The Best 4,6,8,10,and 12 Cylinder Cars BMW’s M Division Ever Made



Few things are as fantastic in this world as a BMW M Product. BMW’s mastermind performance division has created some of the best-driving, most impressive, and downright gorgeous cars ever to grace the streets or the track. Sedans, coupes, sports cars, SUVS; everything it touches is guaranteed to be an absolute banger. There isn’t a vehicle BMW makes that M can’t make better, and that’s because the division knows just what it needs to elevate and leave alone with each model without taking away what makes each model so great in the first place.

BMW

BMW is a German luxury car and motorbike manufacturer and current owner of Mini, Rolls-Royce, and Alpina. With roots dating back to 1913 as Rapp Motorenwerke, it officially became Bayerische Motoren Werke in 1922 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines. BMW’s first car was built in 1928 when it built the Austin 7 under license from Dixi, which was called the BMW 3/15. BMW grew into a manufacturer of premium and luxury automobiles, launching iconic nameplates like the 3 Series, 5 Series, and 7 Series, and is today known as one of the leading luxury automakers in the world, while the BMW M division is hailed as a leading manufacturer of performance cars.

Founded 1916

Founder Karl Rapp

Headquarters Munich, Germany

Owned By Publicly Traded

Current CEO Oliver Zipse

Over the years, the division has worked its magic on everything from its four-cylinder models to its monster V12 saloons, but not all M versions are created equal. We all love the glorious V8 roar from an E90 M3, but we can all agree the rest of the package left a little to be desired. This got us thinking: What are the greatest 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, and 12-cylinder cars the division has ever made? It’s tough picking favorites, but after some deliberation, a few models rose to the top as the brand’s all-time greats, and we think you’ll agree with most of our picks.

1 Best 4-Cylinder M Car: BMW E30 M3

Model

BMW E30 M3

Engine

S14 2.3-liter Inline-Four

Power Output

192 hp

Torque

170 lb-ft

Top Speed

146 mph

0-60 mph

6.9 seconds

Years Produced

1986-1991

The E30 M3 is not just a car; it’s an icon of BMW’s racing heritage and a touchstone for the M Division. Created to meet homologation requirements for the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) and Group A racing series, it turned the 3 Series into a genuine high-revving masterpiece that changed the way we looked at BMW forever. Under the hood is the legendary S14 2.3-liter 4-cylinder that underwent a host of changes to produce a blistering 192 horsepower. While that may not seem like a lot by today’s standards, it was great for the time, and what’s more important is how it worked in conjunction with the rest of the car.

Add CarBuzz to your Google News feed.

Connected to a five-speed manual and sending all that power to the rear wheels, the car underwent a comprehensive weight-shedding program that saw almost all the panels on the car change to get the weight down a hard below 2,500 lbs. It now wore an aggressive body kit dominated by a bold front splitter and a large rear wing and had a 53:47 front/rear weight balance. It was agile, responsive, and quick. Immediately, the world fell in love.

What made it truly special was its motorsport pedigree. The E30 M3 won multiple championships and became synonymous with BMW’s racing legacy, proving the M brand’s commitment to performance. Only 5,300 models ever made it to our shores, and today they’re sought after by enthusiasts and collectors alike. It’s the one that started it all, and we’re forever grateful for it.

2 Best 6-Cylinder M Car: BMW M3 E46

Model

BMW M3 E46

Engine

S54 3.2-liter Inline-Six

Power Output

333 hp

Torque

262 lb-ft

Top Speed

155 mph

0-60 mph

4.8 seconds

Years Produced

2000-2006

Many consider the E46 M3 to be the greatest M3 of all time, and we’re definitely a part of that group. It was the first time BMW finally gave the 3 Series the comprehensive update the model deserved, perfectly blending luxury and technology in a package that was still analog and tactile in all the right ways. It wasn’t the first M3 with an inline-six under the hood. That honor goes to the E36, but the E46’s powerplant finally gave the car the power it deserved thanks to the legendary S54 3.2-liter inline-six engine. In the US, the model makes 333 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, helping the model hit 60 mph in under 5 seconds. Oh, and the redline was a sky-high 7,900 RPM.

Related BMW E46 3 Series: The Best E46 Years And Models

Our best E46 list includes two legendary models Americans missed out on.

You had the choice of either a 6-speed manual or the simulated manual gearbox, and every single enthusiast will tell you to get one with the manual if you can. Sure, the model had gained almost 1,000 lbs in two generations, but that didn’t hurt handling, as the car still had an extremely agile chassis, helping the car to handle the turns with confidence. The driving experience is a little snappier than a current M3, but there’s just something about the entire package that just works.

The styling has aged remarkably well too, not looking out of place with newer cars, but having an understated elegance that’s tough to find these days. The E46 M3 has become a benchmark for sports coupes, and truly embodied the dream of the “Ultimate Driving Machine”.

