BMW M3 News

The track-ready version from BMW’s M division doesn’t meet the Australian Design Regulations for ground clearance or decibels, says the carmakers Australian spokesman Piers Scott.  “We’re not sure of the exact specs of the M3 GTS, but apparently it’s lower and louder than the limits,” he says, referring to the ADR’s restrictions for 100mm clearance and 83 decibel noise limit. “However there will be a right-hand drive version, and although it looks like we’re not able to have it at the moment, it might change -- we’re still discussing it.”  Scott says that if any of the 120 cars being built do arrive, it will be with a pricetag nearly double that of its $163,000 M3 Coupe sibling. “I’d think it would be in the region of about $300,000, based on a rough comparison with what the price estimates in Europe have been,” he says.  What it offers for the price premium is a bigger, gutsier engine – a high-revving 4.3-litre V8 that develops 331 kiloWatts of power and 440 Newton-metres of torque (the M3’s 4.0-litre offers 309kW and 400Nm) – mated to a seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox that allows shift without losing traction. At 1500kg – about 80kg less than the Coupe -- the orange GTS  is aerodynamically helped by a front racing apron and rear wing, and with features like the grille, roof trim, alloy wheels and gills finished in matt black and dark anodised chrome, the GTS is clearly track-oriented. “Obviously it is designed so that you can drive it to the track as well, but it’s very much for the track day enthusiast,” Scott says.  “It’s the essence of M. The M3 is right at the core of what the M division does best and this is the M3 in its purest, most race-ready form.” Scott acknowledges that over recent years some attention may have drifted away from the M3 as other high-powered premium cars entered the field – most noticeably from Mercedes-Benz and Audi – but says this was not the motive for building the GTS, despite the brand’s triumph over its German rivals at this week’s 24-hour Nurburgring race with the M3 GT2. “New high-performance entrants have raised the stakes, but the M division has always pursued their own strategy.  However, certainly there is a halo effect with the GTS. To some degree it’s a message for purists … stripping the car down to its most basic form, and showing the superiority of rear wheel drive over four-wheel drive as a track day car.”

Two years ahead of its showroom appearance, the all-new 3 is caught for the first time outside BMW's development base at Munich in Germany.  The hand-built prototype carries heavy camouflage in the company's signature swirls, but it is still easy to pick the general shape and proportions of BMW's future best seller.The next 3 Series, coded E93, will be slightly bigger and much more elegant than the current E90. It picks up the styling direction of the latest 7 Series flagship, which has been smoothed and preened from the brutalism of the previous Seven.The upcoming E93 has typical 3 Series proportions, from its wheels-at-each-corner chassis layout to a short rear overhang and the C-pillar treatment with what BMW calls its 'Hofmeister kick'. Carparazzi pictures of the car show a widened grille and the same sort of headlamp treatment already seen on the Seven and expected on the upcoming 5 Series replacement, which will be on Australian roads in June 2010. At the back, the boot and light treatment is typically BMW with an L-shape to the lighting package.BMW insiders say the the plan for the next 3 Series will again see the coupe and cabrio models take a slightly different design direction from the sedan and wagon. The shift will include unique lamp packages with more body jewellery for the upmarket models.Like the 1 Series, the E93 has a flexible, modular mechanical platform which allows BMW to spin extra models with minimal time and cost penalties.The model lineup for the new 3 Series is still not clear, but is expected to include an active hybrid with a three-cylinder engine connected to an electric powerpack, with everything from special tyres to aero-tweaked wheels, brake-energy regeneration, engine stop-start system and a pre-heater for the engine, gearbox and differential to cut emissions through the critical first few minutes of any trip.

