A couple of days driving this 2011 BMW M3 coupe and it's easy to see why this is the benchmark by which all other sport coupes are measured. The V8 is terrific, and while it peaks at more than 400 hp, it somehow felt even more powerful. With the six-speed manual, you can easily keep the revs in the sweet spot. I found myself driving for a while in third gear, just to hear the great engine note blast out of the quad exhausts.
The attention to detail in the way the car steers and brakes is evident--everything is tight. This is, in effect, a race car. The steering is spot on, the feedback letting you know exactly where the front tires are at any given time. And because this thing is capable of warp speed, the brakes, with the cross-drilled and ventilated rotors that come with the sport package, are outstanding. In freeway driving, you need to realize that you will be able to stop much more quickly--if necessary--than just about anyone else you are sharing the road with.
The transmission has nice short throws to facilitate changing gears. The clutch takeup is also excellent, up near the top of the pedal travel. And the pedals are perfectly spaced for heel-and-toe shifting.
I found the mechanically operated seats to be a pain to try to find a comfortable seating position. For nearly $70K, can I get electrically controlled seats? Would it really add that much weight? And I would love to see BMW come up with a new radio interface for cars without a navigation system and iDrive. The technology there is at least a decade (or more) old. And while the iPod interface works, to scroll through the song menu you need a copilot operating the system. It takes so long that if the driver were doing it, you'd be in the ditch way before you found your favorite Willie Nelson tune.
But, hey, the M3 is about as close to a race car for the street as you can buy, and the driving experience from that standpoint is hard to beat.
We've heaped a lot of praise onto the BMW M3 over the years, and deservingly so. From a chassis dynamics standpoint, few companies do it as well as BMW. The suspension keeps it confidently stuck through corners, steering is precise and offers good feedback through the wheel, and ride quality is more than manageable for the times when you're not slinging it around hard. The 4.0-liter V8 has phenomenal throttle response with a stratospheric 8,400-rpm redline. As Roger said, the M3 remains the car that other car companies strive to beat in this segment.
What I don't agree with Roger on is the transmission. Of course, kudos to BMW for continuing to offer the M3 with a six-speed manual in addition to pleasing the dual-clutch sequential manual folks by offering a seven-speed box. But I do wish BMW would tune the shifter for a crisper and more precise operation. Acura and Audi manuals offer way better shift actions, in my opinion. The springy clutch pedal is another thing I'm not high on. Does it work? Yeah, for certain, but it's just one of those things that you wish could be a tad better.
This particular 2011 M3 was light on the tech features, which was nice. No iDrive, navigation and satellite radio to fool around with (OK, I did miss the sat radio a bit). The seats were manual, and I didn't like those at all. Attempting to find a comfortable seating position is difficult and the seat themselves don't offer the levels of side support you need in a car like this. A set of sport buckets like what Audi puts in the S4 are sorely needed.
But when it comes to the overall driving experience, no other car in this class delivers as strong in all areas as the BMW M3. Not the Lexus IS-F or the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. Neither of those offers a true manual gearbox or has a chassis as well sorted as the BMW's. Sure, they are more powerful. The Lexus's 5.0-liter V8 spits out a smidge more horsepower at 416, while the Benz's 6.2-liter V8 does a good amount more at 451 hp. They both out-torque the Bimmer's 295 lb-ft, with the IS-F delivering 371 lb-ft and the C63 AMG ringing up 443 lb-ft.
Still, even being outmotored, the BMW isn't too far behind to 60 mph, according to the manufacturer's published performance figures. BMW says this M3 with the manual transmission reaches 60 mph from a standstill in 4.7 seconds, while the Lexus does it in 4.6 seconds and the Mercedes is the fastest of them all at 4.4 seconds.
However, with the dual-clutch transmission, BMW says 0-to-60-mph times drop to 4.5 seconds, which would be faster than the Lexus but still slower than the Benz. Of course, does this really matter? It's just splitting hairs here and in the end, all three are really darn fast.
The good news for consumers is that all three bring different characteristics to the table. In my opinion, the Lexus is the third-place entry, while the BMW and the Mercedes swap first and second. Sometimes the Benz's throaty V8 and raw power gets me, while at other times I prefer the BMW's balanced attack.
I agree with Roger and Jon, the M3 coupe remains the benchmark for this segment. It's powerful, luxurious and well-executed in everyway that matters. The engine is a rocket, with an imposing sound and sinister exhaust note. The six-speed manual is a gem, and it's thoroughly enjoyable and interactive for enthusiasts who want to channel all of this copious power themselves.
The chassis is solid, and the body is taut and composed. Turns and curves are little trouble, and the driver feeds off this car's energy. I like the subtle looks too. The badging, the domed hood, the curved fenders--it's all impressive without being overwrought.
My dislikes were more along the lines of nitpicking. The mechanical seats seemed Paleozoic for a car this expensive, and the radio interface looked as if it was straight out of the 1980s. Where's the satellite radio, too? It comes on entry-level sedans, but not on one of the baddest sports coupes in the world?
All of that is overlooked when smoothly operating clutch and pedal as you blitz through traffic. It's truly a fun car. The M3 coupe also represents the best of the automobile world--power and luxury. Just be sure to take the manual.
Oh, if only every car could drive like this. I had this car for a night and hoped that I could have it longer--like, forever.
It's a sharp-looking car from the outside with the M3 badges, domed hood and carbon-fiber roof. But once you slide into the cabin, the disappointment sets in. This generation 3-series has been a around for a bit and it's glaringly apparent in the cabin. As others have mentioned, the radio interface looks really dated. Good thing the driving experience keeps you distracted from looking too deeply into the interior.
Speaking of driving experience, this car is tight and begs to be driven beyond a straight line. With its cornering prowess and six-speed manual gearbox, this car would be a blast for any driving enthusiast.
This is one of my traditional favorites, but I'm starting to look forward to the next generation. For all of the power, feel and handling prowess of the V8-engined M3, I miss its predecessors every time I drive it.
I don't want to say it feels heavy per se, even though it is quite, er, substantial, because BMW's V8 and world-class chassis/suspension tuning mask a lot of the heft. As always, you can throw this M3 around with abandon only to be rewarded at every curve in the road.
Still, there's just something about the car that bugs me, and it's more like the overall feeling it conveys to me rather than any single glaring deficiency. Little things like difficulty finding a good seating position, long shift throws and having to reach too far for the shifter itself and a rubber-band clutch annoy me more every time I sample this car.
The M3's handling, engine and overall experience still put it at the top of the sport-coupe/sport-sedan class, but as time goes on, I grow more certain that I won't ever miss this car the way I do the old ones when a replacement comes along.
I hope I haven't spoken too soon.
