2003 BMW M3 Information
- Thread starter Thai
- Start date
Thai
Elite Member
Roundel Review of M3:
http://www.bmwcca.org/Roundel/2000/1100fea.htm
M3
The King is Dead, Long Live the King
By Dave Farnsworth; Photos Courtesy BMW AG
The Circuito de Jerez drapes languidly over the parched terrain of southwestern Spain. Though surrounded by a toppled landscape of foothills and ravines, punctuated by the occasional village of bone-white homes, the track has few elevation changes; it is one ofthose courses that has a certain intuitive assurance to its layout, with a good line-of-sight through all of its turns; it takes but a few laps to begin to feel comfortable with its rhythm and pace. For years it was the venue of the Grand Prix ofSpain, and it remains a popular site for Formula 1 teams testing in the off-season, as well as hosting an active schedule of motor-cycle racing. Today, however it's eerily silent along the perimeter road that collars the track. The intense Spanish sun pinned in a cloudless sky raises the temperatures to the mid-eighties. A slight breeze flutters through, providing only a hint of relief
Then, through the midday stillness, the distant urgent sound of an accelerating engine intrudes: The staccato beat increases in tempo and the sound takes on a mellow note as a bright-colored sedan peeks into view a 3 Series BMW closing rapidly on a comer. But the snarl of the engine, as well as the gaping black maw of the huge monochromatic front spoiler signals something unique about this 3 Series. As the driver sets up for the corner the car slows rapidly with little dive; as the BMW passes in a neatly controlled drift, the side view reveals large wheels tucked into a low chassis. The really sharp-eyed viewer may even note the presence of a small side grille in the front quarter-pane, though at this speed it's too small and gone too fast-to appreciate. The logo says M3, and that says all that needs to be said; and as the car disappears around the corner that beautiful sound pours out of quad exhausts and you know you want this car
http://www.bmwcca.org/Roundel/2000/1100fea.htm
M3
The King is Dead, Long Live the King
By Dave Farnsworth; Photos Courtesy BMW AG
The Circuito de Jerez drapes languidly over the parched terrain of southwestern Spain. Though surrounded by a toppled landscape of foothills and ravines, punctuated by the occasional village of bone-white homes, the track has few elevation changes; it is one ofthose courses that has a certain intuitive assurance to its layout, with a good line-of-sight through all of its turns; it takes but a few laps to begin to feel comfortable with its rhythm and pace. For years it was the venue of the Grand Prix ofSpain, and it remains a popular site for Formula 1 teams testing in the off-season, as well as hosting an active schedule of motor-cycle racing. Today, however it's eerily silent along the perimeter road that collars the track. The intense Spanish sun pinned in a cloudless sky raises the temperatures to the mid-eighties. A slight breeze flutters through, providing only a hint of relief
Then, through the midday stillness, the distant urgent sound of an accelerating engine intrudes: The staccato beat increases in tempo and the sound takes on a mellow note as a bright-colored sedan peeks into view a 3 Series BMW closing rapidly on a comer. But the snarl of the engine, as well as the gaping black maw of the huge monochromatic front spoiler signals something unique about this 3 Series. As the driver sets up for the corner the car slows rapidly with little dive; as the BMW passes in a neatly controlled drift, the side view reveals large wheels tucked into a low chassis. The really sharp-eyed viewer may even note the presence of a small side grille in the front quarter-pane, though at this speed it's too small and gone too fast-to appreciate. The logo says M3, and that says all that needs to be said; and as the car disappears around the corner that beautiful sound pours out of quad exhausts and you know you want this car
Thai
Elite Member
THE NEW E46 M3
It's hard to believe it's been six years since the gnomes at Motorsport sent the first U.S.-spec version of the E36 M3 into the waiting hands of thousands of U.S. enthusiasts, the very first pair of which were mine. This M-powered emigration -- at least partially inspired by a fervent letter-writing campaign from the CCA faithful -- brought to our shores the most lauded, celebrated, and decorated model since the 2002. The refinements the E36 brought to the M3 legend could best be summed up in a few words: smoother, faster, more torque, a smaller cost premium over its lesser stablemates, and more practical on a day-to-day basis. What those refinements cost the enthusiast was the knife-edged sense of purpose, the singularly aggressive nature, the sheer "in your face" brashness brought to the marque by the truly race-bred E30 M3.
