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2023 BMW M Town Tour Begins: What You Need to Know

Home » 2023 BMW M Town Tour Begins: What You Need to Know

Steven Paul

May 14, 2023 / 3 minutes read

It’s official. The 2023 BMW M Town Tour has kicked off, and after beginning in California, it quickly made its way to Arizona. It will eventually traverse all 48 contiguous states in the US. While you could’ve registered a while back – and still could today – it seems like walk-ins are welcome, provided there is time and room. With three exciting M vehicles to drive and no fee or charge to speak of, it’s a good way to kill some time if you can go.

I registered online the minute I got the email and had no wait when I got to my local dealership. It was as easy as giving them my name and hopping in the vehicle I wanted to test drive. They offered one each of the M3 Competition and i4 M50 and three or four examples of the BMW XM. I guess they were anticipating lots of interest there. Unsurprisingly, there was a lot more interest in driving the M3 – equipped with the M Performance Exhaust, mind you – than anything else they had brought with them.

Things You Should Know About the 2023 BMW M Town Tour 

Anyway, here are a few things to note if you decide to check out the 2023 BMW M Town Tour. First, for those curious, you’ll be riding alone – or with the passengers of your choosing – and not with anyone working the event. You’ll also have to sign a waiver containing endless legalese and including one important note: you have to promise not to turn off traction control. Secondly, between the three vehicles, you’re only ever guaranteed to drive one. However, I heard a rumor that if you’re really polite and there’s downtime, you might be able to drive more than one. Finally,  register online beforehand  if you can. It will reduce your wait times and (effectively) guarantee you a spot in the vehicle you want to drive. You can register here .

As an enthusiast, I highly recommend checking out the BMW M Town Tour at your local dealer. That goes doubly for anyone who hasn’t driven an XM, M3, or i4 M50 – all exciting in their own unique ways. And triply if you’re actually considering buying any of these high-performance vehicles. Find the time and have some fun!

BMW M Town Tour FAQ

Technically, BMW M Town is a fictional city functioning as a marketing ploy to get people more into M vehicles. The M Town Tour is a tour throughout the United States that showcases the abilities – and allows you to drive – a variety of BMW M vehicles.

You can check out this link and select your state and preferred dealership from the drop-down menu. It will give you a list of dates next to each dealership.

Not being a real city, M Town exists only in the minds of BMW marketing execs. But the M Town Tour takes place at (many, but not all) BMW dealerships in the United States through the summer of 2023.

You’ll be able to drive a BMW XM, BMW M3 Competition with M Performance Exhaust, and electric BMW i4 M50.

I did! Why not? Though you’re only guaranteed to drive one vehicle, it never hurts to ask – you might drive a little bit of everything if it isn’t too busy. Also, the staff is courteous and professional, and you’re driving an M car that isn’t yours for free – what’s not to love?

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BMW M Power Tour Comes to iRacing in March

February 21st, 2024 by Chris Leone

The BMW M Power Tour returns for 2024 with 10 consecutive weeks of racing action! This year’s collaboration between BMW and iRacing features a varied selection of BMW M Motorsport cars competing across the world’s top tracks on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with prizes on the line for the top three drivers in the overall standings at season’s end. Races will launch every two hours starting with 0:00 GMT on Tuesday.

“We are thrilled to team up with BMW M Motorsport again for the BMW M Power Tour in 2024,” said iRacing president Tony Gardner. “As part of its commitment to virtual racing and Esports as a whole, BMW M Motorsport has long been one of the partners who have supported us most committedly. We are excited to see how the sim racers will embrace the new approach of the BMW M Power Tour, where a different BMW M Motorsport model is in the spotlight each week.”

The 2024 BMW M Power Tour schedule is as follows:

• 12-14 March: BMW M Hybrid V8, Sebring International Raceway
• 19-21 March: BMW M4 GT4, Nürburgring Grand Prix
• 26-28 March: BMW Z4 GT3, Okayama International Circuit
• 2-4 April: BMW M8 GTE, Red Bull Ring
• 9-11 April: BMW M Hybrid V8, Suzuka GP
• 16-18 April: BMW M4 GT3, Autódromo Internacional do Algarve
• 23-25 April: BMW Z4 GT3, Motorsport Arena Oschersleben
• 30 April – 2 May: BMW M8 GTE, Brands Hatch GP
• 7-9 May: BMW M Hybrid V8, Laguna Seca Raceway
• 14-16 May: BMW M4 GT3, Misano World Circuit
• 21-23 May: BMW M4 GT4, Nürburgring Nordschleife
• 28-30 May: BMW M Hybrid V8, Circuit des 24 Heures

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iRacing 2024 BMW M Power Tour Underway

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Can’t get out to the track this season and really want to some racing time? Go virtual! iRacing has begun its 10-week long BMW M Power Tour, a virtual-racig collaboration with BMW that features a variety of BMW M cars racing on top tracks. The event started in late April, but will go strong for several more weeks.

