M Buyers Guide
Every M car BMW has built, from the mid-engined M1 to the current hybrid M5 — what they are good at, what breaks, what it costs, and which modifications are worth doing. 39 guides and counting.
M3 / M4
11 guides
BMW E30 M3
The homologation special that started everything: a hand-built four-cylinder touring car with box arches, a steeper rear glass and a chassis that still teaches modern cars manners.
- 0–60
- 6.7 sec (US-spec)
- Power
- 192–235 hp
BMW E36 M3
The M3 that made the badge mainstream: usable, light by modern standards, cheap to run and still the enthusiast's favourite chassis for track work.
- 0–60
- 5.6 sec (US coupe)
- Power
- 240 hp
BMW E46 M3
For many people the high-water mark: hydraulic steering, an 8,000 rpm straight-six, and a shape that has aged better than anything BMW has drawn since.
- 0–60
- 4.8 sec (manual)
- Power
- 333 hp
BMW E46 M3 CSL
110 kg lighter, 355 hp, a carbon roof and the most theatrical intake noise BMW has ever sold. Never officially sold in North America.
- 0–60
- 4.6 sec
- Power
- 355 hp
BMW E90 M3 Sedan
The only V8 M3 sedan: four doors, a screaming 8,400 rpm redline and the most practical way to own the S65.
- 0–60
- 4.7 sec (manual)
- Power
- 414 hp
BMW E92 M3 Coupe
The only V8 M3 coupe, with a carbon roof, an 8,400 rpm redline and a soundtrack that already feels like something from another era.
- 0–60
- 4.6 sec (manual) · 4.3 sec (DCT)
- Power
- 414 hp
BMW F80 M3
The turbo era arrives: enormous mid-range torque, a carbon driveshaft and a chassis that rewards a confident driver more than a cautious one.
- 0–60
- 3.9 sec (DCT)
- Power
- 425 hp
BMW F82 M4
The coupe half of the S55 story: same engine, lower roof, carbon everywhere and a Competition package that fixed most of the early complaints.
- 0–60
- 3.8 sec (Competition DCT)
- Power
- 425 hp
BMW F82 M4 GTS
Water injection, a titanium exhaust, carbon everything and a 7:28 Nürburgring lap. The most extreme S55 BMW built.
- 0–60
- 3.5 sec
- Power
- 493 hp
BMW G80 M3
Divisive grille, undeniable capability: the S58 is the strongest M engine ever offered in an M3, and xDrive made it genuinely all-weather.
- 0–60
- 3.8 sec (Competition xDrive: 3.4 sec)
- Power
- 473 hp
BMW G82 M4
The coupe version of the S58 story, topped by a CSL that revives the badge with 543 hp, no rear seats and carbon buckets.
- 0–60
- 3.8 sec (Competition xDrive: 3.4 sec)
- Power
- 473 hp
M5 / M6
10 guides
BMW E28 M5
The original super sedan: the M1's engine in a plain three-box body, hand-assembled in small numbers and still the purest expression of the idea.
- 0–60
- 6.4 sec (US)
- Power
- 282 hp
BMW E34 M5
The last hand-built M5, with throwing-star wheels, an S38 that revs to 7,200 and a Touring version that remains one of the great enthusiast cars.
- 0–60
- 6.0 sec (3.6) · 5.4 sec (3.8)
- Power
- 311 hp
BMW E39 M5
The consensus pick for greatest M5: a 400 hp V8, a six-speed manual only, hydraulic steering and a shape that has never looked wrong.
- 0–60
- 4.8 sec
- Power
- 394 hp
BMW E60 M5
A Formula 1-inspired V10 revving to 8,250 rpm in a four-door sedan. Spectacular, unrepeatable, and the most maintenance-intensive M car ever sold.
- 0–60
- 4.5 sec
- Power
- 500 hp
BMW F10 M5
The turbo V8 M5 that redefined the class: 500 lb-ft, a manual option in North America and a tuning ceiling that reaches 700 hp on stock hardware.
- 0–60
- 3.7 sec
- Power
- 560 hp
BMW F90 M5
M xDrive arrives and the M5 becomes genuinely all-weather — with a 2WD mode that turns it back into a 600 hp rear-drive sedan on demand.
- 0–60
- 3.1 sec (Competition: 2.9 sec)
- Power
- 600 hp
BMW G90 M5
717 hp, 25 miles of electric range and 5,400 lb on the scales. The most powerful M5 ever, and the most controversial.
- 0–60
- 3.4 sec
- Power
- 717 hp
BMW E24 M6 / M635CSi
The original M6: the M1's engine in the shark-nose coupe, with a long hood, a beautiful interior and the presence of a proper grand tourer.