Rather than spelling the end of performance V8s in M-cars, BMW's new-found fascination with turbocharging will open even greater possibilities, according to the company's new Australian boss.Stavros Yallouridis, who took the reigns of the Australian operation last month, is adamant the throaty burble of a performance-tuned V8 will remain a BMW fixture."We see with the new generation of the V8 engines in the M3s what a great success those engines are," Yallouridis says. "While we may see an M car with a six cylinder engine again in the future, I think at the moment we will continue to concentrate on performance V8s."Yallouridis says the search for a balance between power and fuel efficiency is one of the reasons turbocharging has become an attractive option.BMW has set non-M performance standards by bolting twin turbochargers to its brilliant 3.0-litre six and it will not be long before the M division gets in on the force-fed action."In the very near future we may even see V8s with twin turbos on them ... the X6M and the X5M are heading in that direction," Yallouridis says."It is a lot more horsepower ...""We are already experiencing better than 500hp from a V8 engine on the test bench and there is still a lot of testing going on."What you shouldn't expect from the maestros at the M garages is a return to the company's two engine extremes."I really don't think we will see another 4-cylinder M engine but I also don't think there will be another 10-cylinder engine either. What we really want, though is a good balance — we want good fuel efficiencies with a good power result but without going overboard."Yallouridis is also quietly confident that the Australian new car market will be able to weather the global financial storm in as good, if not better, condition than overseas markets."If the total car market stabilises at a 20 per cent drop for the year I think all of us in the Australian car market will be satisfied," Yallouridis says. "We have seen erratic market movement across the world and thats varies from 10 or 15 per cent in some markets up to 60 per cent in others."In Europe it appears markets are travelling at an average of 30 per cent down while in Australia it is around 21 per cent."The premium market in Australia is around about 17-18 per cent down and we (BMW) are performing at around about 11-12 per cent down."Yallouridis believes the premium segment of the market has been better insulated from the full effects of the downturn than other more mainstream segments."We are speculating that we should see a stabilisation early next year."New product is obviously an insulation in times like this. Product is a big part of any success story at the moment."While BMW has just launched the new 7 Series and the Z4 and will have the much-anticipated X1 baby SUV late in the year Yallouridis acknowledges that the effect of these models — along with the 5 Series Grand Tourismo and all new 5 Series late in 2010 — will not be felt until next year."We knew going back five years that 2009 was going to be a dip as far as new product was concerned and in a strange way that has actually helped us with regard to circumstances from the economic crisis," he says."The availability of fresh and new product as the economic gloom begins to lift next year will give us a strong competitive boost."

The direct Audi competitor to the V8-powered BMW M3 is still some time away. Audi Australia marketing general manager Immo Buschmann says he doesn’t know when the RS4 would be coming.“We’re very happy with the RS6 and we generally have only one halo RS model at a time,” he says.Meanwhile, fans of the RS4 — which is credited with forcing BMW to move from a traditional in-line six to a V8 for its new M3 ($152,300) will have to satisfy themselves with the much more expensive RS6 ($263,500) released last year or the new supercharged V6 S4 at $118,900.The S4 features much the same engine as the supercharged 3.0-litre TFSI in the A6, but with reduced power and better fuel economy.Power is down from 253kW in the previous model S4 to 245kW, but Buschmann pointed out that the new model had more torque and, more importantly, better fuel economy.“Generally Audi wants every new model to have about a 10 per cent improvement in fuel economy, but this one is 24 per cent,” he says.Audi claims fuel economy is 9.4 litres per 100km.“A lot of customers would like a V8, but the supercharged V6 is the best for this time,” Buschmann says.“There might be some loss of sales by not having the V8 but the V6 will gain sales because of its fuel efficiency.”Buschmann says the benefits of supercharging over turbo charging are that it is smaller, runs cooler, has no lag, better economy and maximum torque.The S4 features a roots blower Eaton supercharger with two intercoolers, one in each cylinder bank.It has a seven-speed S-tronic transmission with Quattro all-wheel drive and an optional sport differential which splits the torque between the rear wheels for improved cornering, like the BMW X6 and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X.

While the big two are in serious peril and likely to go through mind warping change, Australia’s legendary marques appear to be entering a renaissance. Elfin's future looks bright under the directorship of Tom Walkinshaw, Bolwell started taking orders again last week and recently Brabham announced it is going to launch a new range of highly tuned and modified BMW's.Three models are in development, the BT92, based on an M3 and the BT60 and BT70 using the M5 and X6 as their base. Initially the re-emergence of Brabham as a tuner company might seem a bit odd but the tie in with BMW makes sense. BMW was one of the major engine partners in Brabham's illustrious history. The other significant suppliers being Coventry Climax,  Alfa and Repco.The cars are not your run of the mill bolt-on tuner packaging, they comprise extensive body and mechanical changes including new panels manufactured to race car specs in an autoclave. There has been no word of future plans past the initial three models. Nor has there been an announcement from BMW, which already has a plethora of tuning companies enhancing or degrading its cars. However while there are a few high profile names such as Schnitzer and the internal M-sport division doing their bit to Bimmer's, they have started loosing ground recently to the surging Mercedes tuner market. Mercedes, with its AMG division and partnerships with Brabus and McLaren is grabbing all the limelight.It is unfortunate that the road car side of the McLaren Mercedes partnership is waning as a new MacMerc supercar up against a Brabham-BMW supercar would be just so much fun. Given that Gordon Murray was the principal designer for Brabham in the 70's and 80’s and used the BMW engine for the F1 supercar while at McLaren, the tie ins are just so tantalising. Imagine if a BMW Brabham partnership could entice Murray to come on board and develop a true successor to the F1.Whether Brabham ties itself with BMW completely, or operates as an independent tuning/manufacturing company, the possibilities are exciting. No matter what the future plans are for Brabham, having such a fantastic Australian name back in the mix of performance cars is fantastic.Rod Halligan

