in the back, although these could appear in a future special edition car, like in the M5 CS.
[04:55] But the rest of the concept's interior looks suspiciously similar to the new i3, albeit with penciled GCN-specific upgrades. I'm talking about the new steering wheel, which gets two lower spokes angled at 45 degrees in similar to i3's weird vertical arrangement,
[05:09] and there's also a new red dead-head marker, M-coloured stitching and the all-important M mode buttons. There are extra M logos on the raised information screen, the central touchscreen and the new drive selector. And the centre console has been stripped of any cup holders, wireless chargers and storage for this.
[05:25] Although these will probably get added back in by the time the car goes on sale. However, let's move on to something far more exciting. Because there's something else that's due to reappear in the M3 range after this car's launch. And that's a proper internal combustion engine.
[05:39] But Max, I thought you said this M3 was electric? Well, yes it is, but BMW has previously confirmed that it will sell two different M3 models. One with electric motors, which will look like this concept, and another that uses a conventional petrol engine.
[05:51] But which one will it use? Well, prototypes of the new M350, which is basically what BMW has decided to call the next generation M340i, have already been spotted under day testing. Just check out those visuals.
[06:03] This guy is expected to use a modified version of the current 3.0L turbocharged six-cylinder B58 engine, and the full-fat M3 should keep its twin-turbo S58 unit. However, to make sure it will pass Euro 7 emissions regulations, it will be going hybrid.
[06:17] Does this mean the M3 is about to morph into a huge, heavy plug-in hybrid like the M5? Well, no. The latest engineering boss for the M division, Dirk Hacker, has confirmed it will be a 48-volt mild hybrid system. BMW is already using this on the facelifted M3 40i where it adds a small motor to contribute 11 horsepower But because the battery capacity is only 0 kilowatt hours it does this without adding too much weight So how
[06:40] much power will the new M3 have? Well the entry-level non-competition G80 M3 which we don't get in the UK has 480 horsepower which is 20 horsepower more than the older F80 CS has. So I reckon the next M3
[06:52] will have at least the same power boost over today's G80 CS models. They produce 550 horsepower and 650 Nm of torque, which is already enough to embarrass the much more powerful BMW M5 and the much more expensive Audi R8 GT in its drag race.
[07:08] But considering the new Audi RS5 has 639 horsepower, I wouldn't be surprised if BMW gave their car 640 horsepower just to prove a point. After all, these engines are so incredibly tunable,
[07:20] and they can easily produce over 1,000 horsepower with the right modifications. as I found out when I was totally humiliated in a drag race between this McLaren 750S and a bunch of Coombs BMWs.
[07:36] But how much will the new M3 cost? Well, when the current G80 first arrived in 2021, it cost just over £75,000. But five years later on, that has ballooned to over £91,000.
[07:49] Even though the new car is set to use the same basic chassis and engine as the Dave model, I can guarantee it will cost more and because it'll be one of the last non plug-in performance saloons on sale, BMW can decide to charge whatever they want
[08:01] so this could be the first entry to come with a price tag over £100,000 and you just know that the electric version as previewed by this contest is going to be even more expensive even though it won't have the
[08:13] same 1300 horsepower as the BBX contest it'll still be the flagship of BMW's newer classic electric range so I'll be surprised if you get much change from 110,000 pounds. I hope you enjoyed the video if you did give it a like let me know what you think
[08:26] about the new M3 in the comments below and if you want to see me drive the car when it's available make sure you subscribe to this channel. I've got a question for you though do you prefer this new M3 than AMG's new GT? That's also very controversial and to see what I mean click there to watch my
[08:43] video on that car.