2011 BMW M3 Review by Teamspeed.com
Teamspeed Drives the M3 Pure Edition for the Australian Market
Words and photos by Karl Peskett – Teamspeed Contributing Editor

What is it?
A two-door, four seat sports car

Why should I care?
The M3 is an icon – and with the 4.0-litre V8 under the bonnet, it’s the best it’s ever been.

How much is it?
$148,300 AUD plus taxes and delivery

Antioxidants. They’re supposed to be good for you. As far as my medical prowess goes, that’s all I know. That’s all I want to know, too, because apparently dark chocolate is full of the stuff, which is all the permission I need to go on a gorging spree.

You see, it’s better than milk chocolate – it’s darker, fuller, richer. But there’s a bitterness that offsets the sweetness. The trick is to get that harmony right. If you stay around 50 percent cocoa, it’s too weak. Around 85 percent, it’s way too bitter, and a bit powdery. It hits the sweet spot at somewhere between 65-70 percent. It’s that balance that makes dark chocolate a very memorable experience.

Sort of like BMW’s M3. This car has some of the most balanced characteristics out there, and for the price, it’s near impossible to beat.

The purists will still be crying foul over BMW’s decision to stick a V8 under the bonnet (get over it already….) but they couldn’t be more wrong. This is one of the greatest engines ever made and it makes the E92 M3 what it is.

Insert the key, press the starter, the engine quickly cranks and then grumbles into life. At idle, there’s deep bassy thump, a metallic whirring, and almost a tappety sound, making it seem a little crude and unsophisticated. I couldn’t help myself, though. After immediately hopping in my press car at BMW, a quick prod of the throttle was needed, and a sharp echoey bark filled the underground carpark. Ah yes, you will smile. You can’t hold it back.

Revving out to 8300rpm is an experience in itself. There’s an induction howl, which coupled with that sonorous exhaust note, gives the M3 a completely unique sound, which changes from the V8 rumble to a roaring, almost V10-like wail. At low revs it’s immediately identifiable as a V8, as anything over 1000rpm gives that battleship-gun sound which rises in both intensity and volume as the revs increase. Figures? It makes 420bhp and 400Nm from its 4.0-litre V8 (that’s 105bhp per litre) and will go from 0-62mph in just 4.6 seconds (when fitted with the seven-speed M-DCT). Fuel consumption? Ahem, next question please.

But it’s the balance which works. When the engine’s not under load, the exhaust is muted, and there’s a drivetrain whine which whirrs up front, giving no real clue to the game lying under the bonnet.

The M3 handles, too. Chucked into a corner, the tyres grip, the balance neutral and only on the ragged edge does it show a hint of understeer, which is simply corrected by a more judicious input of throttle. With the DSC off, it turns into a drift master, with completely predictable oversteer. Its M limited-slip differential locks up and you can hold the slide by fingertip control and feathered accelerator pedal – the back is coming around, a little less, it’s starting to straighten up, a little more.

Again, it’s the balance that impresses. It has excellent handling, and fabulous turn-in, but that doesn’t count against its road manners. Unlike other sports cars which will break your back at the first sign of a dip in the bitumen (I’m looking at you Mercedes-Benz), the M3’s ability to absorb corrugations and turn a blind eye to expansion joints puts it in very rare company indeed.

Passengers will only praise the M3’s compliant suspension rather than curse you for shaking their fillings loose. But the other reason they’ll be happy it’s the M3’s cabin is a very comfortable place to sit. Rear passengers (unless they’re well over six-feet tall) have enough head-room and leg-room despite the two-door layout. Front seat passengers benefit from some of the best pews in the business, with heaps of adjustment in all areas (including bolstering, for generously proportioned belt-lines) but also fabulous padding, and lower back support. These seats would be more at home in my office than in a sports coupe.

The M3’s practical, too, with a big boot and typical 3 Series storage spaces – but I despise the cup-holders which are just asking for a passenger’s knee to catapult Starbucks-flavoured-milk (well, let’s be honest – it’s not really coffee, is it?) across their lap.

It’s the involvement that really impresses, though. The balance comes into its own, because you can trundle the kids to school comfortably, and then head to a track and have the time of your life. The steering is fabulous in its feedback and feel (maybe a tad light at low speed, though) and responds extremely sharply to inputs.

While most people are going for the truly excellent M dual-clutch transmission (DCT), the manual is so much more engaging, and a refreshing change from the horde of self-shifters you see these days. Certainly it’s a point of difference against the C 63 AMG and the Lexus IS F. The M3’s gearbox is light and easy, with a slightly rubbery action, but a positive shift and light clutch. The throttle response on this silver press car wasn’t as progressive as previous M3’s I’ve driven, but it could still be driven as docile or as hard as you like.

If you’re serious about track work, it may pay to change the brake pads to something that will handle a little more heat, as this particular car’s brakes certainly felt it after prolonged hard stops, with a hint of fade and a more pronounced howl. For those who don’t drive like a motoring journo, the M3’s stoppers inspire confidence and are constantly talking to you. Out of interest, this car was part of a limited run called the Pure Edition, which never received the M-button on the wheel and doesn’t get full leather. But it’s cheaper and just as powerful, and with its fixed suspension rates, the Pure Edition doesn’t take five years of setting up through the now very clever iDrive.

Here’s the thing: the M3’s balance of ride/handling, comfort/sportiness, power/sedateness produces one of the stealthiest packages around. It’s a brilliant bahn-stormer, or a perfect daily driver. It has the looks, the speed and the sound to keep drivers interested, yet won’t upset the neighbours by blasting their eardrums.

It handles better than the C 63 AMG and the Lexus IS F, is more involving than both and rides like no sports car should.

Like dark chocolate, the M3 is one of my favourite experiences of all time.

 

I love reading the TS reviews. One little thing, for me, is that none of the contractions use an apostrophe.

 

Hmm- I don't know if you just ninja edited it or my phone was having an aneurysm, but it's all better!

 

Thanks mate - you had me worries there for a bit!

I try to write with correct grammar and punctuation as much as humanly possible!

 

Your phone was messing with you

 

straight hotness!

 

i would so get one if it isn't for the fact that everyone on my block has one!

 

Wonderful writeup and pic's.A few M3 track pic's from this weekend.Thanks. PalBay

 

I don't think I could get used to a RHD car or one as slow, after owning a HPF M3.

 

Enjoyed the review and photos. Love the cloth seats. Thanks for the post.