The new car market is facing the doldrums, but BMW will inject some red-hot summer sizzle to the family sports saloon mix next weekend (SUBS Nov 22) with the launch of its first - for Australia - M3 with four doors. The sports saloon market has been dominated by the potent 6.2-litre Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG saloon, leaving rival BMW out in the cold with nothing in its weaponry to counter. But that's all about to change. BMW's 4.0-litre V8-packing M3 sedan will join the M3 coupe and cabriolet to give its German rival a serious run for its money. The M3 saloon will hit the streets running with, according to BMW, a price advantage over C63 AMG - but that depends on how you look at it. The Benz sells for $144,365 and comes with a seven-speed auto G-tronic transmission. The base M3 with a six-speed manual box has been priced at $145,000 which is $17,901 under the M3 coupe and $31,142 cheaper than the M3 cabriolet. But the M3 saloon fitted with BMW's new Getrag seven-speed dual clutch robotised sequential manual/auto is priced at $152,309. BMW charges a hefty $7309 just for the sequential box. BMW spokesman Toni Andreevski says the M3 manual still holds a price advantage over the C63 AMG: "The M3 saloon comes standard with a rear locking axle which Benz sells as a $5826 option and our saloon has keyless entry; Benz charges $1800 for that as an option and there's no 19-inch alloy wheel availability on the Mercedes." BMW sells the optional larger wheels for an extra $4000. The five-seater M3 offers serious performance from its 309kW V8 with 400Nm on tap which redlines at 8400rpm. Andreevski expects most buyers will opt for the dearer version of the M3 because it packs more performance for less fuel usage over the manual. The dual clutch model is marginally quicker, if set in launch mode, taking a claimed 4.7 seconds to hit 100km/h; the conventional manual takes 4.9 seconds. BMW says the semi-auto is rated at 11.9l/100km, while the best the manual can do is 12.4l/100km. Standard gear includes a brake regeneration system which recharges the battery on overrun or braking, and 18-inch alloys shod with 245/40 ZR-rated rubber up front and 265/40s in the rear. The optional 19-inch alloys have an even lower profile, with 345/35 up front and 265/35 in the rear. The saloon also boasts a full satellite navigation system with 8.8-inch colour monitor, TV, LOGIC7 hi-fi, bi-Xenon headlamps, Novillo leather upholstery, and M-seats which are power adjustable and heated.    

