Driving the BMW M3 Competition on Mulholland: A 90-Minute Loop
Burbank to the Hollywood overlook and back — what to know about the car, the road, and the timing.
The Sao Paulo Yellow M3 Competition is the most-photographed car in our fleet. Most of those photos happen on one road. If you have rented an M3 from us and want a tight, drivable, scenic loop that fits inside a single afternoon, this is the one we recommend.
Total time, door to door: about 90 minutes. Total distance: under 40 miles. Fuel cost: one-third of a tank of 91-octane.
Before you turn the key
The M3 Competition makes 503 horsepower at the rear wheels. It runs 91-octane only — there is a Chevron at Coldwater and Ventura that we trust, and a 76 at Mulholland and Beverly Glen if you are coming from the south side. Top up before you climb. The car is rear-wheel-drive, which means in cold morning canyon air with shaded pavement, the rear tires want a few minutes to warm up before you ask anything of them. First five minutes, drive it like a normal car.
Track use, racing, and aggressive driving are not allowed under our rental agreement. The road we are about to describe is a public road with cyclists, motorcycles, and a sheriff's deputy who knows it well. Drive it at a pace where the car is doing maybe 40 percent of what it can do, and it is still one of the best sport sedans you will ever pilot.
Starting from Burbank
Take Barham south out of Burbank, cross over the 101, and pick up Cahuenga. The first photographable moment is the Hollywood Bowl Overlook on Mulholland just east of the 101 — there is a small pullout with a view straight down at the Bowl and the city behind it. Pull in, park, take three minutes. Most people do not stop here, which is exactly why you should.
Mulholland west toward Coldwater
From the overlook, head west on Mulholland Drive. The road opens up into a series of medium-radius curves with good sightlines. This is the section the car was built for. The eight-speed automatic is happy in Sport mode; you do not need Sport Plus on a public road. Keep the windows down for the first mile to hear the exhaust echo off the hillside on the south-facing curves.
There is a wide pullout near Mulholland and Skyline that locals call the Skyline overlook — it faces north over Sherman Oaks and the Valley. On a clear day after a Santa Ana, you can see the San Gabriels behind Burbank. This is the canonical car-and-Valley-skyline photo.
Turn south at Coldwater
Coldwater Canyon south to Beverly Hills is a 12-minute descent through residential canyon. It is tighter than Mulholland and slower — that is fine. The M3's adaptive dampers handle the rougher pavement on Coldwater better than you would expect from a 503-horsepower track car. You will end up at Coldwater and Sunset, which puts you a few blocks from the Beverly Hills Hotel and a real lunch.
Coming back
Take Sunset east, jump on the 101 north at Cahuenga, and you are back in Burbank inside 25 minutes. If you have time, the better return is to retrace Mulholland east — the light is different, the road is the same road, and you have already learned where the off-camber surprises are.
Timing the traffic windows
Weekday mornings before 9 a.m. are the best window. Weekend mornings before 10 a.m. are the second-best. After noon on a weekend, Mulholland fills with motorcycles, sightseers, and slow Teslas, and the road stops being fun. Avoid sunset entirely — the light is beautiful, the road is full of people stopping to photograph the light, and your $200,000 sport sedan ends up parked behind a Camry behind a tour van.
Where to leave the car
For coffee or a stop, the underground garage at the Beverly Hills Hotel is gentle on a low car and the valets recognize the M3 by sight. For a quick photo, the dirt pullout at Skyline is fine — just do not park where the no-parking signs are clear. Sheriff's deputies write tickets there on weekends.
Return the car with at least a quarter tank, no track use, no canyon-carving exploits worth mentioning, and we will see you next trip.
