BMW M3 coupe 2007 review

There is always something special about a BMW M3. It has been an extreme excitement machine for every one of its 20 years, thanks to roots sunk deep into BMW's motorsport division. The M machine is fast, focussed and fun. But there is something extra special about the M3 in 2007, it's the V8 engine.

Dropping the four-litre V8 into the nose of the very latest M3 has made it a marvel, not just thanks to a powerplant with 309kW and a redline set at 8400 revs, but also because the rest of the car has been lifted to the same level.

It is a lion of a car, with the capacity to maraud and maul, to rip the heart out of its rivals, yet also purr like a giant kitty. The choice is entirely up to the driver. And that is the real marvel of the new M3. It is so strong and so sharp, yet also tame and regal and refined. It seems like a contradiction, even in a world where Porsche, Ferrari and even Audi do supercars without real vices, but BMW has done a brilliant job on a car that is still the pinnacle for the brand.

You can see it in the aggressive bodywork and carbon fibre roof, feel it in the leather trim and the plastic mudguards, and hear it in an exhaust note, both restrained and threatening, coming from the M car's four signature pipes.

But you really feel it when you drop the hammer and the M3 V8 erupts and the car pounces and bounds towards the horizon.

The new M3 is not going to be cheap. BMW Australia says somewhere in the $160,000$165,000 range, which is a hefty $20,000 increase. It won't be easy to get one as sporty drivers rush to showrooms in the early months after deliveries begin in October.

I also think BMW should have brought the car out with its new-age, seven-speed double-clutch gearbox; not just the six-speed manual, added some cupholders and re-worked the armrest on the console to make gear changes easier. Oh, and a lot of the driver-adjustable electronic systems are silly and unnecessary.

They seem more like toys for the Xbox generation in a car with impressive basic engineering and wonderful in-house computer programming. Still, almost everything about the M3 is excellent, even measured against the already-classy 335i twin-turbo coupe and the rampaging M5 with its F1-inspired V10 engine.

It's not a Porsche but it's not trying to be, and a Ferrari does not have the boot or back seat of the M3. Eventually, there will be an M3 convertible built into the company's latest folding-roof coupe, but the regular car is more than enough for now. It hits the road after the most intensive and costly development program in M3 history, which means 80 per cent of parts are new or improved.

Much work has been devoted to weight reduction, even though it's 80kg heavier than the previous six-pack M3, and higher-tech electronics, noise reduction and more comfort and safety. There is a lot of stiffening around the suspension, the weight balance is an ideal 50:50, the iDrive system includes the latest 'favourite' buttons and an MDrive setting for the driver's sports preferences, and the body is hunkered down and muscled up with a look that says M.

“We have a big commitment, an obligation,” says technical director of the BMW M division Gerhard Richter. “We know exactly what our customers want to have.”

In the case of the M3, that meant a V8. So the engineers shaved two cylinders from the M5's V10, then went to work to liberate those 309kW and 400Nm of torque with a claimed fuel consumption of 12.4 litres per 100km.

“The engine is the smaller brother of the V10,” Richter says. Measured against the outgoing six it has 17 per cent more power, is 15kg and 7 per cent lighter and uses 8 per cent less fuel.

It is mated to the six-speed manual transmission and an M limited-slip differential feeding power to the rear wheels, while the car rolls on 18-inch alloys (19s are optional) with single-piston brake calipers gripping vented and cross-drilled discs, with sports-tuned fully independent suspension. The electronics in the car run from the usual anti-lock brakes and stability control to driver-adjustable servotronic steering and throttle response. There are front-side-head airbags, all the electric assists, classy air-con and leather wrapping you expected in a $150,000-plus luxury car.

But the M3 is all about driving, right down to the hot laps with Richter on the classic Nurburgring course in Germany. It also comes down to the numbers. So the M3 V8 does the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.8 seconds, will slam through an 80-120 overtaking run in 4.9 seconds in fourth gear, and is only held back to 250 km/h by a corporate agreement and slick electronics. The first 10km in the new M3 are extraordinary.

And it's not about the speed. Yes, there is speed and more than enough for any situation, up to and including a full-on racetrack attack.

But it's the flexibility and refinement that makes the big impact. The new M3 will pull from just beyond idle in any gear, including sixth, is as quiet and comfy as any other 3-Series coupe, and makes no special demands on the driver.

If you want to dribble along it will do the job. But if you prefer a wicked spin to 8400 revs it's just as happy. It tricked in traffic without complaint, when it was easy to appreciate the excellent air-con and the latest supportive M seats.

They are not as contoured or as race-shaped as earlier buckets, yet are more comfortable and make for easier access to the back seat. The ride is firm but not sharp, the car is quiet but still announces its presence, and the controls are all firm with a direction connection to the road.

And the V8? Incredibly flexible, with a strong surge of torque from 2000 revs, which grows to a roaring power burst that runs from 5500 revs all the way to the redline.

And even the rev-limit is new age, with the bap-bap-bap interrupter of previous models replaced by a gradual shutdown, which is easier on the catalysts and kinder to the environment.

The M3 mostly does what it is told, with the driver making the decisions on braking distances and cornering balance and exit speeds.

It will really get up and go, but it is also swift and sensible with a turn-and-squirt approach to most bends, even at speeds that seem silly.

It is a car you can thrash and push and hound, really having fun at the race track. And then you can drive it back to town.

I found the electronic adjustments in the car were mostly meaningless with the best result on the basic settings for steering, throttle, stability control and suspension. Although play racers will probably go for heavy steering, sharp throttle and stiff suspension without realising the car works better the way the M engineers set it in the first place.

The M3 has always been a car for its time. This time the beast has been tamed just enough to ensure it does not go extinct.