The arrival of BMW's 7-speed “DSG” style double clutch transmission is likely to spell the end of the auto as we know it for the company. The M version of the transmission with drive logic is set to make its debut in the new four-door M3 sedan with deliveries due to start in December. It's faster than the previous SMG robotised manual and faster again than the current six-speed manual - fast enough in fact to propel the sedan from rest to 100km/h in a mouth watering 4.7 seconds. That's just a tenth of a second slower than the iconic coupe. A watered down version of the transmission will soon also find its way into the 335i 3 Series Coupe and Convertible, but under a different name and without drive logic control. The latter dictates how quickly gear changes occur, smoothing them out or speeding them up at the touch of a button. The sedan joins the M3 coupe and soon to be released cabriolet, and is expected to account for about 25 per cent of sales. It's not the first time BMW has produced an M3 sedan. The second generation E36 model launched in 1993 holds that distinction but it was never sold here. It is however BMW's first V8 powered M3 with a 4.0-litre V8 that delivers 309kW of power at 8300rpm and 400Nm of torque from 3900rpm. With four doors and a proper back seat that can accommodate three people instead of the coupe's two, it adds a practical dimension to a car that ordinarily has very little to do with the practicality. As well as putting it back on the shopping lists of those that would have normally scrubbed a coupe, it could also lure buyers from Benz's attractive C63 AMG sedan. The only other major difference between the coupe and sedan is that the sedan is 25kg heavier and misses out on a carbon fibre roof. Given the additional weight of two extra doors BMW's engineers probably felt there was nothing to be gained (the roof shave 5kg or 20kg compared to a roof with sunroof fitted). We were able to go for an all too brief blast in the M3 sedan down the autobahns of Germany this week. Here it is legal to go as fast you like in certain areas, but you need to keep a watchful eye out for traffic entering from other lanes. The M3 sounds fantastic under full throttle and at speeds exceeding 200km/h it makes for rapid transport. The new seven-speed transmission is as good as they say, moving rapidly through the gears under hard acceleration, with an uncanny sense of timing, anticipating changes before the driver. You can leave it in D or change gears manually using the wheel mounted change paddles. The new transmission is quicker and uses less fuel than the auto or manual at 11.9 litres/100km. As good as it is, after driving this car, it won't be long before the manual is discarded altogether. The good news is that price of the sedan is expected to be between $12,000 and $15,000 cheaper than the $162,000 coupe. The bad news is that the double clutch auto will set you back $6700 more no matter which model you buy. At this price we can't see it reaching the incredible 70 per cent take up rate of the SMG transmission.  

The first words you hear when you tell someone you’ve just been rocketing around a race track are always the same: “Wow. How fast did you go?”Sadly, my answer to this is always a disappointment: “I have no idea; I was too scared to look.”So, last week, when I was invited to tackle BMW’s mumbo-tastic M3 for the first time in the challenging environs of Eastern Creek, I decided to fix this.As hard as it was to keep the speedo needle in focus, because it moves clockwise at such a fierce pace, I did my best. And the numbers I saw do tell at least part of the story about what a beast this car is.Coming out of the hairpin Turn 9 and pelting towards the kinky Turn 10, the M3 rocketed to 180km/h… in third gear. Yes, “wow” is the appropriate response to that, although I think it sounded like “ow”, or “ow my God” from the driver’s seat.The way the bravura Beemer went from a lazy 120km/h coming out of the final Turn 13 to 220km/h down the straight (I think it was in fifth by then, sixth gear being, obviously, for cruising at its limited top speed of 250km/h) can only be described as effortless.A proper driver would have been going a lot faster before dropping back to fourth – a down-change I struggled with several times, which probably has more to do with my shaking hands than any gearbox foibles – and hurling into the Creek’s testicular Turn One. Glancing away from the blurring horizon for a split second, I noted that we were doing a ballistic 170km/h at the midpoint of the corner. Again, wow, but nowhere near as wow as the pro steerers, who would easily carry 200km/h plus through there.And there’s so much torque, everywhere that you have to reassess your gear choices. You really don’t need second at all around the Creek, unless you just want to make a lot of noise.The new, V8-throated M3 is quick, then. Quick like Adam Spencer, or Robin Williams. Quick like Ben Johnson. Quick like a Porsche, but much cheaper.I’d known this would be the case, of course, because I’d salivated over the specs like the rest of you – 0 to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds, a full 0.4 seconds faster than the already awesome old car.You know that’s fast, but you have to feel it to believe it, just like the fact that it can go from 100km/h back to zero in 2.4 seconds. What makes the car such a terrific track weapon is that braking ability. You can go harder, deeper and later than ever before, and that makes for one adrenaline-surge of a lap.I’d also seen the pictures before we met, but they don’t do justice to just how hulking the presence of this new super coupe is. The bonnet bulge, the flared nostrils, the quad pipes and rear spoiler. This car has all the visual aggression that early Q car versions of the M3 eschewed, and then some.It’s also got the sexiest roof in the business – not a phrase I’ve written very often – because it’s made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic, to reduce weight and lower the centre of gravity. And to look very cool.Beneath that bulky, hulky bonnet sits the raging heart of the new machine – four litres of pure goodness, producing 309kW and 400Nm, and revving to a stop-it-my-ears-hurt 8400rpm.Only your ears don’t really hurt, in practice, they just sing. Particularly from 5000rpm upwards, the point at which all eight throttle bodies open and the beast is let fully off the leash.It’s a deep, sonorous scream but, as lustrous as it is, I still prefer the unique note of the old, comparatively weedy six-cylinder M3, which sounded heavy metallic.Of course, now that this version exists, you’d never really want to go back.The best news of all, though, is that what really made the old car, and the M3s before it, so good is still what’s best about the new one – the way it steers and handles.The new uber 3 feels heavier in the hands, but not in an unpleasant way – it just seems beefier than before, like you’ve gone from wrestling a steer to throttling a wildebeest.This car is beautifully balanced and wonderfully chuckable, and the sport settings for the traction control allow you to let it slide out the tail just enough to be exciting.Heart in your cheeks, sweat on your backside exciting.In fact, the new M3 is so track-tastic that, I must admit, it intimidated me for, ohh, about 10 laps. Then I had about five laps where I was really, really enjoying myself – hooting and hollering with joy at how good it felt to corner, how hard it kicked my spine under full throttle – and then a final three laps where I thought “Hey, you should really go back into the pits before you get hurt, Mr Thinks He’s a Boy Racer.”Of course, all these speeds and thrills are a million miles away from the real world, and I’m yet to drive BMW’s new hero on an actual real-world street, but first impressions are very important.And my first impression is that, for $157,000, BMW is offering you a superlative, semi-supercar for what is, relatively speaking, a bargain price.And it’s not often you see the words “bargain” and “BMW” in the same sentence.