The BMW-exclusive racing series features five different BMW race cars and will feature races launching every two hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

BMW M is a staunch supporter of automotive gaming, with their website stating, “Since 2019, automotive gaming has been one of the pillars of the BMW M Motorsport program alongside works and customer racing. The motivation for entering this rapidly growing gaming segment was the huge potential offered by virtual experiences in the world of motorsport.”

From the BMW-M.com automotive gaming webpage:

BMW M Motorsport and iRacing expanded their successful cooperation in 2024 to include another exciting project: the BMW M Power Tour. The series is aimed at every member of the community of over 200,000 drivers and has been running for twelve weeks since March 2024. The racing events will be held on twelve of the most prestigious circuits in the motorsport world.

Platform:  iRacing Cars:  BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M4 GT3, BMW Z4 GT3, BMW M4 GT4, BMW M8 GTE Race days: Tuesday, Wednsday and Thursday Format:  Warm-up (3 minutes) – qualifying (8 minutes/2 laps) – race (30 minutes)

Read all about BMW’s participation full details of 2024 BMW Power Tour here.

This week (May 14-16) is the BMW M4 GT3 Misano World Circuit. For May 21-23, race the BMW M4 GT4 at Nürburgring Nordschleife. And for May 28-30, the BMW M Hybrid V8 concludes the tour at Circuit des 24 Heures.

Don’t miss out on all the iRacing excitement (and potential for prizes for the top three drivers in overall standings at the end of the season). Visit the iRacing website for more information and to register.

Images courtesy of iRacing and BMW M.

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BMW is transforming Canada into M Town this summer. Featuring the BMW M2 Competition, BMW M340i, BMW M4 CS, BMW M5 Competition, and the BMW M850i Cabriolet, these cars will be making stops along Retailers across Canada. Equipped with the latest M Performance Parts, this will be one of the most extroverted BMW fleets ever. Along the way, the cars will be making an appearance at BMW’s most thrilling event of the year, BMW M Festival in July.

Find out when the cars will be in your area below.

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2024 BMW Charity Pro-Am final results: Prize money payout, Korn Ferry Tour leaderboard and how much each golfer won

The 2024 BMW Charity Pro-Am final leaderboard is headed by winner Ryan Gerard, who topped the Korn Ferry Tour lederboard this week at Thornblade Club in Greer, South Carolina.

Gerard won his first Korn Ferry Tour event, pulling away from the field on Sunday for a dominant six-shot win in the two-course pro-am event. A final-round 66 brough Gerard to a 72-hole total of 26-under 259.

Seth Reeves finished in second this week, with Mr. 57, Cristobal del Solar finishing alone in third place to round out the medal stand.

Gerard won the $180,000 winner's share of the $1,000,000 purse.

Korn Ferry Tour Championship recap notes

Gerard earned 13.1 Official World Golf Ranking points with the win, which does help his world ranking, as he also gains 500 Korn Ferry Tour points. The top 30 players in the points standings at the end of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship earn PGA Tour cards for 2025.

This week the cut was made at 5-under 138 or better, with 67 players getting through to the final two rounds.

The 2024 Korn Ferry Tour schedule continues next week with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open and the US Open.

2024 BMW Charity Pro-Am final leaderboard, results and prize money payouts

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Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is currently a +2.6 USGA handicap, and he has covered dozens of major championships and professional golf tournaments. He likes writing about golf and making it more accessible by answering the complex questions fans have about the pro game or who want to understand how to play golf better.

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BMW M Town Tour

BMW M Town Tour made its way to BMW Palm Springs. Guests were invited to test drive some of the most dynamic models in the M lineup, including the M850i xDrive Convertible, the aggressive M5 Competition, the dynamic X3 M, the turbo charged M340i and the mechanical mastery of the M2 Competition. Our guests were immersed with excitement to hear the roar of 617 horses springing to life under their feet. 

