Which is Better? 2017 Manual vs 2023 X-Drive Competition

Good video. S55 has fully forged internals. In the start of the g80 test drive, you spoke about the forged internals as if the f80 didn't. Just my 2cents. Keep up the great videos!

Bae 😍

As a F82 Owner myself, the price difference does not justify the pros of the G8X, until they depreciate a bit, then maybe ill consider. LOVE MY F82, F8X GANG HERE!

Appreciate the vid after just buying and M3 F80 at long last. I absolutely love it btw!

Matt Farah was just mad the G80 bucket seats aren’t compatible with husky boys.

Also for 100k he’d be buying a different German car? Okay but it would be a much slower one. There are no cars in the price segment that have the speed and overall performance as the M3 Comp Xdrive. You’re pretty much matching performance of a 911 Carrera S but with back seats and arguably a better feature set for maybe 30-40% lower cost. No it doesn’t have the driving dynamics of a Porsche but what it offers for the price is nuts. And you can get a lightly used one in the 80’s. His complaints were that the car is too good. The dampening is too good. It’s too fast. It’s too easy to drive. Yeah it’s not a purist’s car. It’s meant to do everything well and go really fast.
Honestly the only real similarity between the F80 manual and the G80 Comp Xdrive is just the M3 name. They’re very different cars and I felt like they were comparing apples and oranges here.

If you really want the purist hardcore experience get an M2 manual. Shorter wheel base, starts in the 60’s price, still significantly faster than the F80 with a far better modern tech package, and significantly better more robust engine. That’s the way I’d go compared to the F80 if I was looking for the pure driver’s car experience.

So I own an e92 M3 dct comp. Bought a comp f80 manual. Sold the f80 because I kept comparing it to my e92 and how dull it felt. When I sold it I realized that you cannot compare it to the e9x. From the f80 to the g80 they mastered the everyday sport car luxury sedan which the e9x is a lot of car to drive on the daily.

I ended up buying a manual g80. In many ways it feels like the f80. The tech feels relatively the same because I bought a really low optioned g80. The g80 has a nice linear build of boost versus the f80. The g80 sounds a bit better than the f80. But, I will have to say the f80 was the Pinnacle of exterior design. The g80 is beautiful to me despite the grill, but the f80 was undeniably beautiful to everyone.

Now, I got a 2022 manual g80 so it does not have that the humongous screen. Aside from black wheels, sport line lights, interior carbon, and bucket seats it does not have any other options adding to tech so i think that may be the way to go when optioning a g80. I'll have to say my only gripes with the g80 is the interior is nice but very creaky over bumps. I feel like the e90x was more put together. I also do not like how the g80 idles and sounds as it idles. It's not a very smoothe motor when at a standstill.

But with that being said my heart still thinks the e9x models are the best. The high redline and V8 sound cannot be replicated aside from comparing it to vehicles that are in another league such as a gt3 or a zo6 that have that high revving exotic sound and feel. Due to the fact that I can't purchase either of those, in choose to keep the e9x. I also feel that the g80 may be the final manual/ all motor non electric m car so it will be worth keeping as well as an ode to the Pinnacle of a generation

So basically the new G80 is better in every way, Matt just doesn’t like it.

I’m a little late to this video and as an F80 6spd owner from new in 2015 I’m a little biased. I can agree the rear suspension is a little harsh, mine doesn’t have car play and it was just before LTE (RIP 3G). But, the fact that you can turn off traction completely and select your own gear with proper gear ratios (for those that understand gearing in most cars are set for emissions and noise) and have all the torque when the differential locks up. That’s a thing of beauty. I think the issue most people have is it requires finesse and dare I say skill. People have become too reliant on technology and torque management. They just want to floor it everywhere like we did in a ‘94 civic and still have traction. People aren’t really looking for a drivers car… they want a car that flatters their lack of driving skill. The F80 rewards those who know. Throw on some camber plates and an adjustable toe link and it’s perfect. Oh, does great with a baby seat in the back. 93k miles later and me and my 9 yr old still love to go “weee”!

He's right. I can go buy a 300hp+ 4 banger mustang or a 300+ hp v6. Power is so cheap and easy

there's no escaping the fact that the G80 is largely unpopular due to its looks, it is incredibly ugly when compared to the f80, its a superior car in terms of drivability but lacks driver feedback, unfortunatly that is a common trait with most new cars these days, the driver gets more and more disconnected from the driving experience

Also should’ve mentioned that pre-2023 M3s do have two screens (iDrive 7.5) if you want a new M3 without the big LCD screen I’d highly recommend getting a 2022

I've seen your discussion with Steve Dinan. Just get your F80 to Carbahn.

Haven driven both the G82 competition and actually having driven that exact f80 I have to say I much prefer the feeling and driving experience of the F80. The G82 feels too easy and forgiving and assisted, but the F80 feels like it would let you slide it into a tree if you gave it the proper inputs, and that’s how an M car should feel.

