Dissapointed again. G8x short review.

I've been thinking about getting a G80 M3 for a while and finally had the opportunity to test drive one my dealer recently got as a trade-in. While there are some drawbacks, the test drive pretty much cemented that I'll be getting one. I should note that the S65 is quite a special motor, and nothing you do to the s58 will make up for the theatrics & character S65 gives, especially when its uncorked with an exhaust & carbon plenum. But I still believe that besides the engine, the G80 is better than the E9X chassis in almost all aspects.



My driving impressions/research to rectify some shortcomings:

-The 8 speed zf is decent, but I found myself wishing for more character & quicker downshifts. From reading forum reviews, BMW seems to have considerably improved the tuning for the CS model. So a CS or XHP transmission tune will be a priority modification.

-Steering was very numb but sharp & reactive. I've read that front monoball bushings significantly improve steering feel. All the reviews I've read of people who did it absolutely rave about how much of an improvement it is, so I'm all but guaranteed to do it on mine.

-The interior is very isolated, and the exhaust is very quiet. Eventuri Intakes, valve controllers, and the active sound delete for the cabin (sounds terrible in the my22 I drove) are going to be a must for me.

-I find the ride height/wheel gap of the xdrive models to be atrocious, it really doesn't help the overall look of the car. Lowering springs will be a necessity for me.

-I've probably watched over 50 youtube videos on an assortment of exhaust combinations for the G80 M3. The one that stood out to me in particular, was that of an M4 CSL getting a valvetronic midpipe paired with its factory titanium muffler. It creates this distinctive, smooth, "exotic" sound. I find myself re-watching that video every now & then, so it will probably be the set up I go for.



Some daily driveability factors that helped seal the deal for me compared to the E92 are:

-Better suited for Minnesota winters: Xdrive, Remote Start, 0w30 oil, etc

-More Reliable: The F80 was a decent step up in reliability from the E90 series & the G80 seems to have further improved upon the F80.

-Modern Tech: I'm somewhat of a tech geek, and the availability of options such as driving assistant plus(for traffic), heads-up display, ambient lighting, and laser lights(need to be coded) are a plus for me.

-Power: Competition spec G80's are almost 500whp from factory, and with just downpipes & an e40 tune, they become 9 second quarter mile, 700whp cars.



From my experience living with an E92 M3 & test driving a G80, I didn't really see any significant drawbacks the G80 has over the E92 M3 that can't be rectified with minor modifications besides engine character, and numb steering(which can be considerably improved).

jamabdi wrote

I've been thinking about getting a G80 M3 for a while and finally had the opportunity to test drive one my dealer recently got as a trade-in. While there are some drawbacks, the test drive pretty much cemented that I'll be getting one. I should note that the S65 is quite a special motor, and nothing you do to the s58 will make up for the theatrics & character S65 gives, especially when its uncorked with an exhaust & carbon plenum. But I still believe that besides the engine, the G80 is better than the E9X chassis in almost all aspects.

Honestly no one is going to blame you for moving on to a G80 especially if it's going to be used as a daily. I just got to drive one this weekend at the M town tour that came to NY and even though I only got to drive it for 10 minutes, of which 5 were spent in traffic, it was very exciting to drive. It felt nice to be in a new M car, and it still felt special. Car definitely had a ton of power and with the space ship looking performance exhaust it sounded pretty loud, although I'm not sure if some of it came from the speakers. If I had a $100k to blow on a car I would definitely consider one.

However, I did not walk away from the G80 thinking "man I need to trade in my e92 for this". On the contrary, it made me feel even better about owning my e92 because it just feels much more special. G80 was much newer, faster and way more capable, but I couldn't even enjoy the power around local roads and if I pushed it a little bit I'd be doing double the speed limit. The e92 feels much slower especially off the line but I'm still able to rev the car out and enjoy the NA power and sound it makes. It's perfect as my weekender and I would never give it up for any turbo G80 or F80 or M2C, etc.

I needed to move back to a daily so I sold my E90M for a E90 335i and it was actually a great match for a daily, but spent too much money fixing and refreshing things while simultaneously worrying about it breaking down and giving me an issue. I got used to the turbo 6 though so I picked up an F80 comp.

I agree the F8x is a very livable daily. I got 30mpg yesterday casually cruising on the highway, the 6MT makes it generally enjoyable and still engaging, and I have yet to really give it a good back roads beating but it certainly feels plenty capable. But it sounds like there are bolts stuck in the muffler, the interior has some nice bits like the competition seats, but the cabin in the E9x was perfectly adequate and well buttoned down.

