This is one of the most requested videos I've had in recent years, hope you enjoyed it! Massive thanks once again to my buddy Andy for helping me transport both cars to the location. Have a great weekend everyone ❤️

Joe “doesn’t have the biggest production companies” behind him…. but produces some of the best content on KZfaq…. 👍💥

Knew this would be the one to have. Never would have thought it until I drove the F80 M5, then you realise x-Drive is actually awesome. Great video.

0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds by an M3? I still can't my head round that!! That's quicker than the McLaren F1 for crying out loud!

"I don't have a massive production company behind me....!" Joe you could have fool me!... best BMW content in YT at the moment!!!! ... Thank you my friend!

I admire your honesty and objectivity Joe 👍

Dude driving like a legend. You've become a top 10 auto journalist. 200k subs by years end no question. Cheers Joe!

Joe has no idea how this video is gonna spark up another RWD vs AWD debate between the owners on the forums. For me, I had no choice since I wanted a manual transmission.

Nice vid. I’d still have the RWD version

Joe, we really need the M3 X Drive v M5 Competition. Lets see this, as nobody else has done this yet.

When your engine is in the front and the torque is getting to 500 lb*ft, you have two options; move the engine to the rear (like corvette did), or add a front drive... It's just physics

o forgot to mention I LOVE the FAKE ENGINE INTAKE sound being pumped into the cabin thru the stereo! ANOTHER BMW 1st! well done! :)

You're making me more excited for my xdrive order across the pond. Great video as always! Thanks for the comparison. 😎

I really love how BMW have made the xDrive as good as the RWD one :O, And also, The M3's looks have really grown on me just from watching Joe's videos 😅✨

No production company but some of the best car videos out there. Top 5 for me. GO Joe

A great comparison Joe. The xDrive does seem to be the best option, especially in the UK. That weight penalty really is negligible in a car of this size and power. I love the fact you can switch to rear wheel drive if you so desire. But I wonder in practice how often owners will actually do that? I’ll be fascinated to see if the same xDrive tech trickles down to the next M2…

Thanks for filming in 4K; it looks fabulous on my LG C1

Skyscraper grey best colour and with the 🍊 seats looks 👌🏻

Absolute correct. The xDrive M3 Competition is the overall best car, period. Thanks, Joe Achilles for the explanation.

Great analysis of carbon ceramic brakes for street cars. I’m excited to try the xDrive M3. A RWD car with snow tires is pretty good in most winter conditions as long as it’s flat, but starting off and driving up steep slippery hills is often a no go, regardless of tires.Been there done that. Audi must be worried…

Don’t forget, if you do decide to jump into an Xdrive, the LCI will start production next summer so you might as well wait until the redesign, or then you’ll consider upgrading again!

At this point I assume the the one guy giving this great video a thumbs down is a guy who just took delivery of his non x drive m3.

Good fun! I think AWD versions of most cars are normally the way to go... being Canadian, I have an obvious bias for that design.

Xdrive is amazing but I still prefer the 6 speed manual version :)

Joe Achilles, you are SERIOUSLY a proper reviewer on the best of BMWs like the M3 and M5.

Hi joe yes x drive for me any day, I’m on my second 335d x drive tourer and been thinking of changing it for the 340 x drive tourer D or petrol ? , anyway more importantly after 14 months of treatment for cancer 2 big operations 6 months of chemotherapy 4 weeks every day of radiotherapy, my wife finally had some great news that all is good, now checks every 6 months, anyway we have all been through hell and our 2 daughters have really struggled, i have phone calls in the middle of the night and driven up to bring them home from uni, so iv been thinking of getting them a track day experience for them both as they both love cars, could you recommend any for us, we are in Grantham Lincs, anyway if you need help testing any cars just ask i loved to help. All the best mate Andy

The xdrive is the ultimate and the fact you can switch the diff. It's awesome. Good video Joe, lots of support from South Africa 👌

Congratulations in advance on your new M3 X Dr. Absolutely a no brainer year-round car where you live.💯🇬🇧

I would prefer manual and rear wheel drive M3. Great comparison Joe!

Thanks for confirming I made the right choice when ordering my M4 Competition X Drive. Now it's just the waiting game!

Give me the M3 competition X-Drive anyday over RWD.

“I don’t have a massive production company behind me…” Wow! Despite that, I’m always impressed and blown away…You Sir, are a legend! What an awesome Video as always Joe. Love the honesty and entertaining reviews. I’m a bit of a 3-Series fan boy, and have had 15 of them from E30 325s to F30 335s…I always wanted an M3…so thanks for keeping the magic and passion alive! Love your passion, attention to detail and special “BMW OCDNess” :) From yet another Huge fan down in South Africa! Cheers mate!

Some people call you a homer since you never talk negatively about bimmers, but I myself enjoy all your BMW vids, mate. Keep producing!

