BMW M history: 2010–2019

The second decade of the 21st century brought extensive changes to the way BMW M went about its business. Here’s how BMW M brought more power and technology to its lineup than ever before

Words: Bob Harper

As BMW M emerged from the noughties it was on the cusp of a major change that had been previewed with the X5 and X6 M models. After the best part of 40-years peddling some of the world’s finest naturally aspirated powerplants it was time for a big change, as the 2010s began there were just two old school machines in the company’s line up – the last of the E61 M5 Tourings and the E9x M3s in coupé, saloon and convertible guises. The M5 would shuffle into the history books in the first few months of 2010 but there was a little bit more life left in the M3, which was in effect a glorious swansong for the naturally aspirated M car.

We’ll cover the M3 first then, even if chronologically some other M cars should come ahead. The E9x M3 was a great car, even if its debut towards the end of the Noughties wasn’t great timing as the world entered a financial dip. There were plenty of special edition models in an attempt to keep customers coming through the showroom doors, but the most significant upgrade to the regular production versions was the debut of the M3 Competition, available as both a saloon and coupé, that arrived in 2010. With shorter springs, recalibrated Electronic Damper Control and a set of CSL-style Y-spoke alloys it was that little bit sharper than the standard machine but the two ultimate versions of the M3 were the E92 M3 GTS and the E90 M3 CRT.

The former was announced in mid-2010 with the latter not arriving until 2011, but both cars shared the same mechanical make up and are rightly regarded as the ultimate M3s of their generation. They both featured a 4.4-litre version of the V8, now good for to 450hp, and they had a host of lightweight components, cosmetic upgrades and suspension revisions, too. Just 138 GTS models were made with the CRT – short for Carbon Racing Technology – even more exclusive with a production run of just 67 cars. The CRT was the M3 saloon’s fitting epilogue as the four-door model bowed out of production in 2011 as BMW shifted saloon production from the E90 to the all-new F30 model. The GTS was produced in small batches until the end of December 2011 and the standard M3 coupé and convertible would soldier on until 2013 when they would be replaced with an entirely different model with a new powertrain and a new name, too.

With the era of the turbocharged M car having been given a dress rehearsal by the X5 and X6 Ms there was plenty of speculation as to how the next M car with forced induction would turn out. There was much teasing of the new model – the 1 Series M Coupé, more commonly referred to as the 1M these days – with a protracted launch schedule but it proved that turbocharging and M cars could indeed go hand in hand and be happy bed fellows. With a 340hp straight-six and up to 369lb ft of torque available with an overboost function it was a riot to drive especially with the underpinnings of the M3 and a pumped up body that looked superb. It was developed in double quick time and was very much a back to basics M car with no fancy adjustable dampers or M DCT gearbox option and today it has a real cult following, many seeing it as the modern incarnation of the E30 M3. It’s far rarer though with just over 6,300 examples being produced.

Given the latest emissions regulations it was inevitable that the genie was well and truly out of the bottle and all future M cars would feature turbocharged engines but there were few complaints about the next generation of M5’s twin-turbo 4.4-litre unit which was good for 560hp. As with previous generations it was equally adept at pottering to the shops or clipping apices and was still the consummate super saloon despite having forced induction. A few special editions followed as well as what was firmly becoming an M trademark – the Competition model, that saw a small power increase along with some minor chassis revisions and a smattering of new trim. As with the E60 generation there was no manual option (other than for North America) and it was beginning to look as if the manual M car was going to become a thing of the past.

 

As you’d expect the debut of a new M5 meant that a coupé version was just around the corner and the M6 made its debut in 2012, although in an unusual step the convertible was the first model that was revealed to the public, closely followed by the coupé. For the first time the M6 would also be available as a four-door as the Gran Coupé. It was a good move by BMW as while the coupé was responsible for 4,500 sales and the convertible sold 4,300 examples the Gran Coupé outsold them with a grand total of 6,700 registrations.

Changes were also afoot for the new M3 and to keep in line with BMW’s new naming convention which saw odd numbers as saloons and Tourings and even numbers as coupés and convertibles the next generation of M3 to arrive was a saloon only while the coupé and convertible took the M4 moniker. These were the first M3 models to feature turbocharged engines but they didn’t disappoint. Initially developing 431hp and 406 lb ft of torque they were blisteringly quick, recording a 0-62mph time of just 4.3-seconds for the manual and 4.1-seconds with the M Dual Clutch Transmission. It wasn’t without some critics though as its power delivery could be a little spiky and the chassis seemed to struggle to tie it all together, especially in inclement conditions.

These criticisms were fairly swiftly attended to with the launch of the Competition models which not only saw a 19hp power hike to 450hp but included revised underpinnings, too. The Adaptive M Suspension was extensively tuned to the enhanced performance and handling and featured new springs, dampers and anti-roll bars, along with reconfigured driving modes. The Active M Differential and Dynamic Stability Control were recalibrated and a set of 20-inch alloys and some interior upgrades were thrown into the mix, too.