The E9x was the more visceral and smile inducing car by a mile. Revving out the F8x even with a tune and ~500hp doesn't feel that exciting. S65 stock would give me a shit eating grin anything above 5000RPM.

The S65 is just a damn special thing, it's just hard to live with as a daily driver when gas was $5/gallon and you're still fighting gremlins of a 15 year old car with rotting bushings, oil leaks, etc.

I've had a G80 xDrive for a little over a year now as a daily driver and I just picked up my first E92 M3 a few weeks ago (2008). I missed rowing gears and I've always loved the sound of the S65 and it's more simpler design. Although the one I bought I'm discovering needs way more work than I anticipated - oil leaks (OFH and left valve cover), very worn suspension, missing random bolts and undertray covers, EDC faults, broken headlight mount, exhaust leak, etc. Slowly fixing things and returning it to it's former glory.

As a daily driver, it's the G80 hands down. Way easier to drive. Transmission is much improved with the xHP Stage 3 tune and makes the rev match downshifts more snappy. Not quite as fast as DCT, but it's a lot closer. Wish they would've just kept the DCT, lost quite a bit of character going to the ZF imo. Sound is terrible stock, much improved with a midpipe and then back to shit again with downpipes (imo). Maybe it's just the downpipes I installed (catted). Tech is great and makes my commute much more enjoyable. Driving to work in the middle of the night with Driver's Assistance (auto steer/pilot) on the empty freeway saves more energy than I thought it would. Don't tell the wife, but I'm already bored of the car. Probably the fastest I've been bored with a car in a while. It's a great car, but definitely not something I'll look back and regret selling.. just not that special other than it's ability to make great power with simple bolt ons and a tune. I miss my GT-Rs and my GT3 and regret selling them. Would I buy again? Idk, if I have to only have one car and needed the back seats.. maybe.

Dragy 9.7@141mph

Holy crap under 10’s for 1/4 mile? That’s insane. But it seems like the faster cars become the more boring they are to drive..

Jon H wrote

I've had a G80 xDrive for a little over a year now as a daily driver and I just picked up my first E92 M3 a few weeks ago (2008). I missed rowing gears and I've always loved the sound of the S65 and it's more simpler design. Although the one I bought I'm discovering needs way more work than I anticipated - oil leaks (OFH and left valve cover), very worn suspension, missing random bolts and undertray covers, EDC faults, broken headlight mount, exhaust leak, etc. Slowly fixing things and returning it to it's former glory.

As a daily driver, it's the G80 hands down. Way easier to drive. Transmission is much improved with the xHP Stage 3 tune and makes the rev match downshifts more snappy. Not quite as fast as DCT, but it's a lot closer. Wish they would've just kept the DCT, lost quite a bit of character going to the ZF imo. Sound is terrible stock, much improved with a midpipe and then back to shit again with downpipes (imo). Maybe it's just the downpipes I installed (catted). Tech is great and makes my commute much more enjoyable. Driving to work in the middle of the night with Driver's Assistance (auto steer/pilot) on the empty freeway saves more energy than I thought it would. Don't tell the wife, but I'm already bored of the car. Probably the fastest I've been bored with a car in a while. It's a great car, but definitely not something I'll look back and regret selling.. just not that special other than it's ability to make great power with simple bolt ons and a tune. I miss my GT-Rs and my GT3 and regret selling them. Would I buy again? Idk, if I have to only have one car and needed the back seats.. maybe.

Dragy 9.7@141mph

I've had a handful of friends get a G80. None are still owners; all of their commentary on the car echoes yours.

One car that interests me is the GT500.. two of the referenced friends switched over to GT500s and they sing songs about how fun that car is to drive from a driver's POV.

VR1 wrote

I've had a handful of friends get a G80. None are still owners; all of their commentary on the car echoes yours.

One car that interests me is the GT500.. two of the referenced friends switched over to GT500s and they sing songs about how fun that car is to drive from a driver's POV.

More people need to be vocal about the transmission. BMW fully knows zf8 isn't par with DCT on any level, that's just detrimental loss of the focal point of engagement.

kyrix1st wrote

More people need to be vocal about the transmission. BMW fully knows zf8 isn't par with DCT on any level, that's just detrimental loss of the focal point of engagement.

I tell BMW every chance I get. Every few months they send me a survey and I always say that I would pay extra to have DCT as an option over the ZF, the steering feels too numb and this doesn't really feel like an M car anymore.

kyrix1st wrote

More people need to be vocal about the transmission. BMW fully knows zf8 isn't par with DCT on any level, that's just detrimental loss of the focal point of engagement.