The explosive growth of the BMW model range is about to be defused in Australia, with the line-up being trimmed to cut competition and duplication, making it easier for customers in showrooms.The plan is to have only three choices of any individual model, with two petrol engines and one diesel.The current list includes 36 individual models in the 3 Series sedan line-up ... without counting the coupe, convertible or station wagon.“We get a lot of questions about whetherwe have too many models,” BMW Australia managing director Guenther Seemann says.“I think we do have too many.”He believes BMW must cut the choices to streamline business, though he says there will still be all-new models in future — with the X6 four-wheel-drive and M3 sedan up next — asthe German company looks for customers.The work has begun, though there are a dozen individual BMW lines, from the baby 1 Series to the four-wheel-drive X5 and flagship 7 Series, with 50 official engine choices. BMW has 189 individual models on the list.“We've already begun tidying up. The 116i hatch has been removed from the range, there are the manuals in the 3 Series and one of the X3 manuals,” Seemann says.“In the 5 Series range, one of the V8s will go.I believe for each and every model line-up in the future, as we add models, we need two petrol and one diesel variant in each case. No more. We have so many different model lines, it is not practical or possible to display them all in a showroom.”He says it will take time to get things sorted, partly because there are so many models.“It will happen in the next two years. Globally, there are five petrol and five diesel engine choices. And that is just in the 3 Series range,” Seemann says. But there is definitely space for some additions, like the four-door M3 sedan.“We will bring the four-door version, but I do not know at what price. We have to price it lower than the M3 two-door.” 

The explosive growth of the BMW model range is about to be defused in Australia. The line-up is being trimmed to cut competition and duplication, making it easier for customers in showrooms.The plan is to have only three choices of any individual model, with two petrol engines and one diesel. The current list includes 36 individual models in the 3 Series sedan line-up . . . without counting the coupe, convertible or station wagon.“We get a lot of questions about whether we have too many models. I think we do have too many,” BMW Australia managing director Guenther Seemann says.He believes BMW must cut the choices to streamline business, though he says there will still be all-new models in future — with the X6 four-wheel drive and M3 sedan up next — as the German company looks for customers.The work has begun, though there are a dozen individual BMW lines, from the baby 1 Series to the four-wheel-drive X5 and flagship 7-Series, with 50 official engine choices. BMW has 189 individual models on the list.“We've already begun tidying up. The 116i hatch has been removed from the range, there are the manuals in the 3 Series and one of the X3 manuals,” Seeman says.“In the 5 Series range, one of the V8s will go. I believe for each and every model line-up in the future, as we add models, we need two petrol and one diesel variant in each case. No more. We have so many different model lines, it is not practical or possible to display them all in a showroom.He says it will take time to get things sorted, partly because there are so many models.“It will happen in the next two years. Globally, there are five petrol and five diesel engine choices. And that is just in the 3 Series range,” he says.But there is definitely space for some additions, like the four-door M3 sedan.“We are starting the business case. It looks good, I must say,” he says.“We will bring the four-door version, but I do not know at what price. We always follow the normal BMW pattern, where a two-door is more expensive than a four-door. We have to price it lower than the M3 two-door.”