*TOOP Portal*: 2016 BMW M3

3-series/M3: What looks on the surface to be a moderate mid-cycle update—new LED head- and taillights and new fascias—in fact hides some important mechanical upgrades. The 3-series’ steering, front struts, and rear dampers are retuned for better handling, answering some long-standing complaints with the F30 generation. Six-cylinder models switch to an all-new straight-six, the B58, from BMW’s new modular-engine family. The B58 outguns the old N55 by 20 horsepower and 30 pound-feet, with 320 and 330, respectively. In recognition, the model name gets nudged up 5, to 340i. Manual transmissions add automatic rev matching. A new plug-in-hybrid 330e will be a late add and pair a 2.0-liter four with 22 miles of electric range. The wagon carries on in its four-cylinder-only form, and while the M3 gets the new lights, it is otherwise unchanged.

The alterations are less extensive with the M3. The head- and taillights receive a sharper, more angular contour, and up front, the M3 now illuminates the road with icy, LED beams. The taillights look more aggressive as well. There are also two new (extracost) exterior paint colors.Like the regular 3-series, the M3 gets a tweaked interior, although we wonder if this ultrasporty derivative really needs more chrome inside. At least the upgraded iDrive and navigation setup will be more responsive.

Everything else carries over—and that's not a bad thing. The new M3 retains the structural changes, unique suspension components, lightweight seats, and the carbon-fiber pieces that set it apart from the regular 3-series.

The M3's S55 engine is loosely based on the N55 engine that is being dropped from the regular 3-series, but the S55 deserves to live on unchanged. Rated at 425 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque, the twin-turbocharged straight-six is mated to either a six-speed manual or a Getrag-sourced seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, the latter of which is not available on any other 3-series.

While the regular 3-series gets a somewhat stiffer chassis, the M3 doesn't need more stiffness. And it keeps the electronically controlled rear differential that makes drifting easy—and fun.

Although not extensive, the tweaks to the M3 should help it keep pace with the entries from Stuttgart and Detroit. We would have wished for only one additional change: The piped-in sound that aims to create the impression of a V-8 might have been reprogrammed to bring it closer to the true character of the S55 inline-six. Maybe next time.