The E36 M3 garnered awards the way its predecessor gamered podium finishes. It consistently made the Top Ten lists of every major automotive buff book, and it has remained the benchmark for every company with dreams of developing a high-performance reputation. It disappeared off the showroom floors of BMW dealers throughout the U.S. faster than quality programming during sweeps week: Fully 60% of all E36 M3s were sold in the U.S. market.
But as the model run reached its inevitable conclusion, it created a dilemma for BMW: How could they improve on it, and stay at the top of an ever-enlarging heap? After all, many lesser sedans -- with considerably lesser price tags -- are hitting showroom floors with two-hundred-plus horse-power nestled under their somewhat androgynous hoods. Add to that conundrum the recent introduction of the 330 series, boasting horsepower and torque ratings nearly that of the E36 M3: How much better could the E46 M3 be? And if it is truly better than its predecessor, what direction would that improvement take?
As I headed to Spain for the intro of the new E46 M3 I thought about the two previous generations of M3, each occupying one end of a wide spectrum of performance. versus plush refinement. Would the E46 continue a tendency toward refinement, moving even farther from the rough-and-tumble, take-no-prisoners standard set by the progenitor of the line, or would it gravitate back toward that more raucous E30? Would the new M3 be. so slick it was sterile? Would it have soul? Would I write. a deposit check?
The first hint of where. BMW is going with the. new E46 M3 comes across clearly when you see. the car in person. In the exterior design, it seems that BMW heard the folks who felt the E36's subtlety was over done but didn't really want a return to the steroidal over-the-top street-fighter look of the. E30. The E46 design is different in ways that may elude the. average observer, but an overall sense. of the difference comes through a collection of visual cues. The. car simply looks more. aggressive than its immediate foebear -- Bimmerphiles will see it immediately -- with that huge Mako-mouthed front spoiler announcing the car fom the. front. The air dam accentuates the increase. in body width of nearly an inch over other E46 models. Aggressive eighteen-inch rims, with the. same "brake-dust-patina" finish of the M5 wheels (you either love. it or you hate it) snuggle up into sensuously bulging fenders that allow a front and rear track about 1.5" wider than the 330i. Wrapped around those wheels are 225/45-18 tires in front, 255/40-18 in the rear-tires that' ll take a .25-caliber slug and still hold air. You see, the specially-tuned exhaust leaves no allowance for a two-foot spare-tire. well jutting down from the. trunk, so it's run-flat tires or roadside assistance.
A slight but clearly defined bulge sits in the middle of an aluminum hood -- the same rigidity as steel at a 40% weight savings. The side grilles, which actually feed cooling air to the electronics, carry the M logo. Gone. are the aesthetically pleasing but impractically tiny angulated mirrors, replaced by larger, more. useful versions. A small rear spoiler sits at the back, providing functional downforce. at triple-digit speeds, while the quad exhausts -- the standard for M cars since the latest M5 -- poke out below.
The interior feels very familiar. All the instruments are where you'd expect them. A number of controls have. migrated to the. steering wheel, but that's not what you're. going to notice about that wheel: This is one fat, beefy leather handful. It's going to make. your current steering wheel feel like. it came from Nardi. The. seats have. been seriously upgraded, too; in addition to the usual adjustments, the side bolsters now adjust through a motorized inflation system. No matter what your preference, shape., or size, you just plant yourself down in the. seat, reach down and start the pumps, and the seat bolsters will hug you like a maiden aunt. It's as close to a racing seat as you're. going to get -- or need.
Drivetrain technology continues to proliferate, with some features handed down from the M5 and some. unique to the. M3. DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) has been added, although it's been modified for the M3's drive-line characteristics. On the street it works well. On the. track it tends to induce a lot more understeer than you'd like. Fortunately, unlike some other car companies, BMW trusts us enough to provide. an off switch.