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The Car Geek

An Enthusiast's Ramblings on the Automotive World

BMW’s M Town Tour

Not long ago, I had a chance to participate in one of BMW’s M Town Tour events. I discovered the event schedule by accident, but after reading up on the vehicles available for a test drive I knew it was an event I’d like to attend.

Event Overview

Some BMW test drive events introduce newly released vehicle while others, like this one, offer test drives of multiple vehicles. For multi-vehicle events attendees sign up for time slots for a particular vehicle. The day of the event you check in with the reception table at your assigned time and proceed to your first car. Pre-determined routes are loaded into the vehicles GPS to keep attendee’s from driving longer than their allotted time slot, but typically last around 10 minutes. Once you return from your drive, you are free to drive any other car available as long as someone hasn’t reserved that time slot. In the case of this M Tour Town event, I signed up for one car and was able to drive three of the four other cars without having to wait. The the real advantage of these events is the lack of sales pressure. They are hosted at BMW dealerships, but staffed by personnel from BMW North America who travel around the US organizing and running the events.

The focus for this event was, as the name implies, vehicles from BMW’s M vehicle line and a few equipped with the lesser M Sport package (I know…don’t get me started on what BMW has done to the M brand). In this case I was able to sample an M2, M340i, X3 M, M850, and M5. Unfortunately, the event I attended somehow ended up being located no where near a highway or roads with any turns or curves. It was buried in the heart of mid-western US suburbia and probably the worst possible site for an event to demonstrate demonstrate performance vehicles, but I attempted to make the best of it given the road and traffic conditions.

Enough about the event. Let’s talk about the cars. Even with the short time I spent in each vehicle I could get really deep into each vehicle. Instead, I’ll keep things to a brief summary in the interest of keeping this post to a reasonable length.

The Vehicles

Here are my high-level impressions of each vehicle in the order I drove them.

2020 BMW M2 Competition

I’ve driven the M2 Competition once before . The difference this time was the car came equipped with BMW’s Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT). At first I was a little disappointed it wasn’t a manual, but those feelings quickly faded away as I blasted off into morning traffic. In full manual mode using the “flappy paddles”, gear changes are crisp and would fire off as fast as I flicked the paddles. While I still feel the DCT is out of character for the M2, I can’t deny it clearly gives a driver a performance edge over the traditional three pedal transmission. It does shift far faster than a human, but I felt the real advantage is the seven gear rations which are spread out better than those in the six-speed manual. The driver never finds themselves in the wrong gear and out of the power band as long as they pay attention.

The size, balance, suspension and sublime handling of the car continues to impress me and still sits at the top of my shopping list for a high performance coupe or sports car. There really isn’t another car like it on the market right now. The Porsche Cayman is smaller, lighter, and has less power. Other coupes like the Camaro or Mustang are larger, heavier, and less refined. For a weekend toy, the M2 is in a dead tie with the Cayman.

Inside and out, this car is simple, yet looks good. The exterior has just the right touches to communicate the fact the M2 is not just another 2 Series. Flared fenders and a wider stance are hints of the amazing suspension hidden just out of sight. Inside there is very little to talk about, but in a good way. Simple buttons and digital recreations of round gauges let the driver know this is car focused clearly on performance.

For anyone considering this car I make a humble plea: please do NOT buy it in white…er, Hockenheim Silver. No matter how much BMW insists the color is silver, it’s just a gray tinted white and frankly does the car a great disservice. I can’t fathom why all of the marketing photos are in this color BMW offers the car in a stunning color called Long Beach Blue which changes hues of blues and greens depending on the lighting conditions and really turns heads in bright sunlight. It’s a fantastic color and really brings out the styling cues of the car better than any other. Especially white and “silver”.

Next up was the new M340i sedan. For the 2020 model year, BMW totally redesigned the 3 series sedan. The new G20 generation of the M340i is slightly larger, stiffer, more powerful, and thankfully lighter, than the F30 generation it replaces.

When walking up to the vehicle, I wasn’t sure what to expect. My first impression is the car looks far better in person than it does on photos. The latest generation is not very photogenic. As long as you buy the G20 (either the 330i or M340i) with the M Sport package you’ll have a car that exudes class and restrained aggression. I find the non-M Sport versions to be rather ugly. While not a fan of orange cars, I actually liked the “Sunset Metallic Orange” color of my test vehicle. I don’t know if I would own one long term, but couldn’t deny it didn’t look good sitting there in the summer sun.