Sitting even higher in the M3 and M4 ranges were the CS models that were launched in 2017 and 2018. More power (now 460hp) and torque boosted to 443lb ft along with some chassis tweaks and a smattering of carbon fibre trims made these models the most desirable of M cars, looking and driving even better than the Competition models. Like the E92 M3 there was also a GTS version of the coupé, the M4 GTS with 500hp and a 190mph top speed.

While the 1M had been a short-lived M car it was universally acclaimed so its replacement, the M2, would have to be something special. It made its debut in 2016 and featured a quasi-M engine – a normal production turbocharged straight-six enhanced with a smattering of parts from the M3 and M4 – and the beefed up bodywork we’d come to expect from M. It was quite the pocket rocket, knocking off the benchmark sprint in just 4.3-seconds. Somewhat inevitably BMW launched the M2 Competition two years later and this time M had gone the whole hog and fitted the M3 and M4’s straight-six, even if it had been slightly detuned for ‘only’ 410hp. Further chassis and body tweaks improved its dynamics, too.

Just as the decade was set to close BMW announced the M2 CS, the ultimate in rapid 2 Series models with 450hp and more carbon than you could shake a stick at. There’s no doubting it was a superb drive but at £75,000 it was surely pushing the boundaries for how much you could charge for what is essentially BMW’s entry-level coupé.

A new M5 made its debut in 2018 using a heavily revised version of the previous model’s 4.4-litre V8 with power and torque rated at 600hp and 553lb ft respectively. The big news was that this was the first M5 to be equipped with all-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox but it was none the worse for it as it was a phenomenally capable machine to drive. As sure as night follows day the next decade would see the arrival of a Competition and CS model, too.

By this time BMW had dropped the 6 Series name for its coupés and convertibles so the most recent offering from M is now the M8, packing the M5’s running gear in rakish coupé, convertible and Gran Coupé bodystyles. Fast and feelsome they maybe but many question the need to spend the extra money over the M Performance M850i models which already have more performance than you could ever realistically use.

Those M Performance models would be another feature of BMW M in the 2010s and added another string to the company’s bow. Perhaps it was taking a leaf out of Audi’s book which had been doing very well out of its three-pronged performance attack with its S-Line, S and RS models and BMW would enter the fray with M Sport, M Performance and M cars. Just about any model could be specced as an M Sport – an aerokit, sports suspension, seats and bigger alloys being the most obvious distinguishing features – but M Performance models were new and were the highest powered non full-fat M cars.

The first one was the M550d, a triple turbocharged 3.0-litre diesel, that sadly didn’t come to the UK but pretty soon there were a host of M Performance machines being introduced such as the M135i and M140i and towards the end of the decade there was even an M Performance version of the 7 Series, the M760Li xDrive, the first ever M badged Seven. As well as heralding the arrival of a new model line M Performance branding was also used for BMW M’s new line of accessories as a way of adding personalisation to customer vehicles. Inevitably some saw it as a further dilution of the M brand but it allows M to continue to produce its fully-focussed performance machinery it’s surely a small price to pay.

There was further grumbling as more M SUVs were launched with the X3, X4, X5 and X6 all getting fully fledged M models while the X2 added an M Performance string to its bow too. Perhaps these weren’t models that appealed to the die-hard M fans who grew up loving the M3 and the M5 for their purity but there’s no getting away from their sales successes. The second generation of X5 M (F85) and X6 (F86) sold over 22,000 examples between them which is impressive when you compare it to the F10 M5 which didn’t quite break the 20k barrier or the three M6 models which only managed 15,500 between them. The X Ms might not be for the traditionalists but there’s no doubting what the market wants these days.

While we’ve concentrated on the road car division here there was some BMW Motorsport action too with BMW returning to the DTM with the E92 M3 in which it scored ten victories, two constructor titles and one driver’s crown for Bruno Spengler in 2012. Endurance racing duties were shared by several machines, the E92 M3 GT2, the Z4 GT3 and the M6 GT3 and there were wins in 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and Spa while in the American Le Mans Series there were back-to-back titles in the GT class for the E92 M3 in 2010 and 2011.

Expansion was the watch word for BMW M in the second decade of the 21st century with more M models and M Performance machines filling what seemed like ever smaller niches. Where the company has really scored though is by continuing to produce the sort of cars that people want to buy, whether they be the more traditional M buyer or those that are more interested in the way that many of the higher M cars are being presented as the ultimate in luxury performance.

In order to survive in an ever increasingly saturated market BMW M needs to produce machinery that customers want to buy and it’s managed to be hugely successful over the last 50 years. What will the next decade bring? Join us next month as we gaze into our crystal ball to discover what’s in store for the most powerful letter in the world.

Timeline

2010

E61 M5 production ends

E82 1 Series M Coupe launched

E92 M3 GTS announced

2011

F10 M5 makes debut

E90 M3 CRT revealed

2012

M6 Coupe and Convertible enter production

2013

M6 Gran Coupe debuts

2014

X5 M and X6 M enter production

F80 M3 & M82 M4 launched

2015

M4 GTS revealed

2016

M760Li announced

M2 makes its debut

2018

F90 M5 launched

2019

M8 Coupe and Convertible announced

M2 Competition announced