2008 BMW M3

Review

The BMW M3 is a car that exists because of racing. It was designed to excel in the field

of touring car racing, and it did just that. Its career victories are nothing short of impressive; just about every series it was entered into - British, Italian, German or the one-off World Touring Car Championship - it won. Its fuel-efficient engine helped it to ace endurance racing, earning four victories apiece at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring and the Spa 24 Hours. It's so common to hear that automakers employ advanced new technologies developed for racing in their new cars, but in the case of the first M3, it wasn't just elements of the car that were forged under the checkered flag, it was the entire car.

Benchmark is a pretty heavy word to throw around, but with the M3 it's always justified. The E30 (first generation) car set the tone for successive generations and was followed up by the six-cylinder E36, which was hailed as one of the best handling sports cars ever made by numerous magazines. The E46 generation car smashed the barriers of technology: at the time of its launch, its six-cylinder engine ranked amongst the best for specific displacement (horsepower per liter), and offered the SMG-II sequential paddleshift transmission, inspired by BMW's Formula One race cars. With

each successive generation, the M3 bumped the benchmark for on-road performance, all the while continuing its on-track domination.

Although it had only been on sale for a year, BMW's E46-generation M3 racer, the GTR, marked a departure for BMW with regards to motorsports. Unlike its road-going cousin which had a straight-six, it was powered by a four-liter V8. It absolutely dominated in the American Le Mans Series of races to such a degree that it was barred from racing. Given the fact that BMW produced and homologated a handful of M3 GTRs with V8 power, and given its successes in racing, this would be a sign of things to come.

Conventional logic says that when it comes to handling of front-engined vehicles, cars with fewer cylinders are better, as their noses are lighter. By and large, eight-cylinder cars have engines that are heavier than six-cylinder cars, which degrade handling; just look at the outgoing Audi RS4 and the C55 - they never matched the M3's nimbleness or agility. But conventional just isn't in BMW's vocabulary, not at least with regards to the M3.

The M3's V8 has twice the number of cylinders and is nearly twice as large as the original's teensy engine. Based on the M5's five-liter V10 (essentially the same engine with the final cylinders lopped off), the M3's four-liter unit is a metallurgical marvel - its use of exotic metals has shaved off an impressive 33 pounds compared to the previous car's straight six. And while some automakers boast real racing tech, the M3's block is actually cast at BMW's F1 engine plant. How's that for bragging rights? What's more, the V8's configuration, only being four cylinders deep from front to back, allows it to be placed further back in the engine bay than the old car's longitudinally mounted inline-six for better weight distribution.

As expected, there are no compromises in performance as every aspect of the engine has been improved. Power is up to 414 hp, while the prodigal sum of 295 lb-ft of torque it produces is over a much broader plane thanks to the larger displacement. None of the engine's hard-revving characteristics have been lost in the process either; those lightweight internals allow it to spin to a hardly believable 8,400 rpm, some 400 rpm higher than before.

Certainly, jaws will drop because of this new engine. It is Rapid, with a capital R, and the sounds trumpeted through its quad tailpipe exhaust are

nothing short of glorious (and remarkably NASCAR-like in nature). But it'll drop jaws for other reasons too, and they tend to be followed closely in tow by envious glances. Indeed, this latest M3 is a car which pedestrians and other drivers can't peel their eyes away from.

Nothing has changed about the M3's status as a top player, but over the past generation it has progressively gained an air of seriousness. While the first generation M3 featured an outrageous rear wing and wildly flared fenders, for the time, the second generation car was stealthy, passing as a 325 or 328 to the unassuming. The third generation featured a few visual cues that set it apart, like those quad tailpipes, engine vents on the front fenders and a few other mild tweaks, but there's nothing restrained about this one. It shouts its performance inclinations loud and clear, visually through its pumped up wheel arches incorporating wider front and rear tracks, the M5-style air dam, that giant center bulge on its stamped aluminum hood with nostril-like ducts peeking through, unique side fender vents, a reworked front fascia, and aurally through its prominent exhaust. As always, every minute detail serves a purpose; the unpainted carbon fiber roof not only shaves precious pounds away (a 48.5 pound savings compared to if it had a glass sunroof), improving its center of gravity. Those giant ducts and vents direct streams of cool air effectively to where they're needed. Whatever the color or the body style (there are now three to choose from), there is no shortage of bark to back up the bite.

