The M3 loves to crown driftmasters by awarding up to five stars for effort
The 911 has more traction and is less keen on such extrovert exuberance, but it’ll do it under duress.
Mechanically and electronically, the new M3 is a complex animal. It packages no fewer than seven radiators and two separate cooling circuits. Its twin mono-scroll turbochargers have as much plumbing between them as a small city. The multi-talented and watch-like innards of the adaptive M differential are awe-inspiring. And the chassis has special M touches all over it, from under-body shear plates to uprated wheel carriers. But while the complexity is there, should you wish to launch into the available options (or engage the 10-step M Traction Control, which loves to crown drift-masters by awarding up to five stars for the duration, consistency and angle of their slides) you’ll discover an honest, engaging and impressively intuitive performance car in which to have more fun than you might ever have thought possible in a saloon.
The last leg our epic 250-miler is a flat-out stint on the A96 autobahn, summer tyres spinning to a blur and tanks draining to empty as the sun drops to the horizon and this dream day fades to dusk. From the BMW’s cockpit I ponder the Porsche. With its sports exhaust, rear-wheel steering, Sport Chrono pack, RS wheels and partial leather trim, it eclipses the M3 Comp’s list price by an irritating margin. Even when you factor in the higher resale value, the Porsche’s extra credibility in certain circles and the marginally superior high-speed performance, the price differential is painful and must be taken into account. A non-S Carrera 911 shrinks the price gap but lacks anything like the M3’s power, while a Cayman GTS 4.0 is neither capable of carrying sufficient people nor, in fact, a 911.
The usual sparring partners will have their chance, from Audi’s RS4 to the revised Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio. But in making the 911 sweat the new M3’s cleared the first hurdle to greatness. ⊲