What Is It?
2005 BMW M3 Coupe Competition Package
What's Special About It?
Almost everything.
With this package, BMW has tweaked every aspect of the M3's cornering hardware. The Competition Package, which will become available in February exclusively on the M3 Coupe, adds great-looking 19-inch alloy wheels, grippy Michelin Pilot Sport tires, a quicker (15.4-to-1 to 14.5-to-1) steering ratio and a specifically tuned suspension. From the M3 CSL, a lightweight hot-rod version of the car BMW never sold in America, the Competition Package borrows huge 13.6-inch cross-drilled front brake rotors and a less intrusive M track mode for the Dynamic Stability Control system.
Inside, unique aluminum trim adds flair to the dash and door panels, and soft suede adds grip to the steering wheel and handbrake. Cruise control and the usual steering wheel-mounted switches for the radio have been ditched, further reinforcing that this is a car for the weekend autocrosser, not the weekend golfer.
The Competition Package is available with either the six-speed manual or Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) and with all M3 Coupe interior and exterior color combinations. Interlagos Blue, however, is a new color exclusive to cars with the Competition Package.
What's Edmunds' Take?
Tom Purves, the chairman and CEO of BMW US, says this is the best handling M car ever. If that's true, and we see no reason why it shouldn't be, the $4,000 Competition Package is the Lufthansa heist of the 2005 model year. Most hard-core M3 owners spend that on just an aftermarket set of wheels and tires.
We also want to commend BMW for resisting the gravitational pull of lewd body kits and vulgar rear spoilers, which are too often part of such packages. Most car companies would have surely succumbed to the temptation. — Scott Oldham
2005 BMW M3 Coupe Competition Package
What's Special About It?
Almost everything.
With this package, BMW has tweaked every aspect of the M3's cornering hardware. The Competition Package, which will become available in February exclusively on the M3 Coupe, adds great-looking 19-inch alloy wheels, grippy Michelin Pilot Sport tires, a quicker (15.4-to-1 to 14.5-to-1) steering ratio and a specifically tuned suspension. From the M3 CSL, a lightweight hot-rod version of the car BMW never sold in America, the Competition Package borrows huge 13.6-inch cross-drilled front brake rotors and a less intrusive M track mode for the Dynamic Stability Control system.
Inside, unique aluminum trim adds flair to the dash and door panels, and soft suede adds grip to the steering wheel and handbrake. Cruise control and the usual steering wheel-mounted switches for the radio have been ditched, further reinforcing that this is a car for the weekend autocrosser, not the weekend golfer.
The Competition Package is available with either the six-speed manual or Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) and with all M3 Coupe interior and exterior color combinations. Interlagos Blue, however, is a new color exclusive to cars with the Competition Package.
What's Edmunds' Take?
Tom Purves, the chairman and CEO of BMW US, says this is the best handling M car ever. If that's true, and we see no reason why it shouldn't be, the $4,000 Competition Package is the Lufthansa heist of the 2005 model year. Most hard-core M3 owners spend that on just an aftermarket set of wheels and tires.
We also want to commend BMW for resisting the gravitational pull of lewd body kits and vulgar rear spoilers, which are too often part of such packages. Most car companies would have surely succumbed to the temptation. — Scott Oldham
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