BMW Priced the 2027 M3 Sedan at $79,300 and Kept the Clutch

BMW priced the 2027 M3 Sedan at $79,300. That is the starting MSRP on BMW USA’s official 2027 3 Series M models page, before tax, title, license, registration, and whatever the dealer thinks the market will bear. For that money you get four doors, 473 horsepower, rear-wheel drive, and the one thing the Competition cars won’t sell you at any price: a clutch pedal.

The clutch is the base car

This is the clutch graf, and BMW printed it in plain English. The FAQ on the BMW USA page says it straight: “The M3 Sedan comes with a manual transmission. The M3 Competition and M3 Competition xDrive come with the 8-speed M Steptronic Sport Transmission with Drivelogic.” The official technical data sheet lists the base car’s transmission as “6-speed, manual” with rear-wheel drive. No automatic option on the base M3. No manual option on the Competition cars. Pick your pedal count, then pick your trim.

BMW’s own sales copy calls it “the thrill of manual” — “a short and precise feel” and “perfected gear ratios that send all the power to the wheels.” The ratios are printed in BMW’s PressClub USA release for the refreshed M3: 4.11, 2.32, 1.54, 1.18, 1.00, and 0.85 overdrive in sixth. Stainless-steel M pedals with rubber treads sit under your feet. Three of them.

The official number board

BMW USA’s 2027 lineup table and technical data put the 3 Series M sedans here (starting MSRP, excluding destination):

• M3 Sedan: $79,300 — 473 hp @ 6,250 rpm, 406 lb-ft @ 2,650–6,130 rpm — 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive — 0–60 mph in 4.1 seconds
• M3 Competition Sedan: $83,500 — 503 hp, 479 lb-ft — 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive — 3.8 seconds
• M3 Competition xDrive Sedan: $88,600 — 523 hp, 479 lb-ft — 8-speed automatic, all-wheel drive — 3.4 seconds
• M340i Sedan (for scale): $62,300 — 386 hp — 4.4 seconds

Every M3 runs the same 2,993-cc M TwinPower Turbo inline-six. Top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph on all three. The manual car is also the light one: BMW lists curb weight at 3,840 pounds, versus 3,891 for the Competition and 3,990 for the Competition xDrive. The configured M3 Sedan shown on BMW’s page rings up at $79,950.

What the stick costs, and what it saves

Do the math on BMW’s own table. Choosing the manual M3 over the M3 Competition saves $4,200 and 51 pounds and gives up 30 horsepower and three-tenths to 60. That is the official trade: less power, less money, more work for your left leg. For the car-guy crowd, that’s not a penalty. That’s the point.

The price has moved, though. When BMW refreshed the car, its May 28, 2024 PressClub USA release listed the 2025 M3 at a $76,000 base MSRP, plus $1,175 destination and handling. The 2027 page says $79,300. That’s $3,300 more for the same 473 horsepower and the same six-speed. Still the cheapest way into an M3, and still the only one with three pedals outside the limited $107,100 M3 CS Handschalter, which BMW pitched as the manual sendoff for this sixth-generation M3.

The rest of the hardware

The PressClub release fills in the chassis: Adaptive M suspension with three settings, a double-joint spring strut front axle and five-link rear, M Servotronic steering, and M Compound brakes with six-piston front calipers as standard. Optional M Carbon ceramic brakes are about 30 pounds lighter. The base manual car rolls on 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels (275/40 R18 and 285/35 R19 tires), while the Competition steps up to 19s and 20s. The optional M Driver’s Package raises the limiter to 180 mph. The trunk holds 16.9 cubic feet, and it still seats five.

If you want the same engine and the same stick with two fewer doors, BMW USA had the 2027 M4 Coupe at $82,200 when we covered it — $2,900 more than this sedan. Want it smaller? The rear-drive 2027 M2 Coupe at $69,500 makes a manual standard too.

The bottom line: $79,300 buys the 2027 M3 Sedan, and BMW’s official book gives it exactly one gearbox — a six-speed manual sending 473 horsepower to the rear wheels. Every M3 with more power comes with two pedals. BMW kept the clutch, and it put it on the cheapest M3 it sells.

Sources: BMW USA, 2027 BMW 3 Series Sedan M models; BMW USA, 3 Series M models technical data; BMW Group PressClub USA, “The new 2025 BMW M3” (May 28, 2024). Photos: BMW Group PressClub USA.