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The M3 has been through six full generations since 1986, and each one argued with the one before it about what an M3 should be. Understanding where the F80 and the G80 - the two we hire - sit in that argument tells you more about what you are actually driving than a specification sheet does.
We hire two of the six
The F80 and the G80 - the two most relevant generations for someone hiring today. Tell us the date and we will sort which.
E30: The Homologation Special (1986-1991)
The M3 exists because BMW wanted to go touring car racing, and racing regulations at the time required a road-going version of anything raced in numbers - a homologation requirement. The E30 M3 was built to satisfy that rule, and everything about it followed from racing necessity rather than showroom appeal.
It used a high-revving four-cylinder engine, flared arches for wider racing tyres, and was considerably more raw than the 3 Series it was based on. It went on to be enormously successful in touring car racing and is now one of the most collectible performance cars of its era.
E36 and E46: Finding the Formula (1992-2006)
The E36 introduced the inline six that would define the M3 for two more generations, and the E46 refined the formula to what many enthusiasts still consider the high point of the model's balance: a naturally aspirated straight six, rear-wheel drive, a chassis widely regarded as close to ideal for a road car of its size, and none of the weight the model would gain later.
These generations built the M3's reputation as the default answer to "what is the best fast BMW", a status it has held ever since.
E90/E92/E93: The V8 Era (2007-2013)
The one generation with a V8, and the one that most sharply divides opinion from the turbocharged cars that followed. The 4.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 revved to 8,400rpm and made a noise nothing since has matched.
It was heavier and, by the numbers, not dramatically faster than the E46 it replaced, but the engine alone has given this generation a cult following that has only grown since BMW moved to turbocharging.
F80: Turbocharging Arrives (2014-2018)
Our older generation, and the one that changed the argument. BMW replaced the naturally aspirated V8 with the S55, a 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight six making 431hp standard and 450hp in Competition specification - more power than the V8 it replaced, considerably more torque, and better real-world fuel economy.
It was criticised at launch for sounding less special and for a rear end that some testers found abrupt at the limit. The Competition Package, introduced in 2016, addressed the second complaint directly with revised suspension and differential tuning - both our F80s are Competition cars for exactly that reason.
Time has been kind to the F80. With the benefit of the generations either side of it for comparison, it is now widely regarded as a genuinely excellent driver's car, and it remains rear-wheel drive only across its entire run - the last M3 generation of which that is true.
We have written the S55 engine up in detail separately: what it is and why it tunes so well.
G80: The Most Capable Ever (2021-present)
Our newer generation, and by every objective measure the best M3 BMW has built. The S58 engine makes up to 510 horsepower in Competition form, with substantially more torque than the S55 across a broader rev range.
Two things separate it decisively from everything before it. First, xDrive: for the first time in the model's history, all-wheel drive is available, and it transforms how the car deploys its power in anything other than perfect dry conditions. Second, sheer capability - braking, cornering grip and outright pace all moved forward substantially.
It is also the most divisive generation aesthetically, with a grille design that provoked as much discussion as the switch to turbocharging did a generation earlier. Mechanically, the criticism has been far quieter, because there is very little to criticise.
The S58 is covered in full in the engine explainer, and the all-wheel-drive question specifically in xDrive versus rear-wheel drive.
Why We Hire These Two Rather Than Others
The F80 and G80 are the two generations still genuinely current in the used and hire market, and they represent two distinct, defensible answers to what an M3 should be: the last purely rear-wheel-drive analogue turbo car, and the most capable, most technologically advanced version ever made.
Hiring both means we can offer a genuine choice rather than a single point of view, and it means the comparisons on this site - F80 versus G80 chief among them - are written from actually driving both rather than reading about either.
Everything about which of our four M3s suits you is on the M3 hub.
What Actually Carried Through Every Generation
Despite everything that changed - engine layout, drive configuration, body style options - a handful of things have defined every M3 since 1986, and they are worth naming because they explain why the badge still means something forty years on.
Every generation started life as an ordinary 3 Series and was substantially re-engineered rather than merely equipped with a bigger engine. Suspension, brakes, differential and body structure were all developed specifically for the M car, not shared wholesale with the standard model wearing a similar badge.
Every generation prioritised a genuine connection between driver input and car response over outright comfort, even as the cars became heavier and more technologically complex. That is the thread linking the E30's raw simplicity to the G80's software-managed all-wheel-drive system - both are, in their own era's terms, trying to give the driver as much control as possible.
