Autocar has been against the new M3 since the testdrive in Marbella and they still have issues with the car. Thats sad.
They tink its to comfortable and to practical

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mute steering??

hmm i dont know what to belive..
i need to drive it..can someone hook me up with a testdrive??..lol

For Colossal performance, fine chassis balance, interior fit and finish

Against Driver's seat is too high, thick steering wheel, appalling fuel range


It was motor racing that first persuaded BMW to prefix the name of its smallest model range with the letter ‘M’. The first ‘E30’ M3 was built in small numbers to legitimise its appearance at circuits around the globe, but such was the popularity of the concept – high power, low mass and a small footprint on the road – that the company was forced to consider a replacement.

One followed in 1993, then another in 2000, and this – model designation E92 – is the fourth-generation M3. Sales volumes have risen with each new variant and sure enough, BMW expects this car to outsell its predecessor.

It would be wrong to assume that the M3 is BMW’s automatic superstar, though. Those with long memories will recall that the 1993 3.0-litre M3, the successor to the great original, was lambasted for being too soft and in possession of poor steering. Initial reports suggest that type E92 might again be too anodyne to do justice to the most famous single-consonant, single-digit car name in the world. Has BMW sullied those two characters?

Such is the level of modification required to transform a regular 3-series into an M3 that it is hard to see how the company ever makes a profit from this vehicle.

The base shell is carried over from the regular car, but remember that M Division can make requests for particular reinforcements at the initial design stage. To this is added a set of bespoke aluminium suspension components whose only commonality with the base car at either axle is a pair of rear lower wishbone control arms. This saves 2.5kg and gives a much stiffer platform for wheel control.
Naturally, the engineers have their favourite aspects of these changes. They’re especially proud of how stable the rear axle is and how much better the dampers are than the old car’s. The Michelin Pilot Sport tyres are unique to the M3 too.

The end result is that on ‘comfort’ dampers the M3’s ride is actually better than the 335i M Sport coupé’s, and that’s either a remarkable achievement or a sign that it’s getting too soft in its old age.

For the external panels, only the door skins and light units remain. Thermoplastic bumpers and front wings house front and rear tracks 38mm and 31mm wider than a 335i and the bonnet is pressed aluminium.

This car uses a carbonfibre-reinforced plastic roof to lower the car’s centre of mass. Over a glass sunroof-equipped car the saving is 22kg, although that figure falls to around 5kg over a regular steel panel.

Just two cylinders of the M3’s new V8 sit ahead of the front axle line. Displacing 3999cc, the engine produces 414bhp at 8300rpm and 295lb ft of torque at 3900rpm. It uses the most advanced engine management computer in the car world, it is claimed to be more fuel efficient than the straight six it replaces, the block is 15kg lighter and it uses brake energy regeneration to allow the alternator to de-couple under hard acceleration, yet charge more efficiently at other times.

Anyone who drives this car and yearns for more straight-line performance clearly has power issues. This is an exceptional motor with a breadth of performance that would have been unheard of even a few years ago.

For now the car is available only with a six-speed manual gearbox. Just like the last M3, the shift feels unhelpful at first and the clutch too abrupt, but again, familiarity breeds smoothness. The figures are impressive: 0-60mph in 4.7sec, 0-100mph in 10.2sec (a second faster than the old car). This is a four-seater that is quicker than a Porsche 997 Carrera S.

It is not possible for the new M3 to possess the dynamic reflexes of that first-generation car; so much we must accept. In concept, the new M3 is much closer to the old M635 CSi, an extremely sporting everyday coupé.

Two aspects of the car will have tongues wagging. The first is the Servotronic steering. In ‘light’ mode, the wheel moves more easily but there is little sense that it is connected to the front wheels. In fact, the same can be said about the heavier sports mode. So there is little or no feel, but it is accurate and pleasantly quick-geared.

