Road test round up: new BMW M3 disappoints
Newswheel staff :: 13 July 2007 :: Filed under Coupe, BMW, BMW 3 Series
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340csi by another name?
Too soft, too civilised, not special enough. That’s the verdict following the initial round of road tests of BMW’s rather licentiously anticipated new M3 performance coupé. Whoopsie…
In many ways, the new M3 is a mass of contradictions. The new 4.0-litre alloy V8 engine is actually 15kg lighter than the old iron-block straight-six, not to mention much shorter (handy for weigh distribution and minimising inertia).
But it’s also big bugger, weighing in at 1,655kg.That’s fully 78kg heavier than the old M3, despite that ultralight V8, an aluminium bonnet and carbon roof panel. Still, the boosted 414bhp output is more than enough to offset the extra lard in terms of straight line grunt - power to weight is up to 250bhp per tonne from just 214bhp per tonne. BMW claims 4.8 seconds to 60mph, which is almost certainly conservative.
Still, the general consensus from the usual print magazine suspects (think Autocar and Car) is that the new M3’s overall vibe is a little too close to the 335i for comfort - monstrous performance aside. Indeed, comfort is half the problem. The car rides as well as a 335i, has similar chassis feels and adds little in the way of steering feel.
If you’re sensing a familiar pattern here, perhaps that’s because the launch of the E36 M3 generated similar criticism. Of course, BMW eventually delivered the sharper E36 M3 Evo. But the E36 M3’s reputation never really recovered from those early brickbats.
Other issues worth mentioning are the low key interior (largely the same as cooking 3 coupes, heavily bolstered seats aside), distinctly mediocre brakes that were found to fade under heavy road use, much less track abuse, and an engine note that lacks the hard metallic edge and skin-prickling drama of the outgoing E46 M3. Shame.
Oh, and horror of horrors, the new car is less keen to kick out its tail than the old model (thanks to gentler throttle response and less aggressive electric limited slip differential settings, according to Autocar).
That said, the car is also said to be an extremely effective tool for real-world road use. Grip levels are said to be monumental and point-to-point pace is predictably ludicrous.
Needless to say, all of the above leaves the door wide open for a much more focused, stripped out CSL model.
And, hell, it keeps the M3 chronology consistent. The hardcore E30 M3 gave way to the softer E36 model which in turn begat the razor-sharp E46 M3, therefore bringing us full circle with the softly-does-it new E92 M3. Perhaps we’d better get our names down on the waiting list for the next M3, circa 2014.
Linkage:
Autocar
Car
