BMW's New M3 and M5 M Performance Editions go on sale

Would you like one? BMW are producing a limited run of M Performance Editions for the BMW M3 and BMW M5 – just for the UK market. Fitted with their familiar 414bhp and 552bhp V8 engines, the new BMW M3 M Performance Edition will cost £74,080, while the BMW M5 M Performance Edition will set you back a cool £95,140.

Are you sure you still want one?

Putting their outrageous prices to the side for the moment, you might also be a mite confused by BMW’s naming convention.

The M3 and M5 are fully-fledged M Cars, whilst the M135i, M550d, X5 M50d and X6 M50d are BMW M Performance Automobiles. So far, so good. So what’s a ‘M3 M Performance Edition’?

According to BMW, it’s an M3 (or M5) adorned with all the BMW Individual features, a catalogue full in fact. But what’s completely unclear is why you would buy one of the 30 cars (of each model) which will be made available.

The regular M3 Coupe starts from £54,720 on the road, whilst the latest M5 can be yours for the modest sum of £73,065.

These M Performance Editions will bring three new Frozen paint colours to the UK for the first time; BMW Individual Japan Red with a Frozen Red wrap, BMW Individual Frozen White and BMW Individual Frozen Blue. To complement the striking exterior colours, all M5 M Performance Editions come with Full Black Merino leather upholstery and all M3 M Performance Editions come with extended Black Novillo leather upholstery, both with contrasting Mugello Red, Lotus White or Tobago Blue stitching as standard.

For the £20,000+ hike over the standard version BMW will include an ensemble of limited-edition touches; floor mats with contrast piping, an Alcantara steering wheel, BMW Individual Piano Black interior trim with a ‘One of 30’ laser cut designation, front headrests with M stitching and door sills with ‘BMW M Performance Edition’ designation.

The M3 M Performance Edition comes with the £3,385 Competition Package fitted as standard. It also includes an array of extra standard equipment including; 19-inch M Y-spoke Matt Black alloy wheels, Dark Chrome exhaust, side gills and kidney surround, jet black bonnet intakes, carbon-fibre front splitters, high-gloss Shadowline exterior trim, folding exterior mirrors and sun protection glass to complement its unique exterior.

Adaptive headlights, DAB digital radio, a Harman/Kardon 13-loudspeaker system, BMW Professional Media Package, mobile application preparation, telephone USB audio interface and Internet add to the M3’s practicality. While the sliding front armrest, front seat heating and front and rear Park Distance Control complete the package. The extended list of standard equipment is worth £9,790. Which still leaves nearly £10,000 unaccounted for..

The M5 M Performance Edition’s price seems easier to understand, £22,075 worth of additional equipment is comprised of; 20-inch M Double-spoke Matt Black alloy wheels, Dark Chrome exhaust, side gills and kidney surround, M Sport multi-function seats with lumbar support, powered bootlid operation, sun protection glass, split-folding rear seats, comfort access and soft close doors.

Plus.. a reversing assist camera, High-beam assistant, Internet, BMW Professional 12-loudspeaker system, telephone USB audio interface, mobile application preparation and speed limit display.

So what we have here is a showcase of BMW Individual equipment, which in the M3’s case, the customer pays a premium to obtain. Perhaps I’m missing something, but that doesn’t feel like a particularly good deal to me.