To further add to the car's ability to deal with slippery roads -- despite prodigious power delivered to the rear with the immediacy of a slap in the face -- the M3 comes with an innovation that BMW calls the M Variable Differential Lock. Ordinary limited-slip diffs deal with moderate variations in traction between the. left and right wheel, but don't work as well when the. differences are. extreme. With the M VDL, as one. wheel begins to spin at a faster rate than the. other -- on a patch of ice, say -- it activates a pump/ plunger system that transfers power via a clutch system to the wheel with better traction. This applies as much lock as needed: up to 100% to the wheel that has traction. The. primary goal of this system is to address the concerns about the M3 `s winter capabilities.
The M3 also inherits the "sport" button from the. M5, but unlike. the M5, this alters only the throttle. response; steering is unaffected. I experimented with this button a little on the track, and below about 6,000 rpm it's like playing Road Warrior. You put your foot down, the car launches impressively, then you hit the "sport" button in mid-flight and it's like hitting the nitrous, literally shoving you back into the seat. Great fun.
The engine, of course, is the heart of the. M3. By now you know the. basics: a huge. boost in horsepower and a substantial boost in torque. The. European horsepower rating is 343 DIN, the U.S. engine 333 SAE. The two rating systems are. different; 343 DIN equals 338 SAE. The remaining five horses -- the. only real difference between the U.S.-spe.c cars and the Euro version -- is accounted for by the. placement of the. catalytic converters in U.S. models. In order to achieve the. rapid heating required to pass start-up emission standards, the cats are. moved closer to the exhaust manifold on the U.S. cars. The exhaust is so highly tuned for this engine that five horsepower is lost by this relatively minor move.
That said, the horsepower curve for the M3 looks like. Everest, peaking at 333 hp at 7,900 rpm. The. torque. curve. looks more like. Kilamanjaro, with 70% of the twist available at 1,000 rpm and a peak at 269 foot-pounds -- only six less than a Ferrari 360 Modena -- at a moderate 5,000 rpm.
The. U.S. car now receives the. electronically controlled individual throttle bodies -- the Euro motors always had them -- along with the. double VANOS system that allows 60 degrees of cam variability on the intake side and 46 degrees on the exhaust side. And for those. of you who occasionally run high-banked curves in a counter-clockwise direction, you'll be. happy to know that BMW has fitted a special oiling system that insures that your car's vital lower end doesn't suffer oil starvation. A six-speed manual connects all this engine. tech to all that differential tech. Brakes, of course, are beefy -- they have to be, with the speed potential -- 12.80" front vented rotors, 12.88 at the rear.
It's hard to believe it's been six years since the gnomes at Motorsport sent the first U.S.-spec version of the E36 M3 into the waiting hands of thousands of U.S. enthusiasts, the very first pair of which were mine. This M-powered emigration -- at least partially inspired by a fervent letter-writing campaign from the CCA faithful -- brought to our shores the most lauded, celebrated, and decorated model since the 2002. The refinements the E36 brought to the M3 legend could best be summed up in a few words: smoother, faster, more torque, a smaller cost premium over its lesser stablemates, and more practical on a day-to-day basis. What those refinements cost the enthusiast was the knife-edged sense of purpose, the singularly aggressive nature, the sheer "in your face" brashness brought to the marque by the truly race-bred E30 M3.
The E36 M3 garnered awards the way its predecessor gamered podium finishes. It consistently made the Top Ten lists of every major automotive buff book, and it has remained the benchmark for every company with dreams of developing a high-performance reputation. It disappeared off the showroom floors of BMW dealers throughout the U.S. faster than quality programming during sweeps week: Fully 60% of all E36 M3s were sold in the U.S. market.
But as the model run reached its inevitable conclusion, it created a dilemma for BMW: How could they improve on it, and stay at the top of an ever-enlarging heap? After all, many lesser sedans -- with considerably lesser price tags -- are hitting showroom floors with two-hundred-plus horse-power nestled under their somewhat androgynous hoods. Add to that conundrum the recent introduction of the 330 series, boasting horsepower and torque ratings nearly that of the E36 M3: How much better could the E46 M3 be? And if it is truly better than its predecessor, what direction would that improvement take?
