The ‘Competition’ badge on BMW M cars will soon be gone, but there isn’t any need to worry; they are going to become the base trim. So there is no need for the name any more. We apologise for the dramatic headline – and here is a full explanation below.
Most customers for BMW’s M cars opted for the Competition package anyway, which is a spec that offers higher power and torque than the base cars. So the levels in M cars will now have the base variants with whatever power the M versions provide at the moment (as an example, the M4 Coupe makes 473PS but the Competition version makes 523PS), the CS variants (less weight) above that, and the CSL track-focused variants at the pinnacle.
What enthusiasts should be worrying about instead is whether BMW M manuals will survive this switch: the Competition variants all offer an 8 speed automatic as standard with no manual option. Porsche also has a similar dilemma with the 911; only 2 or 3 percent of customers in Europe opted for three pedals, whereas fully half of the 911 GTS customers in the US market ordered a stick shift. With M cars going hybrid, that’s another nail in the coffin of the manual gearbox. Only time will tell.
BMW’s M Competition Models Are Being Killed Off
That’s Because They Will Be Standard M Models!