BMW continues to use a more reserved and spartan direction with their interiors. Many people don’t like it and think it makes the interior look cheap, but I think it does the exact opposite. While touching and poking around the interior bits, I was conflicted. Interior materials felt thinner in some areas, but not cheap. I can only imagine this for weight savings. Regardless, everything was assembled with high levels of quality expected of a car in this price segment. The seats are very comfortable for someone like myself who is simply average in height and weight.

Before going on to my driving impressions, I have to mention BMW’s new digital gauge lay out in all non-M cars. Take a look at the below image. You will see this display across the entire BMW line up.

The first time I saw a picture of this new all-digital dash layout, I actually liked it better than the one offered by Audi. I continued to be impressed by how it looked when I started up the M340i. It looks really good. However, once the car is in motion, I’m less enthusiastic. The speedo and tach are actually hard to read. The lines indicating speed and RPM actually blend into the borders of the gauges and are not easy to read. Also, depending on seating position the areas with the numbers the lines move across can become hidden by the steering wheel itself. I never had this problem in a similarly equipped Audi.

The good news is the car drove really well. The latest version of BMW’s B58 in-line six cylinder engine puts out a claimed 380hp. Considering the M340i feels every bit as fast as the M2 which is smaller and lighter, yet has 25 more horsepower, I have a feeling BMW continues their tradition of underrating engine output specs. The car is properly quick. The engine delivers an even rush of power from low RPMs all the way to red line and doesn’t show any signs of turbo lag or dropping off at higher RPM’s. The new G20 chassis is noticeably stiffer than the F30 and it handles really well without being harsh or crashing over road imperfections. You can’t tell you’re in a a mid-sized sedan. It’s light on its feet and in “sport” mode always feels eager to play. I was really pleased to see this test model was not equipped with xDrive. I’ve never been a fan of all wheel drive BMW sedans, particularly the 3 series. On back-to-back drives, the rear wheel drive versions are always lighter, more responsive, and have better steering feel.

Many people will continue to gripe about how newer BMW’s and especially the 3 series doesn’t feel like the famed E36 and E46 generations. As an owner of a E46, I’d say they are right. However, the G20 is great to drive and still stands out as one of the few options available for a fun-to-drive sedan in a sea of boring and soggy SUV’s which clog up the roads today.

This car was a head-scratcher for me. On the outside it is a stunning design and in the dark blue color of the test car, looked amazing. On the inside, it seemed to be no different than any other current generation large-ish BMW’s like the 5 series or X5. Those parts are simply installed in a vehicle with less interior room. Not quite what I was expecting from a car with such an amazing exterior design and $112,000 starting price.

Behind the wheel the drive experience isn’t all that different from a 4 series coupe, except in one way: the 4.4L V8 under the hood. In sport mode, which keeps the exhaust flaps open for an engine audio performance, all sorts of glorious sounds come out the exhaust. It sounds amazing. It also does a good job of pushing the big coupe along very rapidly on a deep wave of torque. However, it’s a very smooth and relaxed acceleration. I was hoping for something a tad more lively from the car even if it isn’t a full-on M car.

I will also give BMW some credit going back to my 4 series comment. I’m certain the 4.4L V8 producing all the great sounds is significantly heavier than the 3.0L inline six engine found in a 440i, but it doesn’t feel like it. When driving in normal conditions it never feels like the big engine weighing down the nose and dragging around the rest of the car. I can’t say the same for other V8 powered cars I’ve driven.

The car is nice, but I’m not sure it’s worth the price tag. When the new G30 4 series makes an appearance in 2021, I think it will be the better value and driving experience when shopping BMW coupes.

X3 M Competition

503 horsepower. 442 pound-feet of torque. In the mid-sized SUV pictured above. Think about that for a minute. The world is a strange place.

This vehicle was a surprise. I’m sure it was listed in the event information, but these days I’ve started to develop a mental block of anything SUV related. Even when I arrived at the event and saw it parked next to the M2, I really didn’t pay any attention. X3’s are common in my area. I’ve driven them before and they are nice, but not memorable. It wasn’t until I climbed in to take my test drive that I realized this X3 was a totally different animal from it’s more mundane siblings.