They need an awd and manual trans option, on the g8x. At these prices id get the acura tsx and mod it to have a faster vehicle for cheaper, and probably more reliable, if i wanted a automatic.

lol g80 has to be backed in

No it’s beautiful I love it lol

Analog is for old gear heads that don’t want the world to change. Give it up old man, the future is digital.

I owned the old one and now the new one. The new one drives better , just put it in MDM and you drift at every corner in a controllable manner. F80 was a hard horse to tame. Almost
crashed it twice. I somewhat disagree about the new one not showing its capability at low speeds, because of linear torque response and better chassis control it is much easier to access the performance in the new one than the old one without worry of losing control. It was difficult to do little drifts here and there in the old one, as you mention it is twitchy, but the new one is much more controllable giving you the option to have a little fun going to the grocery store. the old one was just too rough and noisy for every day driving. they added much more sound insulation in the G80, it is a civilized car now.... BMW M is about performance and luxury. the old one hardly had luxury manners.

One thing I definitely miss and not mentioned here is the F80 DCT vs G80 ZF wet clutch. The old one was much faster and crisper to shift I believe under 10 msec shift compared to 150 msec shift... don't like the ZF as much even in the most aggressive setting.
BTW you can’t get a great condition F80 for that cheap unless it’s beat up. A great example still runs 50-60K. with running costs (out of warranty) the difference between the two is less than what you think....

Everything else you mention is absolutely correct. Oddly I think the new one looks great and so different that will become a classic just for being controversial 20 years from now. The last non hybrid non electric M3. given the higher price they are more rare and exclusive than the old one.

steering on the f80 can be made much better with monoballs on the tension arms, camber plates, and CS steering coding

No way is anyone feeling 100 lbs difference between 2 near 4000lb cars . If that was the case then every time you fill the gas tank should make you feel super sad. 🙄

Matt needs to hit the gym. The seats are good if you're not fat.

Do the M2 next!

I miss my f82😢

You are not experiencing any specialness or joy because you’re not driving a Giulia Quadrifoglio which is clearly the better car.

Awesome video guys, I'm a little late to watching it, but this is one of the best Ive seen on the channel in a while!
F80 for me

When the G80 drove past and the front grille was blurred I lost it 😂

"... that car, it's just knob operated...". Could be spelled knob, or, nob. Take your pick.

G80 is clearly the better car simply for the fact that you don't have to deal with the crank hub spinning. Better power potential, better ride quality, better tech and handling. Hey F80, here come the G80 in your rear view mirror move out of the way.

ZZZZZZ Matt the BMW Hater reviewing what he hates. Certainly unbiased.

I don't like how the comparison is made with an almost fully specced G80 and an almost base F80.

F80 is manual so better by infinity

love my F80. Nice job guys

F80 isn’t a comp edition though.

Show us the ugly grill, it’s what’s in the “inside” that counts

G8x missing the Biermann's touch

Ya know what pisses me off about the 3-series/4-series split?

The called the three door one the 4-series, and the 4 door one the 3-series. They put zero thought into that at all. Thus they ruined the legacy of the M3 as a fast coupe and turned it into an undesirable vehicle.

The front looks fine, the hate is over played

E92 m3 still best

All new BMWs are ugly as sin... I could care less if it's faster than a Tesla model s plaid. New BMWs are the most repulsive looking car on the road.

Isn’t it almost always the case though that the previous gen of car is super close to performance as the new version, but for much less money? I understand why the G80 M3 Comp is $100k. It has AWD w/switchable RWD-AWD, more power, a better engine, more tech, etc. But the F80 M3’s also sold at $90-100k (I saw many of them for over $100k in showrooms when new). It’s just that its value drops over time. The G80 M3 comp will also drop in value over time.

So, really, the best thing is to just buy a used G80 M3 Comp and let the first or second buyer hit the depreciation phase.

If the G80 M3 Comp is the first M3 to hit the $100k mark, then why was I commonly seeing F80 M3’s in the showroom, when new, for stickers over $100k????

Great watch. Time for a 5 way review next, 1M, M2 OG, M2 Comp, M2 CS, and G87 M2 please.

Wtf? When has a flat torque curve been bad?

So happy I went with F80 Comp!

Great Video, I found it interesting. My Daily is a 1M, that I may never sell & keep it in the Garage for the odd drive here & there. The Steering is something I just won't find in a replacement and everything is way heavier, which has a sizeable impact on the driving experience. I'm now thinking of what a suitable daily would be if I stayed with a performance Car........G87 M2 Manual, G80 M3 Manual............or dare I say it, a Honda Civic Type R (FL5). Or do I get something like an E90/92 M3 or F80 M3 and build what I'd like? Silly first World problem I know, but the continuous increase in weight, the disconnected steering dwindling availability of a Manual box is just numbing the driving experience. I will also add that the Litchfield modified G87 M2 Manual on Harry's Garage here on YT, look pretty awesome (although the Seats are not for me).

The e90 was peak M3. Bespoke NA v8. Turbos are more powerful but the naturally aspirated V8 feels and sounds more special

How can you say f80 interior is better than g80 😂😂😂…..f80/82 looks so dated

its a simple answer, the g80 is the better car but the f80 is the better M car