The BMW M3 Competition’s Trunk Is Incredibly Practical

Mini recently invited me down to Savannah to drive the new John Cooper Works models, and seeing as I already live in Georgia, I decided to drive down. No sense driving two hours to an airport, going through security, and taking a flight when I could get there faster in a car, right? However, since all the Minis were down in Savannah for the drive, they sent me a BMW. Specifically, the M3 Competition you see in the photo above. It certainly wasn’t the worst road trip car imaginable, but weirdly enough, one of my biggest takeaways wasn’t how it drove but how practical the trunk was.

After all, we aren’t just talking about any old M3 here. It’s an M3 Competition with the ridiculous carbon fiber bucket seats with the crotch divider. Even in its most comfortable setting, this thing is both low and stiff, and while it didn’t scrape on my parents’ driveway, getting up the dang thing was a three-wheel affair. So it’s totally plausible the trunk would feature some cross-bracing that would take up space and make it even more impractical as a daily driver than it already was. Nope. When pressed into errand duty, I ended being able to shove far more stuff in there than I ever would have expected. 

You may not be able to tell from this photo, but there’s a ton of room back there, and since the M3 Competition sits so low, it’s also easy to load. A generous opening also made sliding in a couple boxes no more difficult than loading up a Toyota Camry. Except no new Camry comes with more than 500 horsepower and a sub-four-second 0-to-60-mph time. 

Would the wagon version be even more practical than the sedan? Absolutely. Would I prefer a liftback? Of course. But if you’ve mentally written off the M3 because you assumed you couldn’t stuff it full of all your crap — or perhaps more importantly, all your kid’s crap — then I’m happy to inform you that you’re good to go. 

I mean, kids probably won’t like how stiff the M3 is, but you never know. Maybe your kid is different. Just do yourself a favor and get the regular sports seats. Especially if you’d describe yourself as anything other than dainty or petite. I’m probably 145 pounds most days, and even I’m getting close to being too wide to sit comfortably in the buckets.