My first indication this was one of BMW’s performance SUV’s was the seats. They aren’t your normal cushy, comfort seats, but actually a firm, well bolstered seat designed to hold you in place. The second hint was the gauges. Unlike the rather attractive, yet not very practical gauge cluster I discussed earlier in the M340i, this X3 had a set up with digitally rendered, traditional, round gauges very similar to what is in the M2. As I surveyed the center console I spotted button which allow a driver to individually adjust the steering weight and response, throttle response, and suspension stiffness. Normal M Sport vehicles don’t have this feature. It resides in only the true M vehicles. This third clue confirmed the test drive was not going to be a dull trip around the preset loop in a sedate SUV. I was still taking in all of this information when my brain finally registered what the BMW employee had just told me: 503 horsepower and 442 pound feet of torque…

On the road the X3 M is faster than any SUV has a right to be. In fact, it actually felt quicker and more agile than the M850. The X3 M leaps forward from a stop at a shocking pace. The suspension is tight and does a fantastic job of controlling body motion, yet isn’t brittle or harsh like the M2 tends to be in certain conditions. The only problem I found is the ride height. Despite BMW doing amazing things to keep this SUV planted in corners and eliminate all possible body roll, you still can’t get around the fact this is an SUV with a tall body and a moderate amount of ground clearance. To me this makes the driver feel like they are sitting on top of the vehicle while driving rather than feeling like they are a part of the vehicle like you do in a properly set up car.

Overall the X3 M was a fun drive. It’s not often that you get a chance to drive a 500hp high performance SUV. After I returned from my test drive, I asked one of the BMW employees if the engine would be the same one found in the next generation of the M3 set for release next year. The employee responded with a coy smile and admitted the S58 engine in the X3 M will indeed be found in other M cars coming soon. The engine is a real marvel in the way it delivers power and I can’t wait to see what it will do in the new M3 and M4.

M5 Competition

The M5 was the most heavily reserved vehicle, which meant I had to wait roughly 30 minutes for the staff to work me into an open time slot. It was absolutely worth the wait.

Of all the vehicles at this event, the M5 was the one I figured a BMW employee would either do all the driving or would at least ride along like they did in the M850. It was easily the most expensive (example I drove was optioned out to roughly $120,000) at the event and had the highest performance levels by far. However, when the Alpine White M5 pulled in and the previous driver got out, I was cheerfully introduced to the V8 powered monster and left alone to my own devices.

The 2020 M5 Competition is a V8, twin-turbo’d beast with 617 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque delivered to all four wheels. It will do 0 – 60 in a claimed 2.8 seconds. This car was easily the most expensive and the fastest vehicle I’ve ever driven. Despite being stuck in the midst of lunch-time rush hour traffic, there were still gaps along the modest route to tap into slivers of this car’s capabilities. Gaps in traffic vanished. An open section of empty road between two stop signs felt as if it was only 10 feet long. I’m pretty sure time itself slowed down on a couple acceleration runs. The car is FAST! The M5 is pretty large, and at 4,400 pounds it isn’t light either. However, once in motion it shrinks around you and doesn’t really feel any larger than the M340. However, unlike the M340, there is always an undertone of V8 rumble and any twitch of your right foot launches you into the next county.

If there was anything I could say I didn’t like about the M5 it was the steering. Enthusiasts and auto journalists around the world criticize the lack of steering feel in many cars, and particularly modern BMWs for good reason. Sadly, all vehicles are headed this direction due to the move from hydraulic to electric steering. However, in the M5 not only did I find it lacking any feedback, but it was also uncommonly light. Most M cars will add effort to the steering feel when placed in sport mode, but the M5 I drove was still very light. On the test drive I checked the steering mode selector several times to make sure I hadn’t placed it in the wrong setting.

Guiding the M5 back into the dealership, it hit me. I may never get a chance to sit behind the wheel of a car of this caliber again. I feel fortunate to have been able to spend even a few minutes in such an iconic automobile.

Any test drive event is a great experience for car enthusiasts, and those hosted by BMW typically allow you a great opportunity to get some seat time you would never get a chance to experience otherwise. I had a great time at the M Town Tour and huge kudo’s to BMW for featuring some of the hottest cars they make and allowing anyone to drive them in a sales pressure-less environment. The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable and the event was very well organized. Oh, and the cool insulated water bottle with the BMW logo etched in it wasn’t half bad either…

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