M3 the best of both worlds
SOME days are better than others and when there’s a BMW M3 Competition waiting in the driveway, well, then it’s a very good day indeed.
It’s a show-stopper to be sure with its blistered wheel arches and while there’s an M model in virtually their entire line-up, it’s the M3 that people tend to look to when BMW assembles a special car. And look they did, because that front grille still has people shaking their heads or smiling in appreciation.
While some say that it looks better in the metal than in pictures, I’m still not entirely convinced and I don’t think it’s helped by the number plate placed in the middle of it. You know of course what the Italians would have done in this case.
What is convincing are the workings under the bonnet with an in-line six-cylinder high-revving twin turbo pouring out 375kw and 650Nm of torque via a torque converter eightspeed ZF automatic transmission which replaces the previous generation’s dual clutch set-up. Power is sent to the rear wheels and you’ve got to love that, while the M xdrive (all-wheel drive) is destined to arrive here in Q4.
The auto set-up is incredibly refined and no matter what mode you’re in, power transfer is smooth and there’s little fuss as it switches gears to get you to a claimed 100km/h in 3.9 seconds, and will even out at 290km/h with the M Drivers package. I don’t doubt though that there’s every possibility it’s quicker than what BMW says.
In effect you get the best of both worlds with the M3. A four-door sedan that will comfortably drive you and the family to your holiday destination or a track car that will put a smile on your face every time you accelerate out of a corner with tyres squealing.
Inside, the M3 has the familiar BMW look and feel about it with the carbon interior package which has carbon-fibre inserts scattered around the cabin, including the inside of the steering wheel, transmission-lever surround and in front of the passenger seat. The M3 was fitted with the standard M sport seats while the M4 had the optional bucket seats. The standard seats proved to be supremely comfortable and one could easily sit for hundreds of kilometres on the open road while the bucket seats provided more support on the track but if you’re slightly larger than average it could become an uncomfortable ride.
Fitted with M adaptive air suspension it handled road imperfection with ease even with the setting in Sport+ but with everything dialled down the front 19-inch and rear 20-inch alloys glide over tar comfortably just like a family sedan ought to.
We took it to the Gerotek testing facility just outside Pretoria to put it through its paces.
The M3 and M4 debut with the
M Drive Professional software which includes an M Drift Analyser, M Laptimer and M Traction Control with everything dialled up except the steering. We tackled the skidpan with gusto.
The M3 gets its tail out easily and you need to treat the power with the respect it deserves because it will have you facing the wrong way in an instant. It feels surreal sitting comfortably surrounded by exceptional technology and comfort with tyres screeching and the Drift Analyser measuring your progress.
In a drag race the M4 beat the M3 by a whisker. It also highlighted how deceptively quick it is as with no fuss at all it hustles to over 200km/h without skipping a beat. On the dynamic handling track we got to play with the track settings via the idrive system which includes being able to set the traction control between completely off and anything in between as well as sport braking which proved to be especially effective with the optional carbon-ceramic brakes fitted.
With traction control off you need to keep your wits about you as it tends to understeer around the hairpins but once I had found a happy medium the M3 proved exceptionally fast with pinpoint steering and a lot of fun to drive.
I also drove the M4 and it felt a bit tighter with less work around the track I think partly because of the seats and its elongated two-door coupe shape and according to the weight on the disk it’s 5kg lighter. As a sedan with four doors and an M badge as an everyday drive and an occasional fun outing at a track day, I’d have the M3 but at R1 860 000 M performance is way out of reach of the average enthusiast.