As I headed to Spain for the intro of the new E46 M3 I thought about the two previous generations of M3, each occupying one end of a wide spectrum of performance. versus plush refinement. Would the E46 continue a tendency toward refinement, moving even farther from the rough-and-tumble, take-no-prisoners standard set by the progenitor of the line, or would it gravitate back toward that more raucous E30? Would the new M3 be. so slick it was sterile? Would it have soul? Would I write. a deposit check?
The first hint of where. BMW is going with the. new E46 M3 comes across clearly when you see. the car in person. In the exterior design, it seems that BMW heard the folks who felt the E36's subtlety was over done but didn't really want a return to the steroidal over-the-top street-fighter look of the. E30. The E46 design is different in ways that may elude the. average observer, but an overall sense. of the difference comes through a collection of visual cues. The. car simply looks more. aggressive than its immediate foebear -- Bimmerphiles will see it immediately -- with that huge Mako-mouthed front spoiler announcing the car fom the. front. The air dam accentuates the increase. in body width of nearly an inch over other E46 models. Aggressive eighteen-inch rims, with the. same "brake-dust-patina" finish of the M5 wheels (you either love. it or you hate it) snuggle up into sensuously bulging fenders that allow a front and rear track about 1.5" wider than the 330i. Wrapped around those wheels are 225/45-18 tires in front, 255/40-18 in the rear-tires that' ll take a .25-caliber slug and still hold air. You see, the specially-tuned exhaust leaves no allowance for a two-foot spare-tire. well jutting down from the. trunk, so it's run-flat tires or roadside assistance.
A slight but clearly defined bulge sits in the middle of an aluminum hood -- the same rigidity as steel at a 40% weight savings. The side grilles, which actually feed cooling air to the electronics, carry the M logo. Gone. are the aesthetically pleasing but impractically tiny angulated mirrors, replaced by larger, more. useful versions. A small rear spoiler sits at the back, providing functional downforce. at triple-digit speeds, while the quad exhausts -- the standard for M cars since the latest M5 -- poke out below.
The interior feels very familiar. All the instruments are where you'd expect them. A number of controls have. migrated to the. steering wheel, but that's not what you're. going to notice about that wheel: This is one fat, beefy leather handful. It's going to make. your current steering wheel feel like. it came from Nardi. The. seats have. been seriously upgraded, too; in addition to the usual adjustments, the side bolsters now adjust through a motorized inflation system. No matter what your preference, shape., or size, you just plant yourself down in the. seat, reach down and start the pumps, and the seat bolsters will hug you like a maiden aunt. It's as close to a racing seat as you're. going to get -- or need.
Drivetrain technology continues to proliferate, with some features handed down from the M5 and some. unique to the. M3. DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) has been added, although it's been modified for the M3's drive-line characteristics. On the street it works well. On the. track it tends to induce a lot more understeer than you'd like. Fortunately, unlike some other car companies, BMW trusts us enough to provide. an off switch.
To further add to the car's ability to deal with slippery roads -- despite prodigious power delivered to the rear with the immediacy of a slap in the face -- the M3 comes with an innovation that BMW calls the M Variable Differential Lock. Ordinary limited-slip diffs deal with moderate variations in traction between the. left and right wheel, but don't work as well when the. differences are. extreme. With the M VDL, as one. wheel begins to spin at a faster rate than the. other -- on a patch of ice, say -- it activates a pump/ plunger system that transfers power via a clutch system to the wheel with better traction. This applies as much lock as needed: up to 100% to the wheel that has traction. The. primary goal of this system is to address the concerns about the M3 `s winter capabilities.
The M3 also inherits the "sport" button from the. M5, but unlike. the M5, this alters only the throttle. response; steering is unaffected. I experimented with this button a little on the track, and below about 6,000 rpm it's like playing Road Warrior. You put your foot down, the car launches impressively, then you hit the "sport" button in mid-flight and it's like hitting the nitrous, literally shoving you back into the seat. Great fun.
The engine, of course, is the heart of the. M3. By now you know the. basics: a huge. boost in horsepower and a substantial boost in torque. The. European horsepower rating is 343 DIN, the U.S. engine 333 SAE. The two rating systems are. different; 343 DIN equals 338 SAE. The remaining five horses -- the. only real difference between the U.S.-spe.c cars and the Euro version -- is accounted for by the. placement of the. catalytic converters in U.S. models. In order to achieve the. rapid heating required to pass start-up emission standards, the cats are. moved closer to the exhaust manifold on the U.S. cars. The exhaust is so highly tuned for this engine that five horsepower is lost by this relatively minor move.