3 Best 8-Cylinder M Car: BMW M5 E39

Model

BMW M5 E39

Engine

S62 4.9-liter V8

Power Output

394 hp

Torque

369 lb-ft

Top Speed

155 mph

0-60 mph

4.8 seconds

Years Produced

1998-2003

BMW has made plenty of cars with incredible V8-powered models over the years, but one stands out among the rest as the very best: the E39 M5. BMW’s M division was on a roll around the turn of the century, and when the E46 M3 just wouldn’t do, you looked to the car’s older brother. The M5 had everything: elegant design, an incredible ride, and gobs of power thanks to the S62 V8 under the hood. It’s the quintessential high-performance sedan and the benchmark on which all subsequent M5s have been judged.

Related Old Vs. New: E39 BMW M5 Vs. The All-New 2025 M5 Plug-In Hybrid

The all-new 2025 BMW M5 may have more than 700 horses to play with, but how does it compare to the most iconic M5 of them all?

Your only choice back then was a six-speed manual transmission, and anyone who’s driven one will tell you this was the correct choice. The shift action is slick and satisfying, and perfectly blends with the V8, allowing you to keep the car in the power. There are no fancy suspension settings to speak of, yet it perfectly soaks up the bumps on a long highway cruise while carefully allowing the car to dance around on a back road. It isn’t as chuckable as the M3, but there wasn’t another car on the road that had the poise and presence this one did.

The car wasn’t in-your-face either. Its styling cues were subtle. A nip here, a bulge there. Just enough menace to raise the eyebrows of enthusiasts in the know, but not enough to invite the suspicion of local law enforcement. Until you get on the accelerator, at least. Revered by enthusiasts to this day, it’s truly what we would consider a “forever car”.

4 Best 10-Cylinder M Car: BMW M5 E60

Model

BMW M5 E60

Engine

S85 5.0-liter V10

Power Output

500 hp

Torque

384 lb-ft

Top Speed

155 mph

0-60 mph

4.1 seconds

Years Produced

2005-2010

We’ll be honest with you: the E60 M5 isn’t a perfect car. Sure, it had one of the better designs of the Bangle era, but it wasn’t as timeless and effortless looking as the previous M5. The initial transmission choice, the SMG-III 7-speed single-clutch automated manual transmission, became a controversial decision because it just wasn’t smooth unless the car was being pushed to the limit, which takes away from the M5’s initial goal of being that comfortable daily driver. The introduction of iDrive also made for a frustrating infotainment experience, so really, there’s a reason many try to avoid this generation.

19:51

Related The Ultimate Test Drive: We Drove Every Generation Of BMW M5 – And We Have A Favorite

BMW let us loose in the previous M5 generations. Our favorite may surprise you.

There was and is only one reason you buy an E60 M5, and that’s for its engine. When BMW knocked it out of the park with the E39 M5, it knew it had to do something big for the subsequent generation, and it used its expertise in Formula 1 to introduce a V10 engine into a production sedan for the first time. The S85 5.0-liter V10 engine produced a whopping 500 horsepower and 384 lb-ft of torque, 100 horsepower per liter, making it one of the most powerful sedans of its time.

It’s an absurd engine, one that begs to be pushed to its 8,250 rpm redline. Hearing the howl from its quad exhaust pipes is an almost spiritual experience that rewards the bold. It feels like M truly wanted this car to be pushed to its limits whenever possible. It’s just a shame it didn’t have the reliability necessary to make that a frequent occurrence. Love it or hate it, it’s one of the most audacious and thrilling vehicles BMW has ever made.

5 Best 12-Cylinder M Car: BMW 850 CSI

Model

BMW 850CSi

Engine

S70B56 5.6-liter V12

Power Output

375 hp

Torque

406 lb-ft

Top Speed

155 mph

0-60 mph

5.9 seconds

Years Produced

1992-1996

The BMW 850 CSI is the best non-M car M has ever made. When the 8 Series coupe was on sale in the early ’90s, the engineers over at M were given the secret mission of instilling the brand’s flagship coupe with supercar performance. The result was a 640-horsepower V12 prototype called the M8, and there was hope it would go into production. Unfortunately, the Gulf War and a global recession squashed any chance of that happening, but not all hope was lost.

Related Manual, V10-Powered BMW 8 Series Restomod Is Pure Bimmer Perfection

Combining one of BMW’s prettiest designs with its most iconic engine? That sounds like a recipe for success.

The engineers were still allowed to work on the 8 Series, and the result of their efforts was the 850 CSI. This was the most powerful road-going variant of the 8 Series at the time, courtesy of a heavily revised 5.6-liter V12 that produced an exceptional 375 horsepower. The changes were so many, that the engine was officially given the “S” designation as the S70B56, making it a bonafide M engine.

The suspension was stiffened, the steering made quicker, and the styling was sharpened, but besides the “throwing star” wheels and larger brakes, there wasn’t much difference on this car from the other normal 8 Series of the time. This is how the company wanted it, as it was meant to be a restrained grand tourer with a dark side that could be unleashed at any blip of the throttle. Combine this with a sumptuous interior, and you have one of the greatest cars of the ’90s and the best V12 vehicle BMW has ever made.



Source link