Nathan Hammermaster 4/10/11
BMW M3 Review
Though speed is a very big part of the car culture, luxury and style are also important. The 2011 BMW M3 gives both with a nice emphasis on speed. The M3 is a more noticeable car to the car-oriented person, but if you aren’t partial to cars, you don’t know what you are missing. Just a little history: The M3 came out in 1987 known as the E30 M3. There were two other generations made in between the first and current models, the E36 and E46. Most M3s had inline 6s for engines (“Inline 6” refers to cylinder count and order). The model tested in this review is the latest generation E90/92/93 from 2011. The M3 continues to be a legend in the car world.
It is hard to miss a BMW, yet they all look alike and do not have special names, just numbers. So an individual has to look hard, really hard, to pick out an M3. But when that individual does, he is justly rewarded with a tantalizing feast of BMW-ness with performance extras. This brings us to the latest M3: The 2011 BMW M3, a 4.0 liter, V8 beast that produces 414 horses @ 8,300rpm and 295 lb. ft. of torque @ 3,900 rpm. 0-60mph arrives in 4.3 seconds, 60-0mph distance is 127ft. grip is a very respectable .90g., and a 14 city/20 highway mpg.
Going fast is the M3’s forté, but it is also a very, very well designed car. It has soft every-day driving, firm steering, four seats with ample space for a sports car, and 11 cubic ft. of trunk space. What does this mean? It is a car a person can live with in comfort, and take out on the track on various days and beat most cars in and above its class. The chassis has EDC (Electronic Damper Control) that switches through three damper (shock absorber) settings: normal, comfort, and sport. By stiffening the dampers, the cars performance increases, by loosening them, comfort increases. “Comfort” is the one most drivers will want during everyday driving because “normal” is a bit firmer and is most adept for fun driving. “Sport” is for driving fast on a track or on a really really fun road.
The car reviewed came with the Competition Package (a must) which includes: chassis enhancements, a lower profile, and other little stuff. Other performance enhancements including a special exhaust that is made of a special treated metal were included. If the competition package is added, insist on Michelin PS2 tires because the other option is not as sticky.
The car is not cheap at a $58,900 base price, or well equipped at $67,600, but it is more than worth the money. The car is not as striking or noticeable as some, but this makes it a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A cool extra is the unpainted carbon fiber roof, a smart move by BMW (‘cause open carbon fiber is always cool).
This is the car for the sporty driver who still wants comfort during everday driving. Others will like this car if they know the legend of the M3, although some purists do not like the V8 which probably won’t be continued in the next generation. Six cylinders are more fuel efficient than V8s and all the older generation M3s had Inline 6s. BMW M3s are recognizable by there M3 badge. This concludes the review to bring to the masses the knowledge of one of the greatest cars of all automotive history.
Nathan Hammermaster © Superchargedreviews 2011 Information came from mainly CarandDriver.com, Insideline.com, bmwusa.com and other Internet resources. Edited by David Hammermaster, Michaela Hammermaster.
