Timothy “Tiff” Needell of Fifth Gear has the best job in the world. He gets to test drive and tear the living crap out of the most sought after sports cars for our viewing enjoyment.
In this latest video, Needell drives the car every auto enthusiast has been waiting for, the new BMW M3. The outgoing E46 M3 model which Tami drives, is one of Tiff’s all time favorites.
The new M3 is more powerful and boasts a ‘power’ button to make it even more aggressive. On paper all the indications are good, but there’s really only one way to find out for sure - put the man in the driving seat and let him floor the gas pedal.
BMW launched the E92 M3 on September 8th 2007 in the UK. Looking similar to the 335i BMW Coupe but with a new front air dam, quad exhaust pipes, an aggressive hood bulge, an M6 style carbon fibre-reinforced roof and vents on the front quarter panels reminiscent of the E46 M3.
The E92 M3 is powered by a 4.0 L V8 engine, instead of theinline-6 engine as used in the last generation E46 M3. While the E92 M3 resembles the regular E92 3 series, almost all the body panels are unique to the M3. The engine produces 420 hp at 8,300 rpm, and peak torque is 295 lb-ft at 3,900 rpm, which represents a power increase of 22% over the E46 M3.
The new V8 weighs 33 lbs less than the outgoing six cylinder for a total weight of 445 lbs. The styling follows the trend of slightly more aggressive M cars as started by the E60 M5. A six-speed manual transmission will be standard. While an SMG transmission was initially expected to be available as an option later, BMW is said to be planning the introduction of an all-new double-clutch gearbox, titled DCT, a year after the release of the E92 M3. It is predicted to be sold in the United States starting in the middle of 2008.
I can’t wait to get my hands on one!
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Posted by David
What’s really interesting about the M3 is its customizable settings especially the M Dynamic Mode. Not only does it have the M mode but also has the power button. It’s glad to see how BMW is putting its effort in creating a better feel for the driver not just the horse power and the appearance. Adding new performance features, more customizable features (assigning features to buttons) would be a total positive for the upcoming lines.
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Posted by AllaN
The M dynamic mode “the goldilocks setting” is very impressive. With the variety of settings, you can literally tune your performance to adapt to a certain driving style. The traction control on the M3 is simply amazing as you can tell by looking at Tiff pull of those Power-slides. Now All I need to do is take a lesson on how to pull off perfect power-slides and I’m going to own my own M3.
-AllaN -
Posted by jon
Seeing that clip was unfair to all other cars - they seem just a little (or a lot) too bland in comparison…
AllaN, if you (and for anyone else) are really keen on learning the power-slides and other high performance techniques, you can go to the M School, based out of the Spartanburg, SC, BMW Performance Driving School. There’s a 1-Day and a 2-Day M School program ($1300 and $3000 respectively) where you learn to push a variety of BMW M cars to their limits. IT’S AMAZING! Best thing is that they now are hosting the programs in Chicago and the California Speedway, so you wouldn’t necessarily have to travel to South Carolina. Check it out: http://www.bmwusa.com/bmwexperience/PerformanceCenter/school?schoolcategory=4
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