I’m becoming more and more convinced the xdrive M3 will be my next car. I do wonder how it compares with regards to cornering and grip compared to the Japanese 4WD/AWD cars, eg GTR, Evo, Scoobys. Maybe an idea for a future video Joe?

Great review ! Was happy with my RWD M4 till this cold wet morning haha

xdrive is the only way to go - is the best of both worlds. you can turn off the awd if you want and the mdm mode is basically RWD where AWD only saves you when you're about to crash. Also the xdrive is running 11.3 in 1/4 and 3.1ish to 60 so the numbers are a lot better than the RWD. A cheap tune and your running in the 10s... You can get on the gas earlier and rocket out of corners faster than the RWD. And its faster around a track than the RWD version. And its not like you're gonna notice the weight savings in the RWD version as the car is already pretty heavy. Wouldn't be surprised if all future competitions are xdrive on the model refresh while keeping the RWD manual for the purists.

Another great review Joe, I hope you will soon review the new Audi RS3 and to see how it compares with the M3 Xdrive. I think the Audi is cheaper and may be slower than the M3 but nice to see what you think of it .

Like your video no matter what size of production you have behind.

Reality for most people is they don't need the xdrive. Arguably the RWD is a purer car with the steering uncorrupted by drive power.

My 71 plate RWD car has those "DSG farts" i always wondered why i heard them in mine and not yours. I went for the RWD after coming out of 3 AWD cars. I fancied a change and challenge to be a better driver! Great content as always Joe, keep it up!

Great video as always…. You had me at ‘just better’ lol….. my only thought is will the new 2022 M2 be the better M car given the size and how good your review on the M240 was? 👀✌🏼😎

Thanks Joe for all the great content, analysis (and step outs hahaha). All-wheel-drive that you can transform into rear-wheel drive at the push of a button always seemed to me the best of both worlds-thanks for confirming how good it is when implemented well. Like you, I'm not a fan of fake engine sound so I just shut it off either through coding or by unplugging the control unit. Both ways work-did it in my F80 M3 and M2 Comp. Happy sliding!

Blue every day awesome review joe 👍🇦🇺

Definitely have the x drive, was there much difference in economy? Not an issue with 85 grand to rub together but helps with the range I guess.Very good camera work BTW.

I don’t know why they did this. I’d prefer them to offer a manual transmission as an option from the off rather than a 2 wheel drive to a 4. Great video thanks Jo

The more I look at that front nose/kidney grill the more I love it! Hating on BMW new designs seems to be a popular thing to do nowadays 🙄

As the owner of a 2018 F80 M3 Competition I wish 4 wheel drive was an option on this too and I am a rear wheel drive ///M die hard ! A buddy of mine has an F90 M5 so I can see how devastating this system is and as you pointed out you can have it rear wheel drive if you like.It is superior to the rear drive car no question ! Me I will keep my F80 as that's one area I think the F80 is better looking but each to their own and all that , thanks for an informative and interesting comparison !

Great review! Finally an all-wheel drive M3 that can be driven year round…dream come true for me living in Toronto, Canada!

Brilliant video. I’ve a G82 xDrive coming in around 2-3 weeks. Really enjoyed your G80/G82 vids this year. Great reviews and information.

You have to wonder why BMW would bother with the RWD car when you can have the xdrive and simply de-couple the drive train and turn it into a RWD car if you wish

Brilliant vid joe.👌🏻

He thinks the way we do as enthusiasts which connects with me

Thanks for being honest about the real cost of ceramics. The real issue is the cost of replacing them if you use them hard on a few track days. It’s all nice and well for journalists that never own their cars to say how great they are.. but they are not the ones having to change pads or discs down the road…

It definitely depends on where you live and what you are using it for. If it is a weekend car… xdrive is probably irrelevant and a waste of money. As someone that drives a 3 series rwd all year round in the northern states, I don’t think xdrive is necessary. I owned a e46 3 series with all wheel drive and my f30 handles better in the elements(run snows in the winter). Now an M3 is a different league and I’m sure you can be more confident in the xdrive with that much hp. I’d def buy the g80 m3 with the manual… plenty fast for me/cheaper too.

Absolutely loving how good these new //M cars look!! Now with x drive! What a car!!

Long live the Combustible engine

Absolutely brilliant Joe. Wow, what a unit 👍

Xdrive for me Joe but I love both of those wooooow the interior is so nice on the blue one!!

What a great comparison / review, top work.

Really enjoy your videos! Cannot wait to pick up my Isle of Man Green (on full Kyalami orange interior!) xDrive model.

Enjoyed the video, Portobello blue for me!

Skyscraper grey best colour obviously 😙

Nicely compared both of these wonderful concepts and stipulated the differences very understandably, thank you Joe!

By the way after watching your full video. My X3M Comp does have all of those little corky characteristics. The steering, the popping on hard up shifts, the rear wheel drive bios in sport mode and so on. My corvette 2019 Z06 with the Z07 automatic does the popping on up shifts like crazy. I have really started to like it.