That said, the horsepower curve for the M3 looks like. Everest, peaking at 333 hp at 7,900 rpm. The. torque. curve. looks more like. Kilamanjaro, with 70% of the twist available at 1,000 rpm and a peak at 269 foot-pounds -- only six less than a Ferrari 360 Modena -- at a moderate 5,000 rpm.
The. U.S. car now receives the. electronically controlled individual throttle bodies -- the Euro motors always had them -- along with the. double VANOS system that allows 60 degrees of cam variability on the intake side and 46 degrees on the exhaust side. And for those. of you who occasionally run high-banked curves in a counter-clockwise direction, you'll be. happy to know that BMW has fitted a special oiling system that insures that your car's vital lower end doesn't suffer oil starvation. A six-speed manual connects all this engine. tech to all that differential tech. Brakes, of course, are beefy -- they have to be, with the speed potential -- 12.80" front vented rotors, 12.88 at the rear.
Thai
Elite Member
So How does it all come. come together?
The over-the-road section of the test drive leaves the Circuito de Jerez in a straight shot across arid fields headed toward a twisting series of low mountain crossings. Settling into the soft grip of the new sport seats, we head into the early moming traffic of Jerez on a two-lane highway. We're behind a lumbering pair of trucks and an open stretch appears to give us the first opportunity to see if the new engine-management systems result in a truly noticeable change. We drop down a gear and nail the gas. The engine growl rises abruptly... and just as abruptly we're hurtling past the trucks as the tach needle winds freely to 7,000 rpm -- still nearly 1,000 rpm below redline, but we don `t need any more.
As we head up the narrow mountain roads, bordered by cliffs on one side and neatly-spaced two foot stone blocks on the other -- just high enough to provide a nice trajectory to the valley floor sinking steadily below us -- the Michelin Pilot Sports and the M3's suspension work in harmony. Every so often, on a particularly acute uphill turn, you feel the differential performing its magic. Brakes have a solid progressive feel that is secure and consistent. The ride feels firmer than the E36, befitting a subtle shift back in the direction of the E30.
Later as we return to Jerez for on-track sessions, the two-lane highway opens up for a stretch and we accelerate effortlessly to around 100 mph. The road erupts in a long series of dips and heaves that were barely noticeable at 55 to 60, but the car is imperturbable, requiring only the lightest touch on the thick leather steering wheel to confidently maintain a perfectly straight course.
The first thing you notice -- and it's an impression that will not fade -- is the engine. sound. A melodious bass burble erupts from the rear when you fire up the car, and even with the windows closed, even at a modest 3,000 rpm, that beautiful sound is there. Not raspy, but pleasingly far from the whispering exhaust of the E36, it reminds you with every shift that this car is different. And once you slip it into gear, it delivers on that elusive. M3 promise.
The power comes on quickly and builds rapidly as the engine winds towards a lofty 7,900 rpm. At the low end, its gobs of torque will push you up hills without touching the. shifter, like an unseen hand. If you want more immediacy, drop down a gear or two and lean on the accelerator and the car will squirt forward like. that hill is just an optical illusion. BMW claims a 0-60 time. of 4.8 seconds for the. U.S. car, and I believe. it. "Silly fast" has just been redefined.
On the. track, the car feels noticeably stronger than the. E36, pulling out of corners with a quick surge that doesn't let up. Steering is typical BMW, direct with excellent feel, the thick steering wheel enhancing the whole impression of unflappable. stability. Some understeer occurs as you push it, but a predictable and easily-controlled drift is simple to induce. The Michelin Pilot Sports grip very well, turning in precisely -- and without the howl of the MXX3s. You can feel the mass in this car -- it outweighs the. E36 by 240 pounds -- but it's not intrusive. The six-speed transmission works with sharp precision and the. same. slight notchiness E36 drivers know well, but the. addition of that sixth gear will require some care., especially on track, to avoid the "money" shift -- that's the expensive. one that goes astray, bending valves and wallets in one horrifying instant -- in the fifth-to-fourth downshift.