Apparently the CS models are tuned to be sharper. I wish they set up the transmission on the base car to be worthy of the M badge.

akkando wrote

Apparently the CS models are tuned to be sharper. I wish they set up the transmission on the base car to be worthy of the M badge.

I don't really care for G8x CSLTW stuff. It's the difference of less slow vs. irritatingly slow.

F8x DCT on the other hand, oh what a gem.

I'm starting to struggle understanding the role of the modern M2/3/4, as they try harder to be both a more usable daily and a better performance car. They're nearing almost $100k in a lot of specs; I imagine most people buying them own property and could start making two cars work. As a daily, I'd rather have a newer SUV. More practical, with surprisingly good performance in a more comfortable package that you don't have to care about. I literally avoid certain roads in my area with the E92 due to fear of beating the shit out of it, but you can just say "YOLO" and charge through them in an SUV. And as a performance car, they just don't seem... special enough? The F8x cars are like this, too, but they start to feel like pumped up versions of regular cars. The E9x and earlier cars at least had very exciting engines to make them feel more special, but I struggle to see why you'd want the modern M2/3/4 as something for a weekend run. Yeah, they're fast as hell, but does that mean it's more fun or memorable? Their existence just seems to be in an odd spot these days. They basically exist for someone with a lot of disposable income, but only want to bother dealing with one car.

Cos it's all about the numbers. More hp, more speed, more tech, more room.

But how do you quantify feel, character, soul?

Shrike360 wrote

I'm starting to struggle understanding the role of the modern M2/3/4, as they try harder to be both a more usable daily and a better performance car. They're nearing almost $100k in a lot of specs; I imagine most people buying them own property and could start making two cars work. As a daily, I'd rather have a newer SUV. More practical, with surprisingly good performance in a more comfortable package that you don't have to care about. I literally avoid certain roads in my area with the E92 due to fear of beating the shit out of it, but you can just say "YOLO" and charge through them in an SUV. And as a performance car, they just don't seem... special enough? The F8x cars are like this, too, but they start to feel like pumped up versions of regular cars. The E9x and earlier cars at least had very exciting engines to make them feel more special, but I struggle to see why you'd want the modern M2/3/4 as something for a weekend run. Yeah, they're fast as hell, but does that mean it's more fun or memorable? Their existence just seems to be in an odd spot these days. They basically exist for someone with a lot of disposable income, but only want to bother dealing with one car.

Agreed. While the G80 X-Drive would make a nice all-in-one daily, it definitely doesn't feel special enough to make it my only car. For me, an E9x M3 weekend car and a nice daily SUV like a G05 X5 would be my ideal combo. Maybe toss in a GT3 as the cherry on top.

STooK wrote

I’m biased but IMO the e9x is the pinnacle of Bmw engineering. It’s the last of the evolution of Bmw before they started going downhill which started with the F generation. The horrible electric steering combined with the turbos they don’t even feel like a Bmw. I’ll agree that the f8x does look nice and they’re fast but they literally have nothing else going for them. Now that they’re aging people are jumping ship and coming back to the e9x.

I haven’t driven a G8x yet but the review is not surprising. While the G generation is an upgrade in every way over the F gen, I’d never own one cuz 1. I can’t afford one and 2. They’re fugly. Long live the e9x!

Depends how you look at it.

The F80 is lighter; a lot of attention was paid to weight reduction. The chassis and body-in-white are stiffer. It's proving to be a popular track car now because of the aforementioned.

It's an angrier experience than the predecessor and the G80. Is it as characterful most of the time as the S65 E9x, no, it's not. It's not as much of a special occasion. But, it makes up for it in many other ways.

Jon H wrote

I've had a G80 xDrive for a little over a year now as a daily driver and I just picked up my first E92 M3 a few weeks ago (2008). I missed rowing gears and I've always loved the sound of the S65 and it's more simpler design. Although the one I bought I'm discovering needs way more work than I anticipated - oil leaks (OFH and left valve cover), very worn suspension, missing random bolts and undertray covers, EDC faults, broken headlight mount, exhaust leak, etc. Slowly fixing things and returning it to it's former glory.

As a daily driver, it's the G80 hands down. Way easier to drive. Transmission is much improved with the xHP Stage 3 tune and makes the rev match downshifts more snappy. Not quite as fast as DCT, but it's a lot closer. Wish they would've just kept the DCT, lost quite a bit of character going to the ZF imo. Sound is terrible stock, much improved with a midpipe and then back to shit again with downpipes (imo). Maybe it's just the downpipes I installed (catted). Tech is great and makes my commute much more enjoyable. Driving to work in the middle of the night with Driver's Assistance (auto steer/pilot) on the empty freeway saves more energy than I thought it would. Don't tell the wife, but I'm already bored of the car. Probably the fastest I've been bored with a car in a while. It's a great car, but definitely not something I'll look back and regret selling.. just not that special other than it's ability to make great power with simple bolt ons and a tune. I miss my GT-Rs and my GT3 and regret selling them. Would I buy again? Idk, if I have to only have one car and needed the back seats.. maybe.