Our test car was fitted with the optional electronic damper control (EDC), which gives three stages of adjustment: ‘comfort’, ‘normal’ and ‘sport’. In ‘comfort’ it is supple over large impacts and yet still sharp enough to keep the body mass under control. ‘Normal’ brings the expected tighter damping and ‘sport’ releases more of the car’s potential on a circuit.

But this is a road car. It grips as well as can be expected of something that weighs so much, and yet its bespoke Michelin tyres also contribute greatly to the ride comfort.

The M differential is carried over from the E46, but it feels subtly different. The lock-up is less severe, meaning the car understeers less on the road. Bar some steering feel, as a combination of cruiser and sports coupé, it’s hard to see how you’d improve it.

A new steering wheel, clock faces, gear lever and minor switchgear greet the M3 driver. This cabin shares few of the quasi-race details that characterised the first-generation car. But then it is supposed to serve as everyday transport.

As with all M3s, the new car has an entirely new seat design with electric operation. The speedometer now reads to 200mph and the rev counter incorporates graduated amber and red sections to indicate when the oil is warm. Unique to this 3-series is M Dynamic Mode, which provides the driver with controls to alter steering weight, throttle map and damper response.

There are only a few issues inside the M3, but one is a major irritation: you sit too high. M engineers insist that the squab material compresses about an inch over the first three weeks of ownership, but even that’s not enough. In fact, in a car whose base philosophy is low centre of mass, it seems counter-productive. And the steering wheel is way too thick.

But otherwise it’s an extremely comfortable place to sit. Rear occupants have enough legroom for one six-footer to sit behind another, and the boot is vast. This is also an exceptionally well assembled car.

Fuel economy is not a great strength, though. During fast running the car returns somewhere between 17 and 20mpg. Longer motorway runs see that figure rise to 25mpg. Which still leaves the car with a poor range (265 miles).

Much has already been written about the excessive cost of this new £50,625 M3, but such criticism isn’t entirely fair. For starters, Audi has just sold every RS4 saloon it could build for £50,675 apiece, proving that people are willing to pay such prices for cars of this type.

The UK’s M3 allocation for 2007 is already gone, but we’re told initial adverse publicity has lead to a few people dropping off the list. With a further 2000 units due to arrive in 2008, with a saloon and the eagerly awaited DSG gearbox, residuals will be strong.


Verdict

8 stars out of 10

This is not a faultless car. Its steering is mute, the driver sits too high and it will spend too much time at fuel stations. Its abilities on damp British roads are also reduced by being just two-wheel drive, and even though some people will crave the ability to feel the rear axle slipping about, the realities of motoring in this country cannot be ignored. It must be acknowledged that the Audi RS4 holds a decisive advantage in this respect.

But the M3 is not a blunt instrument; there are layers of sophistication, and as something in which to conduct your daily grind it will prove a thrilling companion. The others, in particular Audi, have all but caught the once uncatchable M3, but for those who love rear-driven machinery, this is still the best practical performance coupé on sale.


BMW M3 - Autocar.co.uk


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Standard beemers never got complaints about steering, the most recent is the 1series being too weighty that i recall, so i don't really believe the M3 has inferior steering feel, and M5 never got such comments. Is the variable steering thing (servotronic) an option? remember the 5series when it came out, people were saying the steering didn't felt good, but was perfect without Active steering and people who had it wanted to turn it off..
RS4 catching the M3, in the C63 topic that article said that the RS4 is 'dying'..

I don't understand, from all accounts the new M3 is faster, more agile, more comfortable, safer, etc......

I believe the E92 M3's getting a bad rap because of it's design. Maybe if it was more inspiring visually they'd be a little more forgiving in there review!

My God,I really don´t get them at all.What mute steering?Comparred to what,go-kart?Are they insane ?For J.C. sake,new M3 is huge improvment over old one in every possible way and if old one was(and still is)awesome I can´t see what going on up in their heads .

I thought the ///M division despise servotronic? Surprising that they didnt put it on the M6/M5 but they put it on the M3. No wonder there's been so many complaints about the steering feel.



That is really surprising to say the least.