M3 – Car of the Day

Warning: Do Not Read This Article!

garythepowers — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:01:26 +0000

Ok. Not this article, but this article. Inside Line is a favorite place of mine to get some great car comparisons and new car news. They usually provide me a sneak preview of what to expect in my mailbox via the standard car magazines.

Today I was extremely excited about their new featured article, “Clash of the V8-Powered Titans – The Audi RS5 meets the M3”.

When I clicked on the article I was sent to a page with over 1500 words all about Audi vs. BMW. There were action shots of the Audi and BMW sparring on a road course somewhere. I was getting ready to settle in for possibly one of the best comparison articles of the year.

But as I started reading, I noticed that there was a lot of extra marketing info about the cars and the manufacturer’s philosophy behind the cars. What it came down to was really just an article previewing the Audi RS5 and how looks compared to the benchmark. This article is not a comparison test. It isn’t even a first drive. It is just a tease.

Inside Line is anticipating a potential showdown between the RS5 and the M3 CSL. However, the M3 CSL may not even make it to production because there isn’t enough demand for a such a niche vehicle.

The interesting thing about the Audi RS5 and its little brother the S5 is how they get their power. The new S5 and S4 will no longer be powered by a V8, but a turbo-charged V6 like the older S4’s. The V6 S4 and S5 will have 350hp and that equals 10 more hp than last years V8 S4. The RS5 goes the turbocharged V8 route to 450hp out of its 4.2 liters.

Ok, so the article wasn’t that bad, I was just disappointed that what looked like a comparison test was just a tease. You can read the full tease at Inside Line.

The 2008 M3 Test Drive

garythepowers — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:16:31 +0000

How often in your life have you had the chance to drive a new BMW M car? I’ve ridden in a few and today the number of new M cars I’ve driven totals 2. A friend at work has the new BMW M3 sedan. This is the first M3 to cross the 400hp mark and the first M3 to be powered by a V8.

When I sat behind the steering wheel of the M3 the first thing I noticed was how the driver’s seat grabbed me. The side bolsters just hold you snugly in place. Actually, the side bolsters are like those Select Comfort beds and are totally adjustable to your personal liking. The steering wheel is a thick meaty control interface that allows you to get a great grip on the direction of the M3.

The thing that the M3 reminded me of when I drove it is what the middle letter stands for in BMW. For those of you that don’t know the “M” stands for “motor”. BMW’s have always been powered by great motors and the M cars get the best motors.

When BMW first started producing V8s, I remember an automotive journalist who summed it up like this. “BMW has a long history of making 4 cylinders that compete with other companies V6s. They make 6 cylinders that compete with other companies V8s. What happens when this company makes a V8?”

Well, engine technology has come a long way since BMW introduced its first modern V8 and it may not quite be light years ahead of the competition. However, BMW still makes superior power plants, especially when the M division builds that engine.

Anyway, back to the test drive and the amazing V8. A V8 that redlines over 8000 rpm, an 8400 rpm to be exact, nearly 2000rpm over where the V8 in my GTO redlines at. It was great fun to rev out the 4.4liter German of jewel of an engine to the stratosphere of V8 rpms. It doesn’t just rev high; it revs silky smooth all the way through the tachometer applying its power smoothly all the way the shift point.

Oh and the shift points, they deserve their own paragraph. The M3 in question controls its power through a 6 speed manual transmission. This transmission has all the snickety-snick goodness that one wants in a manual transmission. The throws are short and very precise. If you properly snap through the gears you will be treated to 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th gear scratches. This was the first time I’ve caught a chirp on the way to 4^th gear, it was a little surprising and just good fun.

The M3 is also very fast. It builds its speed very smoothly and deceptively, triple digits arrive quicker than you can say “What seems to be the problem officer? We were just out for a little test drive. What do you mean I’m going to jail?”

It also handles like a BMW. Volumes have been written about the epic handling of the Ultimate Driving Machines. It’s not just a marketing slogan, especially when you are behind the wheel of the Ultimate 3 Series. I’m not going to say much about the handling other than it feels like a precision instrument. It is like signing your name with fine tip Mont Blanc pen versus a Marksalot.

The M3 is also nicely styled car and full of some great technology. You can read about on BMW’s web site. I just wanted to share my impression from my short time with the M3. Thanks to M3 owner who let me appreciate this automotive masterpiece. If you get a chance to ride or drive in the M3, take it.

So is the M3 faster than the GTO? It’s hard to tell. It would sure would be fun to find out some day.

The M3 Sedan Comparison Comparo

garythepowers — Sun, 25 May 2008 05:36:59 +0000

It seems everywhere you look there is an article comparing the new 2008 BMW M3 Sedan to the handful of other 4-doors capable of legitimately running with the ultimate Ultimate Driving Machine.