Dragy 9.7@141mph

The way you use your G80 is boring.

As said above, an NA M3 is fun more of the time even if it's slow. These new cars become alive when you're driving tf out of them and I don't mean doing dragy pulls. They're not engineered to be weekend toys anymore, they're so big, heavy, comfortable and so capable that it makes zero sense to have them for street fun only.

And on the street, even compared to the F80, they're quiet, comfortable and DD-able... Yet having an M3/5 only for daily duties and nothing else is wasting the car's potential, too. Though that's a topic for another time.

We were hauling ass and doing big skids four up in a G80 xDrive around a track, very impressive machinery indeed. It's great there. I liked the CS a lot. But I found all of the G8x variants a bit too uninspiring in all other aspects, which is what you may be experiencing yourself. And adding power doesn't solve that.

Thanks for sharing. Looking back on the M3’s I’ve had, one uniqueness about the nameplate is how vastly different and distinct each of them was. My opinions fwiw-

The G80cx is more like a sharp and toned M5 - heavy, large, practical, and brutally fast. My initial impressions were great, had fun going super fast. Chassis super taut. This car must be a track monster. After a while didn’t like iD8, gauges, attention it drew, and ultimately didn’t need the DD practicality anymore.

The F80 was more fun- smaller, lighter, better cockpit, with a rubber band turbo feeling and traction issues with the manual RWD setup - and analog gauges RIP.

E93 was a learning curve but so special - like a front engine 911 in the sense of being very special. Sounds, smells, curves. Just such a cool car. Definitely my favorite even though it was heavy with that foldable hard top. Miss this car.

E46 was a dream car and although lacked some interior niceties, handling a dream, lightweight by modern standards, felt one with the machine. Should have kept it forever.

At this point, I’d go with the M2 manual for a shorter wheelbase over the M3 or grab a Z4 and modify it (which is what I did).

For me, a slow car on fast road is much more exciting than the alternative.

I sold my tuned F80, for an '11 M3, for that very reason.

Rented a G80C xDrive for a week and loved it, but I could see getting bored quickly. Plus the ZF was a mess compared to my F80's DCT.

BGBF18 wrote

For me, a slow car on fast road is much more exciting than the alternative.

I sold my tuned F80, for an '11 M3, for that very reason.

Rented a G80C xDrive for a week and loved it, but I could see getting bored quickly. Plus the ZF was a mess compared to my F80's DCT.

Agree - driving a slower car fast is more fun especially when the faster car weighs 2 tons.
The ZF is not as satisfying. Although at lower speeds a bit smoother. It’s way better in the Z4 application than the M3.

I went from a base F80 to a loaded F82 competition, and now to a 2023 G80 competition xDrive.

I will admit, not having a DCT irks me quite a bit (and from reading this thread I may have to get that transmission tune/CS tune to make it a bit more bearable). I honestly find that, especially when highway driving, I want the car to just do all the work for me (and it does seem to know when to shift, etc.).

However... other than the DCT (I think it sounds much better stock than the F8x (although it's not as *loud* as the F8x), but I will likely "open" the valves on the stock exhaust at some point), the new car really is better in just about every way from the F8x generation. The speed is pretty ridiculous (although, as another user mentioned, you're pretty much at illegal speeds almost immediately when stepping on it whether on the highway or city driving). The carbon buckets feel special, and the car does get A LOT of attention. I also do like the styling (grille aside...)

Notwithstanding everything I just said above... after trading in my F82 for the loaded up G80, I did feel something was missing... and I went and got my new-to-me 2013 e92. Long story short, I had an e92 335is but never had the e92 M3 and always lusted after the S65 and the v8 engine. An opportunity presented itself and now I have both and I truly think they are the best of both of the BMW worlds. I much prefer the e92 coupe styling to the e90 sedan, but I similarly much prefer the G80 sedan styling to the G82.

I do get a thrill from driving both, but love having the opportunity to switch them up!

neilum wrote

Personally I spent too much time and $$ trying to upgrade my E9x. All said and done it took a change to a damn GT Porsche to not feel like I just messed up and went backwards.

There are better cars but my god that line to get there is 3-4 times the cost of these gems.

I agree on the newer gen M3's, they are numbers cars and lost their way a long time ago... I don't even bother with them anymore its a lost cause.