Great review. Please don't grab my spot for the X-drive M3 I've ordered off Tony, pretty please with knobs on :)

Wow, what an excellent review. No superfluous commentary, no tired old comments about the front end styling. Just succinct facts and details. Thank you. A new subscriber for sure. I am struggling trying to decide if I can give up my Jaguar F type V8S convertible and getting an M4 xdrive competition Convertible. This video is so timely. Here in Florida, traction is rarely an issue with hot roads and tires. But the Xdrive still seems the way to go especially since I track my cars. The only problem is, how will my wife respond to me keeping the F type and getting the BMW. Not well methinks..

Great video Joe, love the channel!

Love the borderline outrage of the traction available on power leaving a corner:D

Once again an AWESOME review. Thanks Joe. Definitely XDrive for me. You mentioned something about "decoupling the front diff in 2wd mode" So does that actually give you a 0/100 split? Yes I also do like the fact it doesnt scream XDrive. Also man the brakes just kill me. I mean the F80 brakes look FANTASTIC!! 4 piston front and 2 piston rear. I thought the reasoning behind the small rear caliper is cause they incorporated an e-brake system. At my job there is a 2020 Hyundai Genesis G70. It has 4 piston brake front and 2 piston rear brakes. But they some how managed to incorporate an e-brake system. I really wish BMW would have had done the same.

Crystal-clear as a good teacher!

Fantastic content as always, well done Joe

I notice quite a few RWD cars (especially manuals) being traded in/up for the Xdrive

Joe CCB’s are best off track! They life almost half 100K miles. So your looking at 50K or more miles before you need to replace the pads. 100K miles for the routers! That’s if you don’t track them

Great comparison Joe. Well done, yet again and cheers from Downunder...

Grey ❤️‍🔥with all the trimmings

Is there any difference in steering lock to lock? With the addition of the driveshafts, do you lose anything in turning circle or maximum drift angle?

Joe, I agree with your review 100%, after 3 x M3 with 2WD, I don't regret taking the XDrive with the G82

epic video mate, as always 👌 been waiting for this one

I prefer the RWD only spec because it weighs roughly 110 pounds less.

amazing and objective review as usual. Always a pleasure to watch your videos.

It doesn’t matter which is better, I just want one 🤩

Great review :) next top gear presenter stand up!

great review, if i was to replace my 09 M3 id get all wheel drive M3

What Joe failed to mention is the RWD is faster on top end than the AWD and tunes for the RWD also have more power than AWD. I’ll take the RWD M3

Joe I know so many people who have purchased new BMW's based on your reviews. I'm very close to pulling the trigger on a M240i xdrive with Tony off the back of your recent review. In my opinion BMW UK should give e you an M3 xDrive long term loaner with the amount of exposure and sales you have given them over recent years. Maybe approach them if they haven't been in contact already. Plus you wouldn't have to worry about the cost of adding/maintaining the ceramic brakes if they supplied a high spec car.

Love the go pro on the hood of the camera facing in angle. Soo dope!

The Xdrive is MUCH BETTER. That extra traction really matters.

" I pity the fuel " haha That's a nice one Joe ! ;-)

I coded out the fake engine noise on my M2c the moment I got it home from the dealership. Literally within 10 minutes. NFW I want to live with that fake racket.

Great video! This comparison was what I needed :D

Nice comparison Joe 👏🏻

very nice video, and great cars. I am waiting for my x drive now. I will never get used to how narrow your roads are, like golf cart paths here in US. Enjoy

I saw one of these at the weekend, really liked the look of the styling.

Loved that - thanks Joe. Looking forward to another visit to Tony at Berry BMW soon then! 😀

Making me feel good about placing an order for an M340i xDrive even though I live in So. California. Just assumed it'd be the better car all around as a daily driver. With a mild tune it'll be in the 450+ HP range and I don't see why you wouldn't want AWD in that case.

Blue is best! ALso, good luck getting ANY M3....at least in the states.

OH I REALLY love that xtra large SPONGY STEERING WHEEL....looks like its straight out of a HOT WHEELS CAR!

When I ordered my 2022 G80 M3 competition, the options for x drive we're not on the build sheet. I actually had to call my salesman a couple times to add things, like Lazer lights, which are not part of the executive package anymore. And all of the M performance accessories. Kinda stressed me out, how BMW changed so many order options from 2021, to 2022. I'm really happy with my RWD, but definitely will be trying the AWD when, and if they do a LCI M3 G80. If they go all electric, I will probably jump to a GT4 RS. The new design for the GT4 Porsche is pretty enticing.

Your videos and presentation just keeps getting better and better Joe! Nice! I just can’t warm to the exterior looks of this 3 series.....facelift is just around the corner though so that may change my mind.

I cant wait for your review of the rumoured M3 Touring!