In the. future, there. will be a convertible -- though stiffening up the chassis enough to deal with the power this car puts out will be a major challenge -- but there are currently no plans to build a four-door version. Fom my conversaions with various BMW insiders, I think we'd see a wagon version before a four-door. There's no lightweight version in the works, either, but several BMW folks add a qualifier: "If there's a sufficient demand," they say, "who knows?"
The Sequential Manual Gearbox is one option that will reach the States -- or so we've been assured. The. timing isn't certain, but some. sources say it could be available as early as mid-2001. The major concern with SMG isn't the technology; half the M3s delivered outside. the U.S. market in the. last part of the. E36 model run were equipped with SMG, and the. customer satisfaction was 90%. The concern is that the average U.S. buyer may think he's somehow just purchased a different version of the automatic, and it is decidedly not that.
Deliveries will begin in early January -- a great time. to check out that M variable. differential lock -- and here's the good news: Though it had been assumed all along that the E46 M3 would come in just under the Fifty Grand mark, expect the price. to be in the. $45,000-46,000 range. For a car with 911-level performance -- and a usable. back seat -- that represents a real automotive bargain.
If you liked the E36 M3, you will flat-out love this car. The technology is not intrusive; the power is intoxicating; the sound is sensuous; the interior design is inviting and the exterior borings the perfect blend of subtlety and aggression. The benchmark has been seriously raised.
As you leave the track, a row of M3s sits ready, engines softly ticking away the heat, as relaxed as marathon runners ready for a few more miles. Their muscular profiles, outlines glistening in the fading sun, draw your attention, and you can almost feel them coaxing you back into the cockpit for one more lap. But instead you board the bus, heading back to the hotel, back to the airport, back to the U. S., back to reality -- all the while trying to remember exactly how much you actually have in that bank account.
The over-the-road section of the test drive leaves the Circuito de Jerez in a straight shot across arid fields headed toward a twisting series of low mountain crossings. Settling into the soft grip of the new sport seats, we head into the early moming traffic of Jerez on a two-lane highway. We're behind a lumbering pair of trucks and an open stretch appears to give us the first opportunity to see if the new engine-management systems result in a truly noticeable change. We drop down a gear and nail the gas. The engine growl rises abruptly... and just as abruptly we're hurtling past the trucks as the tach needle winds freely to 7,000 rpm -- still nearly 1,000 rpm below redline, but we don `t need any more.
As we head up the narrow mountain roads, bordered by cliffs on one side and neatly-spaced two foot stone blocks on the other -- just high enough to provide a nice trajectory to the valley floor sinking steadily below us -- the Michelin Pilot Sports and the M3's suspension work in harmony. Every so often, on a particularly acute uphill turn, you feel the differential performing its magic. Brakes have a solid progressive feel that is secure and consistent. The ride feels firmer than the E36, befitting a subtle shift back in the direction of the E30.
Later as we return to Jerez for on-track sessions, the two-lane highway opens up for a stretch and we accelerate effortlessly to around 100 mph. The road erupts in a long series of dips and heaves that were barely noticeable at 55 to 60, but the car is imperturbable, requiring only the lightest touch on the thick leather steering wheel to confidently maintain a perfectly straight course.
The first thing you notice -- and it's an impression that will not fade -- is the engine. sound. A melodious bass burble erupts from the rear when you fire up the car, and even with the windows closed, even at a modest 3,000 rpm, that beautiful sound is there. Not raspy, but pleasingly far from the whispering exhaust of the E36, it reminds you with every shift that this car is different. And once you slip it into gear, it delivers on that elusive. M3 promise.
The power comes on quickly and builds rapidly as the engine winds towards a lofty 7,900 rpm. At the low end, its gobs of torque will push you up hills without touching the. shifter, like an unseen hand. If you want more immediacy, drop down a gear or two and lean on the accelerator and the car will squirt forward like. that hill is just an optical illusion. BMW claims a 0-60 time. of 4.8 seconds for the. U.S. car, and I believe. it. "Silly fast" has just been redefined.