For having such great amounts of power amassed in such a small package, the M3 presents itself as a surprisingly easy car to drive, especially if mated to the new Getrag-developed M-DCT transmission. Your $2,900 buys you a gearbox that's got the same number of gears as the SMG found in the M5 and M6, but twice the number of clutches. Like Volkswagen's DSG transmission, it can be shifted via a pair of paddles or conventionally with the console-mounted shifter, and just like DSG, it serves up lightning-quick gear changes. Most importantly is its ability to do this without the involuntary head jerking. Left to its own devices in full automatic mode on its slower shift settings, it's nigh on impossible to tell when the transmission shifts gears, but for the tone of the exhaust.

For the full-out experience, select S5, the fastest shift speed. Not only does it offer quicker, more precise gear changes, but it's been actually calibrated to feel abrupt and aggressive. On full throttle you'll feel a kick to the backside, emphasizing the sheer power that can be called up by one's right foot, but it's never jerky. M-DCT also happens to possess a doctorate in

throttle blipping; perfectly matched downshifts accompanied by the sharp bark of the V8 as revs rise is never more than a pull of a paddle away.

It should come as no surprise that with such quick gearshifts the gearbox alone is able to shave 0.2 seconds off its already brisk 0-60 mph acceleration time, putting it on par with the much more expensive Porsche 911 Carrera S. What may surprise you is that it improves fuel economy and decreases its carbon dioxide emissions by 10 g/km.

In addition to possessing the Cray supercomputer of gearboxes, BMW upped the tech quotient in other areas of the M3. It might not have Active Steering listed anywhere on the spec sheet, but it's been blessed with active dampers, variable steering weight and various settings for the ECU which govern throttle and power development just like those on the M5 and M6. It sounds like an infinitely complicated machine, but it's all for the better.

Of the many different Ms scattered about the interior, there are two that can be found on the steering wheel. One bears the red and blue logo of BMW's performance division. If pushed, it does nothing. On the other hand, situated on the right spoke there's a plain-looking M surrounded by a circle. As nondescript as it may appear, it has a very important function - it has the ability to transform the car. With so many configurable features, BMW has grouped them together in a customizable profile called M-Drive, which can be set up via the iDrive screen. Instead of having to shuffle through menu upon menu, calling up individual settings for the stability control, dampers, shift speed (and more...), simply push the M-Drive button and your favorite settings are recalled instantly. You can alter settings as you drive around by tinkering with the hard buttons on the console by the shifter too, if needed. It's a positively brilliant layout, allowing you to dial out what you want and add all the good stuff, all while keeping your hands firmly upon the wheel.

Three and nine are exactly the places you'll want to keep your hands; the M3 really is that kind of car. Initially, it's - dare I say it - easy to think otherwise. The steering is unexpectedly light, and the normally chatty wheel isn't as communicative as I had hoped. Bumping up the weight on the Servotronic assistance helps, but this matter has to do with reducing unwanted kickback and vibrations through the fat-rimmed three-spoke wheel. After the first five minutes, this goes to the very back of your mind. Once the front tires are loaded up, the missing steering feel is colored in; the sharpness of the nose, combined with the grip and poise of the chassis is quite frankly surreal. It's an absolute riot to tackle your favorite roads; the car just goes where you point it, encouraging you to do your best Kubica impression, clipping apexes and strategically planning the perfect line. The secret with the M3 is to drive it fast; the faster you go, the better it gets. And boy is it ever good.

Have BMW's priorities shifted with the new M3? I suspect that these changes may elicit grumblings from those who believe the M3 should be a road-racer, but for the rest of us the new M3 is the optimal machine

whatever the state of the road or the driver. Should you want to drive the M3 daily, it'll comfortably take you to and from work, eating up rough pavement and expansion gaps, and with an easy right foot it returns acceptable fuel economy. You might even say it verges on being a true grand tourer in this regard. But as soon as you hit a twisty stretch of road or head for the track you can firm up the dampers, add weight to the steering and increase the sharpness of the areas that are sure to satiate the keenest of drivers. There are many talented sports coupes and sedans on the market, but none can quite match the multi-tasking wonder that is the new M3.

Not long before this article went to print, BMW announced that the M3 would be returning to the racing circuits bearing full V8 power. If what the V8-powered GTR did on the track is any indication of the new M3's future, it may just be dominant once again.