I’ve located 5 reviews comparing the best luxury sports sedans in the world to each other. The requirement for this review of reviews is that one of the cars being tested is the 4-door M3.

I will attempt to determine who has the best review of the best sports sedans in the world. Who has the best review? Can I just read the best review and save all the repetitive reading? Is the M3 really better than sex? (well, not if you do it right)

Inside Line Review

At the end of March Edmunds Inside Line published the first comparison of the M3 sedan vs. the Mercedes-Benz C63. Inside Line does a great job of regularly scooping the automotive rags with their reviews. While most car magazines are putting together next month’s articles Inside Line has already posted the earliest review. Inside Line presents a very technical review of the M3 and the C63. They took the BMW and M-B to the 1.5 mile track of Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch and gave each car a proper wringing out. The BMW lapped the track 1.8 seconds faster than the Benz. The final synopsis had the BMW occupying first place. Inside Line may have had the first comparison, but it places 5th in this review of reviews.

Car and Driver Review

Car and Driver published their review in May and chose to simply compare the M3 to the Lexus IS-F. The writers at C&D cited a former test in which the M3 coupe trumped the C63 and the Audi RS4. Laguna’s 2.2 mile track was the testing ground for their edition of car vs. car. However after a frustrating search, the actual track times aren’t recorded in the actual article. (perhaps if you download and decipher the test data sheets you can glean that information) This review was well written with a bit more personality than I noticed in the Inside Line comparison. Car and Driver does a good job of organizing their comparison test. It is a simple 3 page layout with page one introducing the vehicles and laying the stage and page 2 dedicated to the Lexus and the 3rd page for the M3. The article also had the BMW M3 as the winner of their comparison and is the 4th best comparison featuring a BMW M3 sedan.

Motor Trend Review

Motor Trend also had their version of a M3 comparison test for their May issue following a theme from the motion picture “There Will be Blood”. Motor Trend decided to do a little more work than Inside Line and Car & Driver by adding a third car to their test. This was a M3 vs. C63 vs. IS-F battle royale. Or simply a combination of the previous two reviews. Motor Trend has a frustrating style of organizing their reviews by category and not by car. I prefer a comparison organized by car so I can quickly go back and read about a specific car without having to wade through and entire review to glean the information that I need. It was an entertaining enough review and, surprise, had the BMW in the top spot followed by the C63 and then the IS-F. Motor Trend takes the bronze and lands in third place with their review.

The Truth About Cars Review

The Truth About Cars posted their comparison involving the BMW M3 in the middle of May. They chose the Audi RS4 as the contender to the BMW M3. The TTAC review was well written with wit, opinion, humor and some information. It lacked the hard test numbers of the other comparisons. You had to learn 0-60 times in other places and frankly there are plenty other places to get those simple stats. The opinions and impressions of the cars from the TTAC comparison is really what I am trying to get an understanding from in a comparison. The TTAC article ends with the author preferring the Audi over the BMW. For those of you scoring at home that is first loss for the BMW and a second place finish for the TTAC review.

Road & Track Review

Road & Track came to the “car vs. car” party the latest. However, there is good reason for their tardy arrival. The Road & Track comparison is the uber-test of the uber-sedans. The Audi RS4, the BMW M3, the Lexus IS-F, and the Mercedes C63 AMG made up the field for their test. If you can only read one comparison, this is the one to read and it even has a surprise outcome. The gold medal goes to Road & Track for the best M3 sedan comparison test.

BMW M3 Sedan – For the Zealots

garythepowers — Tue, 06 May 2008 04:16:46 +0000

BMW is credited with creating the sports sedan. The 2008 BMW M3 is the latest in a long line of fantastic M cars. The M3 has become the benchmark for the uber-enthusiast’s sports sedan.

If you don’t think the 300hp twin turbo 335i that can hit 60 in 5 seconds flat and cover the quarter mile in 13.6 seconds is fast enough, then BMW has a car for you. The M3 is your car and is available in sedan flavor again.

This M3 is powered by a 414hp V8. It can hit 60 in 4.8 seconds and hits the quarter mile mark at 12.8 seconds. The number of cars that are quicker than this 4 door is short. And the number of cars that are quicker and actually have 4 doors is even shorter.

This car is the benchmark that all others are measured against. It is one of the cars that continues to prove that BMW has earned their marketing moniker of “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” If you driven a BMW then you understand that the little blue and white propeller logo marks a car that is fun to drive.

There was a great ad in the 80’s that featured the original M3, M5 and M6, it read “of the zealots, for the zealots, by the zealots.”

Zealots rejoice!