This. After my first E90, I chased a similar experience from a wide range of vehicles. Had an RS7, great car but incredibly boring. M6GC Comp, I loved it honestly. Downpipes, tuned for 103 octane and I beat everything that pulled up next to me including several exotics but it’s was just TOO fast to enjoy anymore and the sound got old. .1 S PDK, fun but honestly expected way more from a Pcar. Realized that I needed a GT once I test drove a GT4 manual and almost bought it but the we found out we have baby #2 on the way. The only car that gave me similar smiles was my 69 Camaro SS with a built 427 big block. Redline was 7k which is a lot for big blocks and I loved that car. Completely different car from an E9x M3 but gave me a very rewarding feeling every time I drove it, so much so I’d drive it in dead of summer heat wearing shirt tie slacks here in South Florida. Once I got another E90 M3, I knew it’d be hard to find something that’s that rewarding for the money and not be in felony territory every time I drove it. I’ll be back in one eventually but can’t see myself in anything newer from BMW unfortunately. I get excited some times when I see an F80 done right or nice M2, then I hear it and that excitement is gone.

i_love_cars wrote

The G80 is way better than people are giving it credit for…the G80 is really the best iteration ever of what the M3 is supposed to be - a car with daily driver sensibility combined with an edge for performance that is at least competent on track.

I agree - I had the comp X drive which added 200+ lbs over the base manual. An incredibly capable car for daily driving and when driven back to back with a base 992 way more capable and fast and luxurious IMO.

However, I would argue the M3 is completely over the top performance from what the M3 used to be. It isn’t even the same size as the 3 series. What you get for the $ is insane. It really caught me off guard just how powerful the G80 is - after I got through the break-in period - and the penalty is of course the weight and size.

If you want the M3 you had ten or twenty years ago, get the M2. Or get a Z4 and deal with the DD compromises - less practicality - and modify it. This is the decision I’ve arrived at while respecting those who feel they can handle the weight and power of the M3/4. Or get both!

Bimmerfun82 wrote

I agree - I had the comp X drive which added 200+ lbs over the base manual. An incredibly capable car for daily driving and when driven back to back with a base 992 way more capable and fast and luxurious IMO.

However, I would argue the M3 is completely over the top performance from what the M3 used to be. It isn’t even the same size as the 3 series. What you get for the $ is insane. It really caught me off guard just how powerful the G80 is - after I got through the break-in period - and the penalty is of course the weight and size.

If you want the M3 you had ten or twenty years ago, get the M2. Or get a Z4 and deal with the DD compromises - less practicality - and modify it. This is the decision I’ve arrived at while respecting those who feel they can handle the weight and power of the M3/4. Or get both!

The G8x definitely punches above it's class in terms of performance, I didn't touch on that but I agree completely. But again, it's all relative I feel that most modern cars are way more capable than you would expect them to be.

That said, I don't really think a G87 is the answer if you want the M3 you had that long ago. They weigh almost as much as the M3/M4 in similar configuration - assuming both cars have manual for example. The weight is within like 50 pounds, again, options depending. When you're talking about cars in the 3800-3900 pound range, this is not a big difference that is noticeable in any way. It is a misconception that the M2 is some sort of smaller form factor of any real merit. It's basically just for people who don't want to pay for an M3/4 because they just want the S58 and some performance but don't care about interior niceties and 4 doors or AWD options.

If you want the M3 you had that long ago, the answer is to just buy that M3 and deal with the compromises.

i_love_cars wrote

The G8x definitely punches above it's class in terms of performance, I didn't touch on that but I agree completely. But again, it's all relative I feel that most modern cars are way more capable than you would expect them to be.

That said, I don't really think a G87 is the answer if you want the M3 you had that long ago. They weigh almost as much as the M3/M4 in similar configuration - assuming both cars have manual for example. The weight is within like 50 pounds, again, options depending. When you're talking about cars in the 3800-3900 pound range, this is not a big difference that is noticeable in any way. It is a misconception that the M2 is some sort of smaller form factor of any real merit. It's basically just for people who don't want to pay for an M3/4 because they just want the S58 and some performance but don't care about interior niceties and 4 doors or AWD options.

If you want the M3 you had that long ago, the answer is to just buy that M3 and deal with the compromises.

I disagree mainly because of the shorter wheelbase and smaller dimensions. It’s the size of the e92, if not slightly larger. And you can cut weight with forged wheels, carbon pack, lighter battery, etc. The m3 is enormous.

I would agree with going and buying an old M3 if that's what you want, but I'd rather have a new warranty and new software and again the closest in terms of size and dynamics is probably the M2.