If you have read or watched any reviews of the current BMW M3 Competition xDrive, you’ll know that it is a heck of a lot better than its predecessor, offering improved dynamics and being an altogether more well-rounded driver’s car. It is also seriously quick.
BMW’s spec sheet shows that the 2023 M3 Competition xDrive sports a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six with 503 hp and 479 lb-ft (649 Nm) of torque at 2,750 rpm. These are impressive figures but have come to be expected nowadays of performance-focused sedans. What really surprises us is just how quickly the car jumped off the line while being tested by Car and Driver.
Indeed, with that grunt sent through BMW’s excellent xDrive system and with launch control enabled, the publication was able to record a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of 2.8 seconds. Admittedly, that figure doesn’t include a 1-foot rollout of 0.2 seconds (according to the magazine) so in reality, it’s actually 3.0 seconds. The M3 Competition xDrive also hit 100 mph (161 km/h) in 7.0 seconds, sprinted down the quarter-mile in 11.0 seconds at 124 mph (200 km/h), reached 130 mph (209 km/h) in 12.3 seconds, and clocked 150 mph (241 km/h) in 18.2 seconds – all results listed here omit the 1-ft rollout.
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Car and Driver also measured the M3 in a sprint from 5-60 mph. It recorded a best time of 4.2 seconds, revealing just how potent the launch control system is.
The specific model tested by Car and Driver was the 50 Jahre Edition introduced last year. Just 500 examples of the special model are being manufactured for U.S. and Canadian customers. It can be finished in either Cinnabar Red, Techno Violet, Deep Interlagos Blue, Fire Orange III, and Limerock Grey. It also comes with M Sport seats as standard, unique lettering and badges, and a plaque on the center console with a production number.