And every generation, without exception, has been built as a car you could genuinely drive every day - four doors from the E36 onward as an option, always a boot, always back seats that fit adults. That dual identity is the single most consistent thread in the model's history and it is exactly why it remains the car we hire out most, in both generations we carry.
Which Generation Suits Which Kind of Driver
If you have never driven an M3 and want the version most people mean when they picture one, that is the F80 or the G80 - the two we hire, and not coincidentally the two most relevant to someone hiring today rather than reading history.
If what draws you to the M3 is the idea of a naturally aspirated, high-revving engine and a simpler mechanical package, be aware that neither of our cars is that. The E46 and E92 generations deliver that experience and neither is available to hire from us or, realistically, from anyone running a commercial hire fleet - they are becoming collector cars rather than daily hire stock.
Between our two: the F80 is the closer relative to that older, more analogue idea, being the last rear-wheel-drive-only generation. The G80 is a clean break toward maximum capability, and the first M3 in history you can order with all-wheel drive. Full comparison in F80 versus G80.
What "Competition" Means Across the Generations
The Competition name itself has a history worth knowing, because it did not always mean what it means on our two cars.
BMW first used "Competition Package" on earlier M cars as a relatively modest options bundle - typically stiffer suspension and different wheels, without a power increase. It was the F80 generation that turned Competition into something closer to a distinct model: a genuine power increase alongside the chassis changes, sold and marketed as a step up rather than an options box.
The G80 continued that approach and went further, making Competition the only specification available with xDrive, and increasingly the volume seller relative to the base manual car. By this generation, "M3" without qualification increasingly means the Competition in everyday conversation, even though a lesser-specified base car technically exists alongside it.
Both of our cars follow that current convention - full Competition specification, which by the F80 and G80 generations is genuinely the definitive version of each car rather than an upsell above a lesser but equally valid standard model. We have written the specifics of what changes up separately in Competition versus standard.
Whichever generation you end up reading about elsewhere, the two you can actually hire from us remain the F80 and the G80, and the choice between them is covered properly on the dedicated comparison page.
And if you want the short answer to the question this whole page circles around - which generation is the real M3 - the honest one is that every enthusiast who has owned one has a different answer, and that disagreement is itself the clearest sign the badge still matters forty years on.
What is not in dispute is that the two we hire, the F80 and the G80, are the two generations you can actually go and drive today, on real Sydney roads, this weekend, and the rest of this history is context for that decision rather than a substitute for it.
If the BMW M3 Competition F80 is booked
We never move you down a tier. If your dates are taken, these are the performance cars we will offer instead, and we will tell you plainly if none of them is free rather than substituting something lesser on the day.
F80 (our era)
- 2014-2018
- S55 turbo I6
- RWD only
- $400/day
The generation that introduced turbocharging to the M3 and split opinion doing it. Now regarded as one of the great sleeper performance saloons.
G80 (our era)
- 2021-present
- S58 turbo I6
- RWD or AWD
- $700/day
The current car, and the first M3 ever offered with all-wheel drive. More capable than any generation before it by a clear margin.
Read the full comparison
F80 versus G80, driven back to back, written up properly rather than as a spec-sheet table.
Guide rates, weekday winter pricing. Longer hires taper; the exact total for your dates is shown before you pay.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many generations of M3 has BMW made?
Six, starting with the E30 in 1986 and running through the E36, E46, E90/E92/E93, F80, and the current G80. Each is named after BMW's internal chassis code.
Which generations do you hire?
The F80 (2014-2018) and the G80 (2021-present). Two F80s, one stock and one tuned, and two G80s, one rear-wheel drive and one xDrive.
Which generation is considered the best?
There is no consensus and the honest answer is that it depends what you value. The E46 is widely loved for its balance and the last naturally aspirated V8 car, the E92, has a devoted following for its engine. Enthusiast opinion on the F80 has warmed considerably since launch, and the G80 is generally accepted as the most capable ever made.
Why did BMW switch to turbocharging?
Emissions and efficiency regulation made large-displacement, high-revving naturally aspirated engines increasingly difficult to justify by the 2010s. The F80 switched to a smaller turbocharged engine, which is a wider industry trend rather than an M3-specific decision.
Is the M4 a different generation of the same car?
The M4 badge covers the two-door coupe version from the F80 generation onward - before that, the coupe was simply called M3 too. Mechanically the M3 and M4 of the same generation share their running gear. We cover this separately in the M3 versus M4 comparison.
When did all-wheel drive arrive?
With the G80, in Competition specification only, from 2021. Every generation before it was rear-wheel drive without exception.