Is Hiring a Tuned M3 a Problem? The Insurance and Excess Questions
The honest answer to whether a Stage 1 M3 changes your risk as a hirer. What is different, what is not, and what the excess actually covers on the tuned car versus the stock one.
Vehicle Reviews
Every car on the Drive Tribe fleet, reviewed from time behind the wheel on Sydney roads: what it is like to drive, what it costs to run for a weekend, which tier it sits in, the minimum driver age and the excess. Written by the person who chose each car, with the running costs and trade-offs stated plainly rather than sold. Supercars, exotics, performance cars, luxury SUVs and the lifestyle fleet, from a $150-a-day BMW X5 to a $2,600-a-day McLaren 650S.
BMW M3 Generations Explained: E30 to G80
Six generations of M3 in forty years, from a homologation special to a 510 horsepower all-wheel-drive saloon. Where our two - the F80 and the G80 - sit in that history, and why it matters.
The BMW S58: The Engine in Our G80 M3s, Explained
Both our G80 M3s run the S58, the engine that replaced the S55 and fixed most of what people complained about. What changed under the bonnet, and why 510 horsepower feels different from 450.
The BMW S55: The Engine in Our F80 M3s, Explained
Both our F80s share the same engine: a 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight six that BMW built to replace the naturally aspirated V8 everyone missed. What it is, why it responds so well to tuning, and what to actually listen for.
M3 xDrive vs Rear-Wheel Drive: What All-Wheel Drive Actually Buys
xDrive is not a safety net, it is a different way of putting 510 horsepower down. What changes, what does not, and which one is actually faster on a real road rather than a straight line.
M3 Competition vs Standard M3: What the Package Actually Adds
Competition is not a badge. On the F80 it is more power, different suspension, a different differential setting and different seats. What each of those changes, and whether it matters on a road.
Stock or Tuned M3: We Have Both F80s, and Which to Hire
Two F80 M3s, one factory at 450hp and one Stage 1 at around 600hp, at $400 and $530 a day. Which one to book, and why the answer is the stock car more often than people expect.
What Stage 1 Actually Means on an M3, and What 600hp Feels Like
One of our F80s is a Stage 1 car making around 600 horsepower. Here is what that actually is, what it changes, and what it does not change - written by someone who hires both the tuned car and a stock one.
BMW M3 F80 vs G80: Which Generation to Actually Hire
The G80 is faster, more capable and easier to drive quickly. The F80 is more involving and $250 a day cheaper. We hire both, so here is the comparison without a marketing department attached.
BMW M3 Hire Sydney: Four M3s, and How to Pick the Right One
We run four BMW M3s: two F80s, one of them tuned to around 600hp, and two G80s including the xDrive. Which one you want depends on three questions, and one of them is your age.