- 0–60
- 6.4 sec (US)
- Power
- 286 hp
BMW E63 M6
The V10 in a carbon-roofed coupe: the same extraordinary engine as the E60 M5, wrapped in Bangle-era bodywork that has aged into something striking.
- 0–60
- 4.5 sec
- Power
- 500 hp
BMW F13 M6
A carbon-roofed grand tourer with 560 hp, available as a coupe, convertible or four-door Gran Coupe — and now one of the great depreciation stories in M history.
- 0–60
- 3.7 sec
- Power
- 560 hp
M2
4 guides
BMW 1M Coupe
A short-wheelbase coupe with E92 M3 suspension, an N54 twin-turbo six and a manual gearbox only. Built for one year and instantly collectible.
- 0–60
- 4.7 sec
- Power
- 335 hp
BMW F87 M2
The spiritual successor to the E46 M3: compact, rear-drive, manual available and small enough to use all of it on a real road.
- 0–60
- 4.2 sec (DCT)
- Power
- 365 hp
BMW F87 M2 Competition & CS
The M4's S55 engine dropped into the small coupe, topped by a CS with 444 hp, carbon everywhere and adaptive dampers. Many people's favourite modern M car.
- 0–60
- 4.0 sec (CS DCT: 3.8 sec)
- Power
- 405 hp
BMW G87 M2
The last combustion-only M2, with the M3's S58 engine, a manual gearbox and the most polarising styling in the range.
- 0–60
- 3.9 sec (DCT/auto)
- Power
- 453 hp
Roadsters & Coupes
5 guides
BMW M1
The only mid-engined M car: a Giugiaro-designed, Lamborghini-assisted supercar built to go racing, and the origin of the M88 engine family.
- 0–60
- 5.6 sec
- Power
- 273 hp
BMW Z3 M Roadster
A short-wheelbase roadster with an M engine and no electronic safety net — deeply charismatic, occasionally alarming, and now genuinely collectible.
- 0–60
- 5.2 sec (S52) · 4.8 sec (S54)
- Power
- 240 hp
BMW Z3 M Coupe
The 'clown shoe': a shooting brake built to add rigidity to the M Roadster, now the most collectible modern-era BMW that isn't a homologation special.
- 0–60
- 5.1 sec (S52) · 4.7 sec (S54)
- Power
- 240 hp
BMW Z4 M Roadster
The E46 M3's S54 in a compact roadster with hydraulic steering — the last naturally aspirated M roadster and a quietly brilliant driver's car.
- 0–60
- 4.7 sec
- Power
- 330 hp
BMW Z4 M Coupe
The successor to the clown shoe: stiffer, faster, rarer than most people realise, and the last naturally aspirated M coupe of its size.
- 0–60
- 4.6 sec
- Power
- 330 hp
M SUVs
9 guides
BMW E70 X5 M
The first M SUV: a 555 hp twin-turbo V8 with a cross-bank exhaust manifold, all-wheel drive and an absurd turn of speed for something this size.
- 0–60
- 4.5 sec
- Power
- 555 hp
BMW E71 X6 M
The X5 M's mechanical twin in the coupe-SUV body that invented a whole segment — same S63, same speed, more attitude, less headroom.
- 0–60
- 4.5 sec
- Power
- 555 hp
BMW F85 X5 M
The second-generation M SUV, with the improved S63TU, an eight-speed automatic and a big step forward in both speed and reliability.
- 0–60
- 3.9 sec
- Power
- 567 hp
BMW F86 X6 M
The F85's mechanical twin under a sloping roof: same 567 hp, same eight-speed automatic, more style and slightly less space.
- 0–60
- 3.9 sec
- Power
- 567 hp
BMW F95 X5 M
The current X5 M: 600+ hp, a far better interior and a chassis that finally makes the concept feel coherent rather than merely fast.
- 0–60
- 3.7 sec (Competition: 3.7 sec · hybrid: 3.7 sec)
- Power
- 600 hp
BMW F96 X6 M
The coupe-SUV version of the current X5 M — same running gear, same startling pace, styling you either love or genuinely do not.
- 0–60
- 3.7 sec
- Power
- 600 hp
BMW F97 X3 M
The M3's S58 engine in a compact SUV body — the first M car to use the S58, and by some margin the most agile M SUV.
- 0–60
- 3.9 sec (Competition)
- Power
- 473 hp
BMW F98 X4 M
The X3 M under a coupe roofline: identical S58 performance, marginally lower centre of gravity, noticeably less rear space.
- 0–60
- 3.8 sec (Competition)
- Power
- 473 hp
BMW XM
The first standalone M model since the M1: a 6,000 lb plug-in hybrid SUV with divisive styling, a vault-like interior and genuinely startling performance.
- 0–60
- 4.1 sec (Label Red: 3.7 sec)
- Power
- 644 hp