On the. track, the car feels noticeably stronger than the. E36, pulling out of corners with a quick surge that doesn't let up. Steering is typical BMW, direct with excellent feel, the thick steering wheel enhancing the whole impression of unflappable. stability. Some understeer occurs as you push it, but a predictable and easily-controlled drift is simple to induce. The Michelin Pilot Sports grip very well, turning in precisely -- and without the howl of the MXX3s. You can feel the mass in this car -- it outweighs the. E36 by 240 pounds -- but it's not intrusive. The six-speed transmission works with sharp precision and the. same. slight notchiness E36 drivers know well, but the. addition of that sixth gear will require some care., especially on track, to avoid the "money" shift -- that's the expensive. one that goes astray, bending valves and wallets in one horrifying instant -- in the fifth-to-fourth downshift.
In the. future, there. will be a convertible -- though stiffening up the chassis enough to deal with the power this car puts out will be a major challenge -- but there are currently no plans to build a four-door version. Fom my conversaions with various BMW insiders, I think we'd see a wagon version before a four-door. There's no lightweight version in the works, either, but several BMW folks add a qualifier: "If there's a sufficient demand," they say, "who knows?"
The Sequential Manual Gearbox is one option that will reach the States -- or so we've been assured. The. timing isn't certain, but some. sources say it could be available as early as mid-2001. The major concern with SMG isn't the technology; half the M3s delivered outside. the U.S. market in the. last part of the. E36 model run were equipped with SMG, and the. customer satisfaction was 90%. The concern is that the average U.S. buyer may think he's somehow just purchased a different version of the automatic, and it is decidedly not that.
Deliveries will begin in early January -- a great time. to check out that M variable. differential lock -- and here's the good news: Though it had been assumed all along that the E46 M3 would come in just under the Fifty Grand mark, expect the price. to be in the. $45,000-46,000 range. For a car with 911-level performance -- and a usable. back seat -- that represents a real automotive bargain.
If you liked the E36 M3, you will flat-out love this car. The technology is not intrusive; the power is intoxicating; the sound is sensuous; the interior design is inviting and the exterior borings the perfect blend of subtlety and aggression. The benchmark has been seriously raised.
As you leave the track, a row of M3s sits ready, engines softly ticking away the heat, as relaxed as marathon runners ready for a few more miles. Their muscular profiles, outlines glistening in the fading sun, draw your attention, and you can almost feel them coaxing you back into the cockpit for one more lap. But instead you board the bus, heading back to the hotel, back to the airport, back to the U. S., back to reality -- all the while trying to remember exactly how much you actually have in that bank account.
Thai
Elite Member
3.62 diff @ 8000 RPM (stock)
1st 40.47 mph
2nd 67.67
3rd 102.52
4th 139.19
5th 171.20
6th 206.27
here's the 3.91 diff
1st 37.47 mph @8000 RPM
2nd 62.65
3rd 94.91
4th 128.86
5th 158.51
6th 190.97
Final
Drive: 3.62 | 3.91
0-30: 1.80 | 1.66
0-40: 2.40 | 2.66
0-50: 3.70 | 3.55
0-60: 4.69 | 4.49
0-70: 6.25 | 6.18
0-80: 7.84 | 7.64
0-90: 9.52 | 9.24
0-100: 11.40 | 11.66
0-110: 14.33 | 14.11
0-120: 17.28 | 16.89
0-130: 20.78 | 20.80
1st 40.47 mph
2nd 67.67
3rd 102.52
4th 139.19
5th 171.20
6th 206.27
here's the 3.91 diff
1st 37.47 mph @8000 RPM
2nd 62.65
3rd 94.91
4th 128.86
5th 158.51
6th 190.97
Final
Drive: 3.62 | 3.91
0-30: 1.80 | 1.66
0-40: 2.40 | 2.66
0-50: 3.70 | 3.55
0-60: 4.69 | 4.49
0-70: 6.25 | 6.18
0-80: 7.84 | 7.64
0-90: 9.52 | 9.24
0-100: 11.40 | 11.66
0-110: 14.33 | 14.11
0-120: 17.28 | 16.89
0-130: 20.78 | 20.80
